Ellie Norman, Wood River Museum Collections Specialist
A photograph from The Community Library’s Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History documents a carved figure on the soft bark of an aspen tree in Neal Canyon, about eight miles north of Ketchum. The carving, or arborglyph, was created by a Basque sheepherder during Idaho’s sheep ranching era.
By the early 20th century, Idaho had become one of the world’s largest sheep producers. At its peak, 3.2 million sheep grazed its mountains. To meet the labor demands this industry brought, a large population of Basque men immigrated to the American West beginning in the late 1800s. Many worked as herders, spending long, isolated months in the high country.
In this context, arborglyphs became both practical and personal. Some served to mark routes or dates, while others—like this stylized figure—show how herders used aspen trees as a medium for creative expression. Inscriptions in Euskara, the Basque language, further reflected cultural ties carried across the Atlantic. Together, these carvings provide valuable insight into the experiences and identities of the young men who shaped Idaho’s sheep industry.
Because aspens rarely live more than 150 years, the carvings themselves are vulnerable to loss. Photographs such as this one help preserve the record of Basque sheepherders in Idaho. By housing documentations of these fragile traces, the Center for Regional History ensures that this important chapter of immigrant and labor history remains accessible to future generations.
Note this story was originally published in October of 2025 in the Idaho Mountain Express.
