Merino sheep and the ostrich feather boom in the Cape
reference (economic history) · consulted 2026-07-29
- Type
- reference (economic history)
- Repository
- web
- Reference
- merinosa.co.za; southafrica.co.za (Oudtshoorn ostrich industry)
- Consulted
- 2026-07-29
The citation as it was given
Background for the two economic waves this district lived through. Merinos from 1789; wool the staple by mid-century. Ostriches from the 1860s, peaking 1913 at 450 tonnes and 3 million pounds - the fourth most valuable export after gold, diamonds and wool - then gone after 1914.
Kept verbatim. This project contradicts published genealogies and corrects a family's own oral tradition, so every claim has to be checkable by someone who was not in the room.