User:Coolalldaway/Burzese family goats

The Burzese family goats, also known as the Great American Goat Herd, is the collective name for a group of goats currently residing directly outside of Pittsburgh, PA.

History
In 1797, shortly after the Revolutionary War, a merchant by the name of Ryan Molson arrived at the port of New Haven. The goats were of the British Saanen Goat breed, which are known for their year-round production of milk and ease of transport. Unfortunately, of the 43 goats that boarded the boat in Southampton, only 28 survived the voyage. For approximately thirty years, these goats were bred in isolation from native species to ensure that the gene pool remained intact. Although they moved around to a limited degree, the goat herd remained in Connetecuit for the majority of the 19th century. By 1827, the number of goats had grown from 28 to 178. In 1836, the owner of the goats, a descendant of Ryan Molson, Matthew McVangenburg, left the goats to his stableboy, Lazlow Burzese upon his deathbed. Lazlow was ophaned by his parents at the age of six, and had been raised by McVangenburg since then. However, after inheriting the goats and the associated pastureland, Lazlow became a successful dairy farmer, eventually accruing enough wealth to move to the up-and-coming city of Pittsburgh, famous at the time for its manufacture of glass and steel. Unfortunately for the herd, the market in which a portion of the the herd, then over 200 strong, was being traded burned down in 1845, resulting in the perishing of all but 40 of the goats. Fortunately, Burzese had retained enough money to rebuild his primary business of dairy trading, and he was able to continue to support the goat herd.

Present Day
The goats remain in the Burzese family to this day in the town of Sturgeon-Noblestown, located approximately 10 miles from the Pittsburgh city limits in Allegheny county. Today, the Burzese Family Goats is a collective name for the descendants of Molson's herd. They still reside on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, PA near the spot where Lazlow Burzese moved them in 1836. Although the herd has remained fairly small, currently comprising of around 50 individual British Saanen goats, the genetic purity of the goats has been maintained for over 200 years. The herd can be seen as part of a petting zoo, which is associated with a museum detailing the agricultural expansion in post-colonial America. This museum is run by the Burzese family. The milk from the Burzese family goats is still used on select pizzas at The Pizza House (also known as Police Station Pizza), a family-owned pizzeria. The goats are fed a diet primarily of malted wheat.