Sheep

Cabins on Wheels

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My husband really wants a travel trailer. He bought the truck to pull it a couple years ago, and is dying to get the trailer. I like the idea of traveling too, except that weekends are my writing time, and despite what my husband thinks, writing on the road is not conducive to greater creativity. At least not for me. I do best as a hermit in a space with a closed door with no sound and no disturbance. So, maybe that means when he gets his trailer, I’ll get to retire from the day job so my weekends will be move available. Somehow, I don’t think that will fly just yet, but who knows? It might make a good bargaining chip.

Homes on wheels are nothing new in the American West. One has only to picture the iconic wagon train to realize that. However, there were other, more permanent homes on wheels in use in the late 19th century as well. Ones I recently discovered during a research rabbbit trail for my current work in progress.

I’m working on another western fairy tale retelling – this time a Rapunzel story. My long-haired heroine has been raised by a traveling medicine show peddler who uses her amazing tresses as a tool to sell his invigoratin hair tonics and beautifying elixirs. Wanting to keep the heroine isolated and firmly under his control, and needed to travel every week for his business, they live in two wagons. One is the peddler wagon he uses to sell his merchandise, and the other is more of a homey cabin on wheels. A sheepherder’s wagon.

The sheepherder’s wagon was invented in Wyoming in 1884. Designed for shepherds who lived out with their flocks for months at a time, these small cabins on wheels (also known smiply as “camps” or “arks”) were ideal for a sturdy, warm, transportable home. Typicaly build for one person, the one I’m imagining for my heroine and her “Papa” has been expanded slightly to allow for a second, upper bunk at the back of the wagon.

Did you notice the wagon tongue right outside the door? Many times, travelers would use the tongue as a step if the didn’t have a portable stair option like the one pictured above. Also notice that the door is crafted in the Dutch style with and option to open just the top half. This is how the traveler would drive the team. They would sit on a bench inside the door or stand behind the closed bottom section of the door, and drive from there.

Most of these wagons incuded small cookstoves inside. Imagine you were caught in a Wyoming blizzard. You’d definitely want a way to stay warm. The stovepipe extended through the canvas roof.

There were also lots of drawers and cabinets to hold belongings. Just like in trailers today, people needed to be able to store their belongings securly during travel. Only the most essential items would be taken. There often was a window at the back, above the sleeping bunk.

The table for eating would foldor pull out when needed to save space. It was very tight quarters. Typically, these wagons were about 12 feet long and a little over six feet wide.

What do you think? Ready to go camping in a 19th century sheepwagon?

Are you a camper? Tent, travel trailer, or RV? What do you like most about camping?

A Knitter’s Boon: Wyoming Wool

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Gray wall, skeins of gray-toned yarn, with basket on top of cream yarn. Text, "A Knitter's Boon: Wyoming Wool, Petticoats & Pistols"

Confession time. I’m not a knitter.

I would like to be one. I’ve tried knitting. My grandmother taught me the basics when I was eight or nine years old. Much like my messy handwriting, my knitting only produced oblong shapes, instead of tidy, neat rows.

Crocheting, on the other hand? Love it!

Yeah, I produce oblong shapes sometimes when I crochet, but I just unravel the rows and start over. I find crocheting to be relaxing.

One of my favorite parts of a crochet project is picking out the yarn. There’s something so satisfying about standing in front of an aisle of yarn. All those colors! All those textures! I want them all. I could spend a LOT of money on yarn.

An article in the Cowboy State Daily recently caught my eye, “How Two Wyoming Women Turned a Hobby into Largest Wool Mill in the West.” Everything about that headline made me throw out a YEEHAW!

Wyoming wool? Yes, please!

Here’s what I learned from the article.

Two enterprising women–avid knitters–from Buffalo, Wyoming, wanted to open a craft store that sold yarn made from Wyoming wool. Apparently, Basque sheep abound in their area. But when they purchased a large bale of wool from a local rancher, they couldn’t find anyone to process it. They found a mill in Canada to process their 400-pound bale and ended up with about 200 pounds of white yarn that they then dyed and sold at farmers markets and similar outlets. Crafters loved the yarn, and Karen Hostetler and her friend set out to expand their business.

It wasn’t easy. They had to research and apply for grants. They even toured mills overseas to learn the ins and outs of production. In time, they purchased a no-longer-in-use T-shirt factory, sourced the equipment, and hired people. The business has only grown from there.

These two ladies buy their wool from six Wyoming ranchers, and they’ve set up a custom dye shop. One nice thing about Wyoming wool? It’s soft, not scratchy.

Mountain Meadow Wool has expanded since those early days. They’re producing 60,000 pounds of wool annually and introducing 30-40 new colors this year for the three types of yarn they produce–a fingering weight yarn, a chunky worsted, and a three-ply. They also sell wool products online.

For “100% American Made & Wyoming Grown” yarn, head to Mountain Meadow Wool!

Do you like to knit or crochet? What’s your favorite hobby?

Enjoy your day!

Sheep Ranching in South Dakota

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Kari Trumbo logo

I’m back in my writing comfort zone!

It seems like whenever I take a break and write about somewhere else, I long to go back. So, that’s exactly what I’ve done.

In this new series, The Belle Fourche Chronicles, The Johlman and Douglas families are feuding over a lush valley about an hour outside of town. Both feel they have claim to it and both families try to rout out the other.

In book one, we meet the Johlmans, and specifically, the second son Gideon. I really enjoyed writing him because he has all the tendencies of a second born son. He listens and is attentive, is good at following his father’s orders and he knows he’s not going to inherit, but works hard.

But that’s not the main thing I learned while writing this story. I got back to my roots in more ways than one.

I learned about sheep. You see, the Johlmans live on a sheep ranch while the Douglas family raise cattle. The valley they both want would provide exceptional pasture land. The Johlmans own it for now, but we’ll see how long they can keep their hold.

quote from To a Brighter TomorrowWhen I was very young, about age 5, my family raised sheep. Writing this book reminded me of so many things I experienced as a young girl.

I remember bringing lambs into the house and bottle feeding them. They would make so much noise! I remember “lamb boxes” with blankets where those lambs would be kept for a few days until they were strong enough to go back outside.

Most of my research didn’t end up in the book, however, because a romance just doesn’t need to know what goes in on a barn, generally speaking. But I do love having an excuse to broaden my knowledge.

I learned, and was surprised to know, that sheep used to be one of the largest income producers in South Dakota, only surpassed by cattle (as far as livestock). Cattle is still king in the area.

Another thing I learned that was fascinating about sheep ranching is that it was remarkably similar to cattle ranching. They used dogs for both herding and protection and the ranchers often rode out on horseback to check on sheep or do other chores. This was unexpected, I never equated raising sheep with needing a wrangler, but I found that to be a misconception.

This image from the Maas Museum shows what a set of sheers looked like prior to more advanced methods

I’ll leave you with one last bit of information. The tools used for sheering sheep then were obviously much different from what they are now. Prior to electric sheers, they used a model that looked similar to a sewing scissors only wider and certainly more sinister. I hate to think how closely and how quickly they would have to shave a sheep with these. I’m glad I didn’t have to do it!

To a Brighter Tomorrow is the first book in the Brothers of Belle Fourche series and releases on February 25th! It’s on a special discount preorder price right now, you can grab it HERE