Abstract:
J. W. Harbison of Pinehurst ran the southernmost American chinchilla ranch in 1947. Superintendent of Pinehurst schools by day and chinchilla breeder by night, Harbison initially bought a pair of the South American rodents for the fur, which in the 1940s made a fashionable and popular coat. However, he grew attached to the first pair and changed the focus from fur to selling his chinchillas to other breeders, which could still net a large profit.