LANDRUM, William M.

LANDRUM, William M. (1829-1909)

A significant early breeder of Angora goats was William Landrum of Laguna, Texas. Landrum was in California from 1850 to 1883 and while there, he received Angoras from Chenery and Peters. In 1872, Landrum purchased all the goats under 8 years of age from Colonel Peters. In 1883, he moved to Texas with his sons to continue raising Angoras. In 1901, Landrum imported two yearling bucks from South Africa. These two bucks were bred by R. C. Holmes, sired by his prize buck "Dick", which was the prize buck at the Port Elizabeth show in 1900. Mr. Landrum settled around Laguna, Texas, wich was between Camp Wood and Uvalde. At one time, he and his partners had more goats than anyone in the country. His two sons, W. E. and Frank, carried on the goat interests in Texas. Frank later relocated above Barksdale near the Nueces River.

William M. Landrum = Francis Elizabeth Ireland (1844-1890) 1. Robert Lee Landrum (1863-1923) 2. James Landrum (1865-1936) 3. William Edward Landrum (1867-1925) 4. Frank Otis Landrum (1873-1947)

In the News~

January 27, 1873 [SDU]: “Incorporation.—Articles of Incorporation of the Guadalupe Island Company, whose principal business is that of agriculture and stock raising, were filed in the office of the Secretary of State Saturday. Capital, $500,000, in shares of $50 each. Directors—Geo. W. Dent, Henry Delafield, Cassius C. Palmer, Wm. M. Landrum and James M. Rogers. The principal place of business will be in San Francisco.”

April 5, 1873 [Pacific Rural Press]: “San Diego Union, March 20: The Angora Goat.— The experiment about to be attempted by the Guadalupe Island Company to improve the common goat stock at present on the island by the introduction of pure blooded Angora bucks, has an important bearing upon the wool interests of the Pacific Coast. The men at the head of the enterprise — Messrs. Landrum of Watsonville, Santa Cruz county, and others, have demonstrated beyond question the feasibility of improving the grade of the common goat by judicious crossing with the Angora species, so as to make it like the latter fleece-bearing. The Angora goat, which is a native of Asia Minor, takes kindly to the herbage and climate of Southern California. The effort made to acclimatize the Angora goat in the Northern States have not been very successful, and the number there at present is limited. In this State they multiply at the rate of over 100 percent per annum, while the mortality after the first year of all goats under ten years of age does not exceed one percent per annum. Guadalupe Island, upon which the experiment of improving the common stock is about to be inaugurated on an extensive scale, is possessed of a climate similar in every respect to that of Asia Minor — the home of the Angora. The island has now 20,000 common goats grazing upon it. Selecting only 5,000 ewes wherewith to enter upon the experiment, it is calculated that at the end of ten years the number of graded ewes will have increased to 75,000, valued at $10 each, or an aggregate of $750,000. The amount to be derived from the sale of wethers and old ewes during that decade is estimated at $643,040. The quantity of wool or mohair to be sheared during that time will sum up to nearly 1,000,000 pounds, valued at about $900,000, being nearly an aggregate revenue, including the value of stock, of $2,300,000. The experiment will be watched with interest.”

February 14, 1874 [Red Bluff Independent]: “...The most extensive enterprise in the way of Angora goat-raising in this country is probably that of the Guadalupe Island Company of California, which owns an entire island in the Pacific southwest of San Diego, comprising some 160,000 acres of grazing land, upon which the 20,000 or more goats subsist and thrive the year round without prepared food or artificial shelter. The leader of this colossal enterprise is William M. Landrum, "the pioneer goat man of the Pacific." they are not a grass-eating animal, and when kept on such in small enclosures soon become unhealthy. They are a browsing animal, and cannot stand being high fed with grain and grass.”

July 12, 1874 [LAH]: “Angora Goats. Mr. William M. Landrum, of the firm of Landrum & Rodgers, of Watsonville, Santa Cruz county, passed this city yesterday with 1,025 Angora goats of different grades that he is taking to Guadalupe Island, which lies some distance from the mainland two hundred miles south of San Diego. This island contains 166,400 acres, thirty-eight square miles of which are covered with cedar timber and three square miles with pine. In the cañons and gulches grow a great deal of palm. The island is well adapted to goat or sheep raising. It is owned by a company, of which the firm named are members. This company now have 40,000 goats on the island. Mr. Landrum is entitled to the credit of being the pioneer thoroughbred Angora goat breeder on the Pacific coast. He brought two of these goats from Missouri across the plains in 1861, and he now has at Watsonville two hundred pure Angoras — about one third of all there is in the United States. The band he is now driving south contains different grades, from the nearly pure Angora down to the almost common goat. A few facts concerning the Angora goat and the value of its fleece will be of interest. The ewes shear about six pounds; seven pounds is the extreme. The extreme weight of the buck's fleece is ten pounds. The average of the ewe's fleece is four pounds, and the average of the buck's six pounds. There is no consumption of this wool as yet on the Pacific coast, but it readily sells in the East at the following figures: Lowerst grade, 24c@30c; second, 45c@48c; third, 65c; pure select, $1.20 Fair average is worth $1 per pound. The value of the Angora goat, mixed and pure, is as follows: Ewes, half-breed, $4; three-fourths, $6; seven-eights, $9; finer quality, $30; thoroughbred, from $120 to $175. Mixed bucks are worth about $40, while the thoroughbreds sell at from $150 to $200 each. The Angora goat is a great deal hardier than the sheep. The climate of the Southern Coast counties is especially adapted to their culture...”

July 13, 1874 [SBMP]: “A New Source of Wealth. The farmers of the Pacific Slope are turning their attention to a branch of stock-raising which bids fair to result in adding an important staple to the productions of the United States. This is the naturalization and breeding of the Angora goat, commonly but incorrectly called the cashmere, the fleece of which supplies the mohair of commerce. Until recently the entire production of mohair for use of the world was confined to Asia Minor. The preparation and sale of mohair has been the principal industry of the people of Angora... The first Angoras imported into the United States for breeding purposes were brought to this country in 1848 by Dr. Davis of South Carolina... In 1861 Mr. W. M. Landrum took two bucks to California. One of these, bred by Mr. Peters from the original Davis importation, lived to be ten years old, and became the sire of about 2,000 kids... In 1872 it was estimated that there were 70,000 Angora goats of all grades on the Pacific slope, and under favorable circumstances the flocks are almost doubling annually. On Guadalupe Island, situated off the coast of Lower California, about ninety miles from the mainland, where a company is engaged in breeding the Angora goat, the increase has been 100 percent from the ewes. There are now 35,000 goats on the island, old and young...”

August 20, 1874 [SDU]: “From Guadalupe Island—Landrum's Adventures. San Diego, August 19th. The schooner Esther, Captain Wilson, arrived at 11 o'clock last night from Guadalupe Island, bringing up William M. Landrum, of Watsonville, who went down on the Louisa Harker a few weeks ago, with a cargo of Angora goats. She landed him, and then, according to the commander's account, a sudden gale sprang up and drove her out to sea. She was compelled to return to this port with the goats. Landrum gives another statement of how he was left in the lurch by the Harker. He says the schooner was not brought to her proper anchorage, and so drifted away; that there was no wind at all, it being perfectly calm. This turn of affairs interfered with the object of his trip, but he made the best of the circumstances, and explored the island thoroughly while there. He says he was agreeably surprised with the island, pasturage being exceedingly abundant, even to the tops of the mountains, and the grass was three feet high.”

December 21, 1874 [SDU]: “The schooner San Diego, from Santa Cruz, arrived last evening. She will take on board several hundred Angora goats for Landrum & Rogers, of Watsonville, and proceed to Guadalupe Island.”

January 16, 1875 [Mariposa Gazette]: “The Watsonville Pajaronian, learns that E. R. Marsh, of San Francisco, has recently invested $27,000 in Angora goats; also William Hall, of San Jose, lately purchased a lot at $11,480; and C. S. Abbott, FLint, Baxby & Co., and B. Boswell have bought all the stock of the Guadalupe Island Company, except about 300 shares, and the stock held by Landrum & Rogers. Those men represent several million dollars, and mean business in goat raising.”

July 28, 1876 [SBMP]: “Description and Points of a Good Angora Goat. The first and most noticeable point of difference between the common goat and the Angora species is the magnificent long white fleece of the latter, which covers the animal from eyes to hoofs, almost... (The writer has seen goat's hair of 18 months' growth, from a buck of the Guadalupe Island flock, bred by Landrum & Rodgers, which measured 17-1/2 inches in length.)...

August 12, 1876 [Santa Cruz Weekly Sentinel]: “Angora Goats. Messrs. Landrum & Rogers have on their fine place near Watsonville, 150 ewes and 100 bucks. Their best ewes shear five to seven pounds and the bucks six to eight pounds. Their prize buck, Herculese, sheared last year ten pounds of mohair. A yearling buck, last year, sheared eight pounds. The mohair was thirteen inches long on the belly, and running down to nine inches on the hock. He took the first prize at the California and Oregon State Fairs ...They occupy, with Flint, Bixby & Co., C. S. Abbott, and B. Boswell, the Guadalupe Island and have thereon 1,000 head of high grades and pure breeds, and 5,000 to 8,000 low grades, and over 30,000 common goats. Their last year's fleece sold in New York for ninety, sixty, forty and twenty-five cents, and the poorest culls for twenty cents...”

November 3, 1883 [Santa Cruz Weekly Sentinel]: “Wm. Landrum, formerly of Watsonville, left Los Angeles last week for Texas with his band of Angora goats. He disposed of a band at Los Angeles at good figures.”

1901 “...The Western States have man thousands. [of angora goats] Mr. William M. Landrum is quoted as follows: White goats can stand any amount of cold and snow, but sleet and wind are very injurious. On the other hand, they can endure the scorching heat of the Tropics. Their fleece is best at an altitude of from 3,000 to 6,000 feet above sea level. The fleece never sheds on Guadalupe Island, 210 miles from San Diego, at an altitude of only from 2,000 to 4,000 feet. I have grown mohair there two feet long, of lovely texture. We had 80,000 wild goats roaming on the island without any attention, except in slaughtering season, when we sheared the Angoras and slaughtered from 14,000 to 15,000 common goats for their hides and tallow. The goats all ran wild and took care of themselves. We were not at one dollar expense on them.” [17th Annual Report. Congressional Serial Set (Reports, Documents, and Journals of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives), U. S. Govt. Printing., 1901, p. 327]