Corriedale (Kor'-e-Dal)

James Little is given credit for establishing the Corriedale breed when he was the manager of the Corriedale Estate at Otaga on the South Island of New Zealand in the 1860s.

The Corriedale is an in-bred half-breed with Merino on the dam's side and the English Lincoln longwool on the sire's side. The name Corriedale was chosen to be the proper name for the breed in 1902. The New Zealand Sheep Breeders Association began publishing Corriedale pedigrees in 1911; however, it was 1924 before a flock book was published by the Corriedale Sheep Society of New Zealand.

 The Corriedale was developed in an effort to establish a true dual purpose breed, combining the best traits of the wool breeds and the meat breeds. The result is a sheep that excels in total commercial returns, yielding a heavy valuable fleece and a high quality carcass. Additionally, Corriedales are known for their mothering ability and their ability to forage under a variety of climatic conditions.

In 1914 the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture appointed Professor F.R. Marshall, head sheepman of the Bureau of Animal Husbandry, 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. It was F.S. King who was responsible for organizing the Wyoming Corriedale Society and founding the American Corriedale Association in 1916.

Since that time Corriedales have gained steadily in popularity. In fact, Corriedales rank high in popularity in many nations and are considered to be the second most numerous breed worldwide.