Sheepherding may be a thing of the past, but along Idaho’s Salmon River is a little community preserving this past with a modern twist.
Though the residents don’t tend sheep, they choose to live as the sheep herders did in a small efficient sheep wagon.
Massage therapist Renee Silvus had her sheep wagon built by craftsmen Kim and Kathy Vader. The wagon’s 7 ft. by 12 ft. footprint features a small kitchen, a queen size bed, a lovable loo, and a woodstove. Renee plans to retire in her simple home sometime in the future. She uses solar powered lamps for light and has no electricity or internet.
Read the full story at the AOL website.
I love your wagon!! (And wasn’t it fun being featured on HGTV’s “You Live In What?”
It was a lot of fun to be featured on HGTV the filming crew was awesome
I need more information about the deal works with the property owners. What about the use of the cabin, showers, meals, and community lounge? How do you get your wood for the stove? What do you do with your toilet waste? Do you pay rent. How many wagons do they have and is there room for more? How far are you from town? Is there some one I can call?
I was on the Bicentennial wagon train in 1976 and have always loved wagons.
Thank You Gary Long
here in Arizona we still have one sheep rancher who drive their sheep overland. this would be from the valley of the sun (phoenix area) to the northern mountain ranges in Arizona. in this case to the white mountains on the historical heber-reno sheep driveway. the borregeros (sheepherders) are on foot and horseback. a string of pack burros still hauls the gear & provisions. anywhere from 1000 to 3000 sheep are driven overland. the trip is from 40-50 days in time. old school still lives in sunny Arizona!
In Idaho my cousins are still using the old traditional style sheep wagon even few of his are horse drawn. I invite you to see the Trailing of the Sheep in Ketchum Idaho Oct 10-13 2013 on the 13th there is a parade with our Sheep Wagon that is horse drawn and behind us is 1500 sheep coming down the road. This is an awesome site to see and a lot of fun.
Great wagon! It looks like no one is living in them full time though, without support- a cabin with internet, showers, etc. Where the usable kitchen for baking, cooking, etc? Nice for a vacation (without the cabin support) but not for full time. McCall also gets buried in snow each winter, so I’m not sure how she gets out? I’d go for a tiny space, but I’d need a working kitchen for food preservation, water heating, etc.
I surely hope that these people that speak of retiring to these mini trailer homes and wagons and tents and yurts have some type of backup plan and some amount of savings to fall back on when the reality of the cold and age sets in.
These are absolutely adorable. Don’t know if I could handle full-time in one, but would be fun to take on your travels.
It’s so great to see women living this life! You’re going to put us men to shame. I would love to live in something like this. I guess I need to get over what other people would say.
I would like to see a better kitchen set-up. Is there a place for water so it won’t freeze? Being single, I think I would prefer a twin bed. That way there would be more room for storage and kitchen area.
I sure would like to see how the ladies are doing as time goes by.
I’ve been living in a cabin this same size since Oct. Solar power, haul water in the winter, bucket toilet/humanure compost system, 2 burner propane stove-off grid. I’ve a wood stove for winter heat, an outdoor shower, which so far I’ve only used in summer, and an outdoor tub i light a fire under in winter. Her queen bed sounds luxurious! Mine only had a single. And i pay thru the nose to Verizon for internet access as a second line on my phone. All of this, just north of Missoula, Montana! There is no back up plan, age is coming on. I’m taking on writing, full force, as the man who built my little home; Charles Finn.
My wife and I are in our 60’s and decided to live an alternative active lifestyle. For the last two years we have been living in a yurt in West Texas. The yurt takes the heat well with a portable evaporative cooler and the winters quite comfortably with a small pellet stove. Seniors can live quite well in these type wagons and yurts. It is all in the mind. Your mind not your neighbor’s. Our family thought we were crazy but we are not slaves to our house.
I was wondering how one can join the community. I live in a small vardo gypis wagon with some solid power. it would be more helpful to live with folks that understand why living simply is the way to go!
Hi Chris, I would contact the company with this info: daho Sheep Camp LLC
Boise, ID
ph: 208-283-9833
yourfriendkat@yahoo.com
I found a sheep wagon in pieces. I am trying to restore it. Is there someone who could help me? So far we have worked on the wheel base. Now we are working on the cab, but I need help. I am willing to pay for quidance.
Please call me at 208 226 0223 during the day or 208 335 2300 at night. Paul
Hi Paul, I would try to contact the owners of this company. This is just a blog post about them. They might be able to help you.