Sheep Stories

In the fourth episode, we turn to the remarkable dogs at the heart of sheep herding. Through historical interviews, we hear how border collies and great pyrenees guide, protect and care for the bands – and perform feats that can astonish even the most experienced herders. Bred for this work, these dogs are more than helpers on the trail. They are essential partners whose instincts, intelligence and loyalty have made them an integral part of the sheep-ranching tradition.

 Sheep Stories is a podcast from Boise State Public Radio made in partnership with the Trailing of the Sheep Festival and The Community Library's Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History in Ketchum. Evelyn Laila Holden is The Patricia Crandall Lane Trailing of the Sheep Festival Archives Summer Intern for 2026. "The Savvy Traveler" audio used in this episode is with permission of Minnesota Public Radio. All rights reserved. Additional recordings in this podcast were made by the Idaho Commission on the Arts. Music in this episode comes from Hal Canon and Leonard Coulson as part of the Deseret String Band.

A transcript of this podcast is available.

In the third episode, we explore the pressures that have challenged sheep ranchers and put their way of life at risk, particularly as the industry entered the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Through interviews with sheep-ranching families from across the Wood River Valley, we hear the different paths that brought them into the industry – and, for some, ultimately led them out. Their stories reveal an industry shaped by changing markets, shifting priorities and the challenges of carrying a family tradition forward.

 Sheep Stories is a podcast from Boise State Public Radio made in partnership with the Trailing of the Sheep Festival and The Community Library's Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History in Ketchum. Evelyn Laila Holden is The Patricia Crandall Lane Trailing of the Sheep Festival Archives Summer Intern for 2026. "The Savvy Traveler" audio used in this episode is with permission of Minnesota Public Radio. All rights reserved. Additional recordings in this podcast were made by the Idaho Commission on the Arts. Music in this episode comes from Hal Canon and Leonard Coulson as part of the Deseret String Band.

A transcript of this episode is available. 

In the second episode, we explore how sheep ranching helped shape the community of Ketchum. While sheep were not the first industry to bring people to the valley, ranching became deeply woven into the town’s identity and way of life. Through historical accounts and memories – including stories from Lane Mercantile – we hear how the sheep industry brought people together and helped build a community that continues to hold tightly to its roots and traditions.

 Sheep Stories is a podcast from Boise State Public Radio made in partnership with the Trailing of the Sheep Festival and The Community Library's Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History in Ketchum. Evelyn Laila Holden is The Patricia Crandall Lane Trailing of the Sheep Festival Archives Summer Intern for 2026. "The Savvy Traveler" audio used in this episode is with permission of Minnesota Public Radio. All rights reserved. Additional recordings in this podcast were made by the Idaho Commission on the Arts. Music in this episode comes from Hal Canon and Leonard Coulson as part of the Deseret String Band.

A transcript of this episode is available.

The first episode explores historical accounts to learn about the land that sustains the industry, even today. The Wood River Valley has an extraordinary landscape that allows for sheep ranching to be successful, and is directly due to the mountains, prairies, forests, rivers and lakes that create such an expansive area for migration, particularly in the spring and fall. The landscape agrees, not only with the sheep, but with the herding industry as a whole.

 Sheep Stories is a podcast from Boise State Public Radio made in partnership with the Trailing of the Sheep Festival and The Community Library's Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History in Ketchum. Evelyn Laila Holden is The Patricia Crandall Lane Trailing of the Sheep Festival Archives Summer Intern for 2026. "The Savvy Traveler" audio used in this episode is with permission of Minnesota Public Radio. All rights reserved. Additional recordings in this podcast were made by the Idaho Commission on the Arts. Music in this episode comes from Hal Canon and Leonard Coulson as part of the Deseret String Band.

A transcript of this episode is available.

This season of “Sheep Stories,” produced in partnership with the Community Library’s Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History and Boise State Public Radio, takes you deep into the archives to uncover the stories behind Idaho’s enduring sheep-ranching tradition. Drawing from more than 25 years of audio and video recordings from the Trailing of the Sheep Festival, these four episodes explore the land that sustains the industry, the sheep that foster close-knit communities, the ranchers navigating new pressures on a changing way of life, and the sheep dogs whose instincts guide and protect the bands. Listen, learn, and follow the trail into the stories that continue to shape sheep ranching in Idaho.

The third and final episode of Sheep Stories, brought to you by the Community Library’s Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History in Ketchum, Idaho. In this episode, we hear from the Peruvian immigrant herders. Compared to the Basque and the Scottish, their history in Idaho is much more recent, but their stories sound very similar to those that came before.

Music by Santiago Jimenez Jr., Dee Blackburn, Chaskis: Music and Dance of the Andes, and Hal Cannon and Leonard Coulson as part of the Deseret String Band.

The second episode of Sheep Stories, brought to you by the Community Library’s Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History in Ketchum, Idaho. We explore Basque immigrants, how they came to Idaho, and their experiences working with the sheep. The Basque Country, a small region of both Spain and France on the Bay of Biscay, is home to a distinct language, history, and culture – one that has also taken root here in Idaho’s Wood River Valley.

Music by Jim Jausoro, and Hal Cannon and Leonard Coulson as part of the Deseret String Band.

The first episode of Sheep Stories, brought to you by the Community Library’s Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History in Ketchum, Idaho. We’ll hear a little bit about how sheepherding works, some of the crazy stories from herders, of the early Scottish immigrants who started herding sheep in this area, and how the Trailing of the Sheep Festival got started.Hosted by Vance Cunningham.

Music by the Boise Highlanders, and Hal Cannon and Leonard Coulson as part of the Deseret String Band.

This new podcast from the Community Library’s Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History in Ketchum takes you deep into the history and culture of an industry that shaped the region. Across three episodes, archival recordings and voices from the Trailing of the Sheep Festival bring to life the journeys of Scottish, Basque, and Peruvian immigrants who have herded sheep here for more than a century. Hosted by Vance Cunningham, this series invites you to listen, learn, and walk alongside those who carried this heritage forward.

Music by Hal Cannon and Leonard Coulson as part of the Deseret String Band.