In 1914 the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture appointed Professor F. R. Marshall, head sheepman in the Bureau of Animal Industry, and Frank S. King, of Laramie, Wyoming (representing the National Wool Growers Association), to begin a search for a new dual purpose sheep. They traveled to New Zealand, where they selected and imported 65 ewes and 10 rams to the government experiment station in Wyoming. Mr. King also selected about thirty-five (35) head from the C.H. Ensor flock, which he imported about a year later for the F. S. King Brothers’ Company. Eventually Frank King sold his interested in the King Ranch to his brothers, H. J. and J. H. King, who operated as the King Brothers until the flock was dispersed in the late 1940s. F.S. King was responsible for organizing the Wyoming Corriedale Society and founding The American Corriedale Association in 1916. He established his own flock, the Wyoming Corriedale Sheep Company, at Cheyenne, Wyoming. After his death he was succeeded by his son, Arthur, and his grandson, Jerry, who continued to supply breeding stock to a large number of American breeders for many years.
From 1918 until he dispersed his flock in 1945, Malcolm Moncreiffe of Big Horn, Wyoming, produced Corriedales that became the foundation for many good breeding flocks throughout the nation. Mr. Moncreiffe made major importations from three of the dominant breeding establishments in New Zealand: H.T. Little, Campbell and the Bushy Park flocks.
J. F. Walker of Gambier, Ohio, made several importations from New Zealand in 1927, including sheep from the H. T. Little flock , which became the foundation for his flock at Woodbine Farms. This flock, owned by Mr. Walker and his son, H. H. Walker, became one of the better known flocks east of the Mississippi River until its dispersal in 1955.
Leslie L. Crane established a very successful flock in 1925 near Santa Rosa, California. His sons, Lee and Tom, have carried on his tradition of raising fine Corriedales.
The American Corriedale Association was established in 1916 and was followed by the establishment of the National Corriedale Association a few years later. Initially, the Corriedale breed struggled for recognition in the United States. There were only 25 members in the American Corriedale Association in 1924, and 40 members in 1928 with 1,174 Corriedales registered. In 1944 the National Corriedale Sheep Association was joined with the American Corriedale Association. Rollo E. Singleton assumed the duties of the secretary. Since that time Corriedales have gained steadily in popularity. A total of over 375,250 head of Corriedales had been registered by April 30, 1967. Russell E. Jackson followed Mr. Singleton as secretary from 1969 to 1996. Today there are members from more than 40 states and Canada, with more than 547,000 sheep registered.
The current secretary of the American Corriedale Association, Inc., is Marcia Craig and the current address for the association is P. O. Box 391, Clay City, IL 62824.