Time Traveling with Swiss Valais Blacknose Sheep

On a clear but windy Friday morning in December 2022, Rowena Zuercher slowly drove up the long dirt lane of the Davis Family Livestock Farm in Platteville, Colorado. She had driven up from her home in Aurora to meet Anne Davis, tour the Davis farm, and buy some fleeces and roving from their Swiss Valais Blacknose sheep (VBS). After braving the wind to meet the sheep (and a few cows, horses, and camelids), they returned to the barn so Rowena could select from the fiber Anne had laid out. As they admired the soft, curly locks, Anne asked how she had learned about their farm. Rowena gave her a short answer that morning, but the full answer is much, much longer and goes back several centuries.

Enjoy this article from Spin Off Winter 2025 about Rowena's family history, what led her to a farm in Platteville, Colorado, and what compelled her to find a way to re-create her textile ancestry.

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