The Shearing Done

The Shearing Done. . After the sheep were sheared, they went to pasture for the summer, typically a grazing allotment on one of the national forests. Herders trailed the sheep to and from the allotment on foot with the help of skilled dogs, a trip that could take as long as thirty days. , In the fall, the flock was brought in close to the ranch and lambs were sent to market. In the spring the cycle began again, with lambing and shearing at the home ranch. , The watchman's hut to your right foreground next to the fence, served as a home base for the "night man," who watched over the lambing activities throughout the night. , "It seemed to be the ambition of everybody - all the little kids - to be a sheepherder. They would look out of the schoolhouse window and see a band of sheep in the hills and worry about when they could get out there and herd, too." -- Rhys Humphreys , After World War II most sheep ranches in the area changed to cattle. Sheep ranching, and the need for wool, has faded with time.