Sheep and Wool

Sunday was a day of reviving old memories. We took a scenic drive to the North Country, using a few back roads, and trying to remember who lived where back “then.”

I will admit we were prompted to make the drive when I made a comment about not remembering how to get to the John Richardson place. My girls were in the bum lamb business at an early age, and we often made a trip to John Richardson’s or Don Spear’s to pick up lambs.

After a day of touring, I watched the Great Falls news and caught a segment on rising wool prices. Sheep and wool, that was how so many of our early day residents made their mark in this tough country.

Even I can remember seeing bands of sheep grazing pastures. A band of sheep is hard to find in our area anymore but many of our large cattle ranches had their beginnings with sheep. I don’t know my early local history well enough to speculate as to why the transition from sheep to cattle was made. Maybe because sheep were more labor intensive.

Remember the sheep wagons and herders that lived in these accommodations? Bedroom and kitchen, stove and bath, all in one small wagon. Housekeeping, or wagon-keeping, did not take long in this facility. I think you had to really like your own company, and that may be where the concept of a dog being a man’s best friend became so true. Most every herder had one of two dogs to help with the work, as well as for company.

Having had a few sheep ourselves, I am a supporter of wool, and more than pleased to hear that our U.S. providers may see a little more profit from that product. I know there are still a lot of readers out there that could share stories concerning this industry. If you would like to share, I am only a phone call away,