A New American Breed: Meet the Montadale Sheep

There are a few sheep breeds that have originated in the United States, and Montadale is one of my favorites. Most of the other breeds developed in the United States, especially during the twentieth century, came into being on the ranges of Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. Montadale, however, was developed in the Midwest. Montadale is also one of the youngest established sheep breeds.

The Montadale was born from one man’s dream. Mr. E. H. Mattingly had taken an interest in sheep his whole life, and he wanted to produce the ideal sheep. In 1932, he drove from his home in St. Louis, Missouri, to Kalispell, Montana, and he took back with him the first Columbia sheep to cross to the eastern side of the Mississippi River.

Columbia sheep were a new breed at the time, developed by the United States Department of Agriculture in 1912 by crossing Lincoln and Rambouillet. Mattingly planned to cross this new Columbia with Cheviot (also known as Border Cheviot), a very old Scottish breed. Mattingly was going for the perfect sheep. He wanted a sheep that was fast-growing, would often give multiple lambs, grew good fleece in quality and weight, and produced a good frame for meat.