About the Ameraucana Alliance

In the summer of 1978 Don Cable came up with the idea to form a club to promote the muffed and tailed blue egg laying bantams after he acquired two pair of Wheaten bantams from Mike Gilbert, who shipped them to Don at Sacramento, CA, via air freight from the Cedar Rapids, IA, airport.  That fall, Ken Carpenter, from New York, suggested "Ameruacana" for the new breed of chickens Mike created.  Mike corrected the spelling to Ameraucana.  There were 11 charter members and after the votes were counted the new breed had it's name and the new breed club was called the Ameraucana Bantam Club.  Don served as the first Secretary of the club, while Mike served as President.   In 1980, Don organized an American Bantam Association (ABA) qualifying meet in California which succeeded in having the ABA recognize the Wheaten and White varieties.   In 1983, the ABA recognized six more varieties at a second qualifying meet at the Ohio National in Columbus.   The six were Black, Blue, Blue Wheaten, Brown Red, Buff, and Silver.   A year later, the American Poultry Association (APA) recognized all eight bantam varieties, plus the same varieties for large fowl in the Ameraucana Breed.   This was announced at the 1984 APA National, which was held in Milwaukee that year.  With the club now also representing large fowl (LF) Ameraucanas, "Bantam" was changed to "Breeders" in the club's title to include both.  In 2015 the name was again updated to the Ameraucana Alliance.  The salient points of much of the rest of Ameraucana breed and club history are covered extensively in the Ameraucana Handbook, which comes with all first time memberships.