Rear View

Sheepdogs Taking Catnaps

by

Carolina Estrella, Trailing of the Sheep Festival Archives Intern

Two Great Pyrenees puppies sleep as a sheep stands over them
Trailing of the Sheep Festival Archive, Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History

A vigilant sheep stands guard over two Great Pyrenees puppies snoozing away in the shade. It doesn’t seem apparent at this stage of their lives but in a few years those same pups will mature into their sheep’s first line of defense. For generations, Idaho sheep ranchers have used this special dog breed to keep their herds safe from predators. A fully grown Great Pyrenees can hold its own against coyotes, mountain lions, bears, and sometimes even wolves. Herders will have several of these dogs accompany their flocks. Day and night, these guard dogs stay close by their sheep, always alert for any potential danger. They drink, eat, and sleep with the wooly animals in their care.

In order for these dogs to efficiently carry out their responsibility to the herds, puppies are socialized with the sheep bands from an early age. They have to become comfortable around the other species and bond with its members in order to develop a protective instinct towards them. As adults, the dogs will even risk their own lives to make sure their sheep come to no harm.

This photograph was taken in 1998, not long after the Trailing of the Sheep Festival was founded. In that time, sheep trailing down the mountains along the bike path were deemed a nuisance by some as the animals’ droppings were being left behind and reportedly getting stuck in people’s bicycle spokes. Now, however, the perception of sheep ranching in the area has experienced a positive revival through the festival’s efforts. The loyal Great Pyrenees are just one factor in many which make sheep ranching possible right here in Idaho and all across the American West.

Note this story was originally published in October of 2024 in the Idaho Mountain Express.

A Busy Day on Main Street

by

Liam Guthrie, Regional History Librarian

A busy street of cars, pedestrians, and horses in winter.
Gold Mine Collection, Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History (F 08422)

It can be easy to imagine the past as a quieter, emptier place sometimes, and in some places it certainly was. But this photograph of Ketchum’s Main Street circa 1938 definitively shows that Ketchum was not one such place. The street is teeming with pedestrians even on a cold winter day. A policeman directs the flow of cars entering the crowded road. A couple men appear to be ski joring ­—­ skiing while being pulled by horses — down the middle of the road as onlookers watch on. It certainly is a lively scene.

The buildings and stores lining Main Street also tell a great story of 1930’s Ketchum. Lane Mercantile and Griffith Brothers Grocery call back to the town’s pre-Sun Valley ranching roots. Clubs and casinos like The Alpine Café and Bar, The Sawtooth Club, and Frontier Casino show the thriving gambling scene in Ketchum, driven by the wealth flowing into Sun Valley in droves. Meanwhile the Conoco and the Westcott Oil Co. gas and service stations speak to the growth of the automobile occurring across the country in this time period. Other buildings lining Main street include hotels, a sporting goods store, and a laundry.

Every inch of this photograph is rich with detail, each telling its own story about Ketchum’s history: The men leaning over the false front of The Alpine’s roof. The woman crossing the street, pulling her jacket closed against the cold. The cars stopped on the opposite end of the street as crowds of people, and a dog, walk across. Each is its own vignette of life in Ketchum in 1938.

It is likely that many in this crowd have bets on the skiers about to race down the middle of main street, eagerly awaiting the result. It is just as likely that the people waiting in their cars are annoyed at the stoppage and eager to be on their way. Still others may just be trying to cross the street and get their weekend shopping done. Afterall, the people in this photo ultimately aren’t all that different from us today.

Note this story was originally published in September of 2024 in the Idaho Mountain Express.

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