A Little Goat History...
Cashmere is associated with the goats of the Himalayan mountains. Textiles based on cashmere down have been part of an indigenous Nepalese cottage industry for thousands of years.  In the late 14th century Himalayan goat fiber was introduced to Kashmir and became part of what was called pashmina weaving. Pashmina is the Kashmiri word for goat's wool, translated literally as "soft gold."  The fleece of the local Changthangi goats (averaging a 9 to 14 micron fiber thickness) combined with fiber from the rare Chiru antelope (9 to 11 micron fiber thickness with high crimp) was utilised in a highly sophisticated weaving technique developed over centuries which produced beautiful, multi patterned shawls. 
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Pashmina shawls were brought to Britain by traders in the 16th century and were so fine and rare as to be nearly priceless. In the 1760's a single pashmina shawl was worth the price of a medium sized home. Because of its high value, cashmere became known as the "fiber of kings" -- only royalty could afford it. Despite the importance of the British textile industry of the period, there were no fine-wooled sheep that produced anything close to the low-micron cashmere fiber from Persia, there were no spinning wheels that could spin thread as fine as was used in the shawls, and there were no looms that could duplicate the delicate finished fabric. Pashmina shawls became  more accessible in Europe in the late 18th Century. Napoleon sent a pashmina shawl to Josephine from his campaigns in Egypt and she became a connoisseur.  It is reported that she paid 20,000 francs (the equivalent to $100,000 today) for a single shawl and had more than 400 pashmina shawls in her collection. 

The textile industry in France and Britain noticed.  As early as 1799 the French were producing imitation pashmina shawls from fine merino wool.  In 1818 the first goats were introduced to France from French Tartary -- 1500 cashmere goats were acquired but only  a little over 250 survived the trip.  The French dominated cashmere production for a number of years but in 1830 an award was offered in Scotland for anyone who could spin cashmere according to the highly-guarded French system.  The challenge was met and by mid-century Scottish mills dominated  world cashmere production. The first commercial dehairing machine was invented in Scotland in 1890. Cashmere was also spun in the United State in the mills in Uxbridge, Massachusetts from 1810 forward. 

In the 1970's, usable cashmere was discovered in the United States on feral Spanish meat goats about the same time it was discovered in feral Australian goats. Although there is no apparent direct link to Himalayan goats in the native American Spanish meat goat, the Australian herds included descendents of cashmere and cashmere-Angora cross goats which had been imported in the mid-19th century from both French breeders and Mongolia/Chinese exporters, then abandoned during the Australian Gold Rush in the second half of the century. As interest grew in the United States in the 1970's and 80's in raising cashmere goats, and given the closed border to importing from China, Mongolia and the Middle East, American cashmere farmers looked to Australia for new genetic stock.

The quality cashmere-producing goats know as the North American Cashmere goat have their foundation in the Spanish meat goat, interbred with Australian imports and cashmere-bearing dairy goats.  Thus North American Cashmere goats are a polyglot of native and immigrant goat genetics -- like most Americans!

Pashmina shawls were brought to Britain by traders in the 16th century and were so fine and rare as to be nearly priceless. In the 1760's a single pashmina shawl was worth the price of a medium sized home. Because of its high value, cashmere became known as the "fiber of kings" -- only royalty could afford it. Despite the importance of the British textile industry of the period, there were no fine-wooled sheep that produced anything close to the low-micron cashmere fiber from Persia, there were no spinning wheels that could spin thread as fine as was used in the shawls, and there were no looms that could duplicate the delicate finished fabric. Pashmina shawls became  more accessible in Europe in the late 18th Century. Napoleon sent a pashmina shawl to Josephine from his campaigns in Egypt and she became a connoisseur.  It is reported that she paid 20,000 francs (the equivalent to $100,000 today) for a single shawl and had more than 400 pashmina shawls in her collection. 

The textile industry in France and Britain noticed.  As early as 1799 the French were producing imitation pashmina shawls from fine merino wool.  In 1818 the first goats were introduced to France from French Tartary -- 1500 cashmere goats were acquired but only  a little over 250 survived the trip.  The French dominated cashmere production for a number of years but in 1830 an award was offered in Scotland for anyone who could spin cashmere according to the highly-guarded French system.  The challenge was met and by mid-century Scottish mills dominated  world cashmere production. The first commercial dehairing machine was invented in Scotland in 1890. Cashmere was also spun in the United State in the mills in Uxbridge, Massachusetts from 1810 forward. 

In the 1970's, usable cashmere was discovered in the United States on feral Spanish meat goats about the same time it was discovered in feral Australian goats. Although there is no apparent direct link to Himalayan goats in the native American Spanish meat goat, the Australian herds included descendents of cashmere and cashmere-Angora cross goats which had been imported in the mid-19th century from both French breeders and Mongolia/Chinese exporters, then abandoned during the Australian Gold Rush in the second half of the century. As interest grew in the United States in the 1970's and 80's in raising cashmere goats, and given the closed border to importing from China, Mongolia and the Middle East, American cashmere farmers looked to Australia for new genetic stock.

The quality cashmere-producing goats know as the North American Cashmere goat have their foundation in the Spanish meat goat, interbred with Australian imports and cashmere-bearing dairy goats.  Thus North American Cashmere goats are a polyglot of native and immigrant goat genetics -- like most Americans!
  
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In the 1970's, usable cashmere was discovered in the United States on feral Spanish meat goats about the same time it was discovered in feral Australian goats. Although there is no apparent direct link to Himalayan goats in the native American Spanish meat goat, the Australian herds included descendents of cashmere and cashmere-Angora cross goats which had been imported in the mid-19th century from both French breeders and Mongolia/Chinese exporters, then abandoned during the Australian Gold Rush in the second half of the century. As interest grew in the United States in the 1970's and 80's in raising cashmere goats, and given the closed border to importing from China, Mongolia and the Middle East, American cashmere farmers looked to Australia for new genetic stock.

The quality cashmere-producing goats know as the North American Cashmere goat have their foundation in the Spanish meat goat, interbred with Australian imports and cashmere-bearing dairy goats.  Thus North American Cashmere goats are a polyglot of native and immigrant goat genetics -- like most Americans!
  
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In the 1970's, usable cashmere was discovered in the United States on feral Spanish meat goats about the same time it was discovered in feral Australian goats. Although there is no apparent direct link to Himalayan goats in the native American Spanish meat goat, the Australian herds included descendents of cashmere and cashmere-Angora cross goats which had been imported in the mid-19th century from both French breeders and Mongolia/Chinese exporters, then abandoned during the Australian Gold Rush in the second half of the century. As interest grew in the United States in the 1970's and 80's in raising cashmere goats, and given the closed border to importing from China, Mongolia and the Middle East, American cashmere farmers looked to Australia for new genetic stock.

The quality cashmere-producing goats know as the North American Cashmere goat have their foundation in the Spanish meat goat, interbred with Australian imports and cashmere-bearing dairy goats.  Thus North American Cashmere goats are a polyglot of native and immigrant goat genetics -- like most Americans!
  
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