Though a precise tally is elusive, Basques once roamed Idaho’s sheep ranges in formidable numbers. Tens of thousands settled in Idaho, Nevada, California, Utah and Wyoming, many finding work in the sheep trade or establishing boardinghouses and restaurants catering to Basque herders.
Back then sheep outnumbered Idahoans seven to one, a peak that coincided with the tail end of Basque immigration to the western United States. He learned the business from his father, Jean Pierre Etcheverry, who emigrated from the Basque Country, a region in the Pyrenees Mountains comprising parts of southern France and northern Spain, in 1929. Etcheverry is one of the last Basque sheepmen left in the American West, where there were once hundreds, if not thousands, like him. “But take my word for it: they’ll clean your clock if you don’t.” “They’re good animals if you take care of them,” said Henry Etcheverry, as we bounced along a dusty two-track in the Minidoka desert near Rupert, Idaho, 160 miles southeast of Boise, tracking an errant herd. Given the slightest opening, for example, they will quit a herd, striking out in small, enterprising bands for the high-desert plains - ungulate fugitives in a promised land of sagebrush and cactus - sometimes never to be seen again. Some people might even describe them as shrewdly calculating, remarkably crafty animals with fierce independent streaks. For more information on the Wilson Camp wagons, visit their website.SHEEP, you may be surprised to learn, are not as dumb as they look. The Wilson family prides itself on its ability to continue to improve on their designs and come up with innovative ways to make their wagons functional and comfortable. They are designed to be used throughout the year and can be maintained comfortably even at sub-zero winter temperatures. The most decked-out version will run $30,000. That includes solar power, propane, a double bed, a basic water system, and a fridge. “They will last through just about anything,” says Brady.īased on what options and conveniences are included in the design, the base price for a 14-foot or 16-ft Wilson Camp wagon is around $25,000. The towing weight is between 3,500 and 3,800 lbs, depending on style and custom options. The wagon design does maneuver differently than a typical fixed-axle tandem style trailer and involves a bit of a learning curve to pull and back up. The wagon style also adds stability and allows for travel to any place a pickup truck can go. Interior of a Wilson Camp wagon (Photo via Wilson Camps) We sell our wagons primarily in the western US mountains and deliver our camps directly to our clients.” “Our customers are amazing and continue to support our business and it allows us to stay a small family operated business without any employees, just my dad and myself. The Wilson Camp wagons are primarily marketed for agricultural purposes because they have different standards and regulations than recreational RV trailers.
The vast majority of the Wilson Camp wagons are sold to ranchers and herders in the agricultural industry, however, hunters and sportsmen are also finding the wagons as useful off-road camper solutions.īrady says that they have even sold a unit to a documentary filmmaker. Doyle retired in 2006, so now Mark and Brady, who graduated with an engineering degree, work as a father-son business team. The word quickly spread and the demand for a Wilson Camp sheep wagon has grown to the point that the family builds between 10 and 14 wagons a year. He may not have been aware that he was about to embark on not just making his own ranch life easier, but creating what would become the gold standard in modern sheep wagon design. In 1976 Mark decided to take his life savings and build just one functional, modern sheep wagon that was capable of traveling at highway speeds and maneuvering off-road through the Rocky Mountains. Mark and Brady Wilson with their 500th Wilson Camp wagon (Photo courtesy of Brady Wilson)īased just outside of Heber City, Utah, the Wilson family has been sheep ranching for generations.
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