Tag: wool

June 1926 Sheep and Wool News

As I was searching through the first 11 days of June 1926 newspapers it was sparse for information on the sheep industry.  My search terms were both sheep and wool. This is what was found:

Several newspapers mentioned that sheep were held longer than usual on their winter pastures and now just headed to the north to spend the summer in the plateau country. The spring downpours were beneficial to the livestock owners. The sheepman delayed moving flocks northward to take advantage of the abundant feed in the valley and thus giving the mountain pastures more growing season which the forest service officials said would greatly increase the quantity of grass for the summer. 

It was interesting to note that, “the dates on which the driveways are used are regulated to meet the requirements of feed, lambing and shearing. The forest service has charge of the regulation of the movements of sheep, and the driveways are so located as to size and direction as to provide feed for ‘carrying’ the great bands of sheep as they make their month-long trips.”  (Arizona Republic June 7, 1926)

A few people who were in the sheep business were mentioned.  Some of that information just stated that they were visiting in Flagstaff getting ready to move their sheep to the north country. One sheepman, A.T. Kesslar, had sold his sheep. The other sheepmen mentioned were Carlos Costillo, J. C. Kaler, T.E. and R.R. Pollock, Harry Henderson, John Hennessy, Harlow Yeager, Colin Campbell and George Wilbur.  Incorporation of the Wallaha Sheep Company by the Pollock’s was undertaken this month.  In the research I have undertaken of the sheep industry in Arizona, Costillo and Kaler were unknown names to me. Those two men will need to be further researched.

There were wool shipments from Holbrook to Boston. Queen Creek reported that 18 carloads of sheep shipped in May.  It did not report where the sheep were sent. One particular article mentioned the 27 carloads of sheep passed through Prescott in route to Williams and summer grazing grounds. The sheep came from Calipatria, California and were owned by the Daggs Sheep Company.  Six thousand sheep also belonging to the Daggs were being held in Kirkland and would need to be shipped to Del Rio for the summer.

As to wool prices at the beginning of June, the newspaper articles stated that they were no higher (from what, I could not find an answer) but demand was slowly broadening. West wool was being shipped when buyers and growers agreed on prices. Consignments were increasing as growers were unwilling to accept current bids, preferring to take a chance that later the market would make advancements. Wool from foreign markets was going straight to mills as mills had reported an improved demand for goods. By the 11th of June, wool trading had increased but there was no significant change in wool price from buyers.

Several of the newspapers during the first eleven days of the month advertisements for wool clothing, especially wool bathing suits for both men and women. One also mentioned that the six passenger Studebaker with deep wide cushions durably upholstered in genuine wool and wool carpet.

Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for more!

Poisonous Wool

An interesting newspaper story on poisonous wool was found in the Tucson “Arizona Weekly Citizen” for October 28, 1881. Death can occur when a shearer or a wool sorter carelessly handles wool from a diseased or dead sheep.

The story mentions wool sorters in England being subject to a peculiar disease when wool has been taken from sheep that had died from Anthrax, a malignant splenie fever that exists among sheep.

In the United States, another person’s death had also been attributed to wool. Mr. Naud, a prominent citizen of Los Angeles, had been sorting wool that had been placed in his care. Some of the clipped that he was sorting came from scabby sheep and “was, consequently, poisonous to a certain degree. After handling the wool he chanced to touch a small bleeding wound on his person and became inoculated with the poison from the wool. His blood became thoroughly impregnated with the poison, and after a long illness and great suffering from pyemia, he died.

“It is possible that the sheep in Arizona are not affected with disease to any extent, yet the greatest caution should be used to exclude the wool of sheep that have died or are suffering from any disease, from the better wool intended for the market.”

There were many dipping vats in Arizona to rid sheep of scabby in the early history of the industry. One of those dipping vats was at Cordes where many sheep were sheared each year. The sheep were run through the vats before leaving Cordes. I wrote about this topic in an earlier blog where scabby had been reduced if not eliminated in the years 1906 to 1916 because sheep owners were vigilant in this practice of dipping. The cost to dip a sheep ran between 2 1/2 to 3 cents. The picture of a dipping vat; it is the same one I used in the earlier blog.

Dipping Vat at Cordes. Date unknown. Unknown men.

There were other dipping vats within the state. One was at the Verde River Sheep Bridge and another on the west side of the San Francisco Peaks. There had to be other dipping stations within the state along the trails used by the sheep men as they drove their sheep northward each year.

One further comment and that is the story failed to mention whose wool Mr. Naud was handling; they may not have known or did not think it was necessary to mention the wool grower.

Two last comments – if anyone knows who any of the men were in the picture above, please send me a message and if anyone knows of other locations of dipping vats, I would appreciate that information as well.