Texas Woollybacks: The Range Sheep and Goat Industry

by Paul H. Carlson

With a new epilogue to carry the story to the present, Paul Carlson engagingly chronicles the development of the range sheep and goat industry from Spanish times to about 1930, when widespread use of mesh-wire fences brought an end to the open-range management of sheep and goat ranches in Texas.

 “This well-written and thoroughly researched book will invariably be appreciated by those individuals interested in southwestern and agricultural history.”—Journal of American History

“This volume is impressive in the array and quality of information presented concerning the sheep and goat industry in Texas.”—Western Historical Quarterly

“. . . a comprehensive, well-organized, and easily read treatment of a subject comparatively neglected by historians of the American livestock industry."—Great Plains Quarterly

 “. . . employs a down-to-earth yet scholarly approach to give us a highly readable, very informative book on a neglected subject . . . accuracy, insight, and readability make Texas Woollybacks an excellent book.”—Southwest Chronicle

236 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1982

About the author

Dr. Paul Howard Carlson is a historian, former professor, and former assistant chairman of the Department of History at Texas Tech University. He was also editor of the West Texas Historical Association Year Book (now West Texas Historical Review) for a number of years.

Reviews

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Texas Hill Country is poorly suited for farming or cattle ranching. The raising of sheep and goats in the area was one of the few economic options.