Sheep and MSU
A Timeline of Interesting Facts
1880: 385,000 sheep in Montana
1882: President Cleveland repeals wool tariff; most sheep men broke by 1883
1883: Montana Wool Growers established in Fort Benton, MT
1884: Montana Stock Growers established in Helena, MT
1886/7: “Last of 5,000” winter made famous by Charlie Russell
1889: Montana became 4st state.
1890: 2,228,000
1891: Forest Reserves set aside.
1893: Montana State University and Montana Ag Experiment Station established.
1899: First MAES Bulletin published on sheep research.
1900: 4,504,000
1908: Sweetgrass Wool Pool established.
1908: Beginning of 10 year homestead boom
1909: Linfield Hall at MSU Bozeman completed
1910: 5,279,000
1918 :WWI ends
1920-2: 450,000
1922: US Sheep Experiment Station established in Dubious, ID.
1923: Dr. Marsh first isolates Ovine Progressive Pneumonia in MT.
1924: Fort Keogh established for agriculture research.
1925: Eastern Montana Ram Sale Started (Montana Ram Sale).
1926: First wool research published in MT.
1928: Sheep research in Bridger Mountains begins.
1930-4:120,000
1930: Fort Ellis dedicated for range sheep investigation.
1931: National Animal Damage Control Act
1932: Miles City banks foreclose on 250,000 head of sheep
1934: Taylor Grazing Act
1940-3: 747,000
1941: America enters WWII
1941: Columbia breed released.
1941: Fort Keogh sheep sent to Dubious.
1942: Sheep numbers peak in America-56,000,000
1946: WWII over
1947: Wool Lab building dedicated at MSU.
1948: First ram performance test at Ft. Ellis.
1950: 1,584,000
1950: Sheep advisory committee established.
1950: Montana Nutrition Conference started.
1950: Organization of numerous wool pools and lamb pools
1951: Targhee breed released.
1954: Wool Act.
1956: Red Bluff Research Station established, ending research in Bridgers.
1960-1:,872,000
1970-1:113,000
1972: Widespread use of 1080 banned.
1973: Endangered species act passed.
1975: Grizzly bears listed.
1980: 574,000
1981: Central Ram Performance Test re-established.
1984: First Choteau Sheep Expo
1986: National Sheep Improvement Program established.
1990: 663,000
1995: OFDA 100
1995: Wool Act phased out.
1995: Grey wolf reintroduced to MT.
2000: 370,000
2000s: Development of numerous source verified, local lamb companies.
2001: OFDA 2000
2001: Montana Sheep Institute established.
2002: Eastern Montana Consolidated Wool Pool started.
2005: Wool Pool Corinator trailer first used.
2008: Miles City Ram Sale Catalog on-line.
2008: Montana’s wolf hunting allowed again.
2010: 255,000
2010s: Development of numerous source verified, local wool companies.
2010: New Animal Bioscience building dedicated at MSU.
2012: Montana Ram Sale’s first live video sale on the internet.
2018: Wool prices at historic highs on a non-inflation adjusted basis.
2020: 200,000
2025: New Wool Research Lab completed at MSU
Research topics by decade
1940s: Fattening lambs, Wool coring and shrinkage
1950s: Winter range ewe nutrition, Wool classing and skirting,
Wool and lamb pools
1960s: Winter range ewe nutrition, Wool classing and skirting,
Grass palatability and production, Production records
1970s:
1980s: High and low line reproductive efficiency, Central Ram Test,
NSIP
1990s: Lamb survivability, Sources of variation in fiber diameter,
Noxious weed control, OFDA 100
2000s: Sheep in farming systems, Noxious weed control, Ultrasound,
OFDA 2000 wool line building
2010s: Residual Feed Intake, Ribeye, Mineral Deficiency, Mastitis
2020s: Sustainability, genetics and microbial profile of wool