Sheep wagons as timeless campervan: the Airstream of pioneers
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- Опубліковано 8 вер 2024
- Sheep wagons were once a common mobile home in the American West. These tiny structures (usually 7 to 8 feet wide and about 12 to 16 feet long) were used by sheepherders for months on end as they migrated across grazing land with their flocks.
Kim Vader’s family began herding sheep in Idaho in the early 1900s. Eight years ago, his sister wanted a wagon to use as a guesthouse that would pay homage to their sheep ranching grandfather. Vader, having spent 3 decades as a craftsman, agreed to build her one with his wife Kathy.
Word of their build got around and today, they’ve built, or rebuilt, 50 wagons for modern shepherds and those looking for a more original second home. Each wagon is custom and takes them 3 months (with 3 people working) to complete. They often build for the descendants of sheep ranchers who are looking to recreate some of their family history.
The Vaders built their personal wagon as a tribute to Kim’s paternal and maternal grandparents- both sheep ranchers. Parked in the front yard of their Boise, ID home (and workshop), it serves as a display for their business, Idaho Sheep Camp.
The Vaders build their sheep camps with 2” by 6” tongue and groove “all glued and screwed together” sitting on top of running gear. The curved tops are built with bows made from steam-bent ash covered in canvas. Their wagon is equipped with a cast-iron stove, a queen-sized bed with a bed-in-a-cupboard beneath it for the grandkids, a portable RV-style toilet under one bench, and a cooler (as refrigerator) under another.
Kim’s cousins are still sheep ranching and use the wagons as seasonal mobile homes for their shepherds, which is not so uncommon in the industry. “There was a time there they decided to go to travel trailers, but after a year they decided travel trailers didn’t work so they went back to the old sheep wagons,” explains Kim. “I think the construction of them [the travel trailers] just didn’t hold up. Too many foo foos and too many things to come apart and they just didn’t hold up.”
Idaho Sheep Camp: idahosheepcamp.com
* Workshop video filmed by Luke Holley
Original story: faircompanies.c...
This video and comments below brought me to tears. I'm Taiwan born Chinese having lived in the U S since 1987. I long to see more made-in-USAs to bring prosperity back to this beautiful land. I'm learning to work with my hands and be self-sufficient in many ways. People who honor their heritage and magnify their gifts by sharing are the loveliest and most inspiring. God bless America and her people. This is great work you're doing dear Kristen.
At the end of the day, there's nothing like a cup of tea and an interesting and relaxing Kirsten Dirksen video.
honestly...i love her videos
+TheDenisedrake beer works for me..great work girl! Thank you
That'd be coffee, black gold, liquid health elixir.
I sure do love the history of the "sheep wagons" ! we just purchased a 1929 made sheep wagon from a very nice lady in "nevada" who was able to bring in from her ole home from "the pitchfork ranch.. ( sheep n cattle ). in whyomig. the same wagon when she was a lil girl.. we are so happy with it ! ....happy trails...
I have friends in Colorado that still use the sheep wagons on their sheep ranch. The ones I've seen were built in the 40's and 50's and are still being used. This one is absolutely beautiful!
Just when you think you've seen everything, you discover a whole new subculture that you never knew existed. The wagons are beyond nice and so is the story and the builders. Thanks for the video.
Im a basque guy ,I own a wagon ,it's my art I am constantly improving mine ,I cook,eat, sleep,entertain, read,build fires in mine and just love it ,both my brothers also own wagons.
That was one of the most interesting stories I have seen about a life style most have no idea exists. I knit, crochet and spin wool. I really do appreciate sheep hereders who make my craft possible.
I have watched many of your videos, but this one really struck me as containing a rich sense of heritage and history. Maybe it's because they make the wagons one by one using many of the same methods and the same antique items. Unlike the modern tiny homes, these are rooted in a tough working heritage. I love that the husband and wife work on them together and get the materials locally - which would have happened in the past.
Thank you for another glimpse into American Western history. Your videos are superb in that they are educational, professional, inspirational, and entertaining.
My Grand Dad came from Spain (but was Basque) to work as an indentured worker as a sheepherder. He had to work or the man who brought him to America for, I think 7 years herding sheep in Idaho. He lived in one of the sheep wagons He was one of the handiest people I have ever seen. He would build everything, from tables and chairs and houses to toys for kids. He could play damn near any musical instrument, Guitar, violin, accordion and what was crazy he could pick up a instrument that he had never played and within a couple of days would play some decent music on it. Don't have any idea how he could do that but he did. Fix anything and was really a hit with kids, if their toy was broke, give it to Grandpa and a couple of hours later it worked again.
Indentured.
Salud.
@@cacatr4495 Thank you.
This has to be one of the coolest things I have ever seen...just buying it alone to have in your back yard as a guest house is totally worth it lol. I can only imagine how fun it is to go camping with one of these. Very impressive.
Once again you have shone a side of a America that I did not know about. I knew people herded sheep but never knew about the wagons. I knew about line shacks with cattle men. Thank you so much. And the fact that it still is in use today. I was not surprised when they said that the newer RV would not work for what they needed it for. Just no rugged enough. Great job.
Kirsten, Thank you for posting this. I absolutely Love their lifestyle. They do what they Love.
This reminds me of my Grandma and Grandpa. They came into California, from Oregon, on the Old Oregon Trail, in a covered wagon, with a few of the early cars whizzing by. They had 4 covered wagons on their property while I was growing up. My Grandpa was a cook for cattle drives, back in the day. He pulled his wagons with teams of Morgan horses. For many years he gold mined and did blacksmith work, then logging, all the while utilizing these wagons They have both been passed on for many years now, but the stories they told were sure fun. We would always stop our playing, to listen to their stories. We were allowed to play in the wagons, and use our wild imaginations. In our minds "We were the characters in the Old West". Now that was Adventure !
Wow, that wagon park was surprising! I guess there have always been people who wanted to live a mobile life. These days it's just easier to find out about them thanks to people like you.
Awesome couple, I love the fact that they are so knowledgeable about the history of the cattle wagons and willing to share. Its nice to see how they preserved their heritage and share it.
Probably my second oldest memory is playing in a sheep camp in the very early 1950's. Later I had the best lamb chop cooked in a sheep camp by a Basque herder from Spain. That was about 1967. Wood burning cooks stove of course. Canvas top. Now days the tops have been replaced with metal or some kind of material. Also they often have a solar cell set up.
Dear Kirsten, I want you to know how much your videos and their enthusiastic vision mean to me. I am a Gypsy by blood and have taken to moving about more and more in recent years, now tired and disillusioned with the rat race... These days we couldn't be happier, gypsying around.the place... So big thanks and best wishes from Ireland, Spain and South East Asia! Love and Light, Bruno
Wow! Just-Wow!! I'm an American, sand I had absolutely no idea people still used these! That store she has-oh my gosh!! I almost fell off my chair at the sheer volume of old enamel ware she has-and in such beautiful condition! I just started to collect it a few years ago, and I may find a piece here or there-but never have I seen anything like her collection. This has to be my favorite of all your videos Kirsten-thank you to you, your husband and all that collaborated on this. You made me aware of apart of my own countries heritage that I never knew about!!
They were absolutely beautiful
never in my life i have seen anything more beautiful. never in my life i ever will.
That juvenile incarceration module is just super practical - loving it!
I love this!! I wouldn’t mind having one of these instead of a newer camper
A good, honest micro business.
Well done!
"It takes a special type of person to live in solitude." Ironically watching this during a Corona shutdown, in my tiny home.
True artisans. So impressed. Thank you for posting.
you should teach this craft to someone who has the passion to continue the tradition or it will be lost. Absolutely beautiful workmanship.
Very true, and before these people retire. The video poster is not the people in the video, so you know. People with the passion to preserve independent ways should learn such skills now, before the knowledge passes.
I have came to be attracted to simplicity more and more as time passes and I see how complicated everything in life seems to be. This is a great simple mobile play to stay. I can imagine chinese manufactures copying it and selling it in Tractor Supply or something very soon lol.....
Vraiment magnifiques, vos constructions de wagon Gipsy ! J'adore !
The childhood memories these bring up. Such a wonderful time. All I have left is my grandmother's cast iron cook ware.
I had seen this video a while ago. Admire the Sheepherder way of life of long ago and these Wagons-Trailers are a fantastic reminder of the past and way of living.How great it is that the Basque people immigrated to Idaho Amerika and settled down to make a prosperous living for themselves and their descendants.And the life styles and customs are continuing with their offsprings and grand and great grand children. God bless all Immigrants where ever they settle down and those who where in the hseep herding bussiness earlier times..From New South Wales, Australia.
I live this channel. One show makes me want to live like Dan Price, the next in a sheep wagon.
Great video, very interesting couple doing a great job on their wagons!
I love your wagon it impressed me a lot, I never knew those were a thing.
Thirty plus years ago a friend of mine lived in a trailer that was much like these sheep herder wagons. He built it himself. He salvaged the frame and repaired where needed. He made the staves tho he called them ribs. Instead of canvas he used thin cedar T&G. His heat stove ran on pellets coal and firewood. His hot water system was incorporated via his heat stove. It was comfy. Whenever he cooked it was always beans and rice. Joe O'Mahoney was his name.
My dream way of living, although I would only do it with a horse pulling it. That's what makes it exciting for me, as I absolutely love horses. Awesome wagon.❤️
kirsten is so good because she lets people tell it without constantly interrupting the way a lot of modern journalists do.
These wagons are beautiful. The builders sound so passionate about them. Nice to see.
que bonitas carretas y la pasion con que las hasen grasias por el video
Authentic craftwork by authentic people.
These are still common for ranch workers in Wyoming and Montana. Yes, they are used for sheep. But they are also used for cattle. Some of those ranchers using them would object to calling them sheepherder wagons. Ranch workers will spend anywhere from 30 days to 3 months at a time watching their animals and living in these things.
Maybe they'd also object to referring to them according to the historical past, considering that they're part of the Present.
This is IT. wow, the tiny houses are really too big to lug around but this is absolutely perfect. Wow wow. I'm excited!
I'm from Idaho so I'm very partial to sheep wagons. Especially because of the fact that they use wood burning stoves.
These are neat.
Another fantastic glimpse into Americana. This was such an interesting look at a bygone era, of people living a truly authentic life, on their own terms. Gives one hope...thank you xo
Kirsten, You and your family are doing a fantastic service for people. What interesting stories, and your channel is on of my main sources of entertainment. I love you guys, and always wish you the best. God Bless
One of my favorite episodes so far. Wonderful!
What a great video! Very interesting! I could live in one of those sheep wagons.
Very cool indeed.
If I lived in The U.S., with all the space and the D.I.Y. attitude towards learning, I would love to be involved in something like making these wagons.
Here in Japan if you are not a licensed xyz-person, you are thought to be incapable of doing any such thing.
Sad really. Here, you choose you 'career' as it were, and then that's all you know - for most people that is.
Being British, I don't think that way. I am more like an American in that regard.
Anyway you guys sure do make very nice looking wagons and it looks like you build them to a very high/accurate specification, too.
Thanks for sharing it.
Awesome video ! Thank you.
I love this video thank you very much from Pennsylvania
Very Cool Wagons
I came across this video by mistake and enjoyed the heck out of it! Come to find out they are located 50 miles away and I will have to go check them out !
This is so cool! And very inspiring for furnishing my new van. Thank you, Kirsten :D
Never never rode in a wagon in my life ,sure wish I could though.thanks Kristen.
I have that exact Thedford camper toilet, and we have a family member that weighs 450 LBs who used it for over two years as an every day toilet at his place, and even he said it was so strong it was like sitting on concrete. Hard to believe plastic can be that tough, but this toilet still looks like new.
+St. Hugh Sounds like an interesting alternative to a compost toilet -- albeit, probably not as enviro-friendly. Does it require some kind of special chemical solution to breakdown the waste? If so, how long does it last (and is it easy to find/re-fill)?
+Les Jeux Sont Faits You'd be surprised how fast solid waste breaks down. It pretty well happens overnight without being treated with anything. The only thing we put in the holding tank is about a half cup of Aqua-Kem Holding Tank Treatment, but that's basically just something to keep the toilet from smelling bad. You should put about a cup of water in there too just to get things started. Wastes breaks down much quicker depending on how much water it's sitting in. Some people use a different tank for urine so they don't have to dump the holding tank as often. (It still gets quite a bit of water from flushing.) If you urinate elsewhere, the 5-gallon holding tank will get full and need to be dumbed about every three weeks with one person using it. If you also use it for urine, then cut that time in half. The good thing about also using for urine is that all that extra liquid makes the solid waste break down so much that when you go to dump it there will hardly be anything solid that comes out at all. It mostly just looks like typical brown sewer water. Makes clean-up a little easier.
Molt bona feina. M'encanta el vostre canal.
Have ya et yet? Wonderful. The first thing you hear these days here is "Whaddyawant?"
So beautiful. Americana. Really fascinating to see the history, and this couple amazes me.
What a nice couple doing terrific work! I really love the workmanship. Beautiful!
I tend to delay watching this channel's new episodes, watching allegedly "more entertaining" stuff first. But every time I realize how wrong I was as these episodes are trully precious to watch. Thanks so much for filming them!
this is amazing! i have been wanting to build one of these for so long
My favourite "Tiny House"so far, so interesting to hear the history, fantastic wagon, and the cleanest workshop I've ever seen.
What a rich history these wagons have.
Fabulous! Loved this one! Wonderful wagons and what a way to make a living, working together.
Watching great videos like this one reminds me of why the United States is and will be one of the greatest nations in the world. The true daughters and sons of the great USA work hard to earn a living and they are proud of what they build, this couple represents the good side of humanity, l wish them well.
The workshop is fantastic, great story and great people. Thanks
history + function, so amazing. I watch every video you makes.
Thank you for this video
I love the quilt on the bed, love the pattern.
Waoo que bellesa de carretas me inpreciono el talentoo y el gusto que tienen estas personas de hacer hutil estas bellesas que siguen presentes y la utilidad que siguen dando a este bello paiz que nos a dando tantas cosas que an dejado los asentros .. dios vendiga america ..
i remember the old westerns with the wagon trails the kids peeking out from the back of the wagon
Nice history lesson there. Really good craftsmanship on each build. Thanks for sharing, Kirsten.
Love the story and the vid. Thanks for finding these interesting people, places and things. Do you need an assistant???LOL
+doreen b Id love to go work for those people.
Love this,,,,,, I could see myself and my husband out in the wilderness in one of these! or even camping by the lake.... thanks,,,, Sass
Lovely little wagons. ....interesting history. ...very enjoyable video.
wow cool work, cool house, nice history, cool family.
I was OBSESSED with yurts... aaaand then I saw this! AMAZING!
i really want one wow so so awesome
You guys are incredibly interesting and talented...Thanks for sharing this video about your work!
Totally awesome!
Beautifull history
very nice...love the wagons and the spirit of granddad...have ya et yet.... what a beautiful spirit. (i must confess...the lovely spirit of giving is absolutely with the fella..the misses however is extremely snooty. She'll learn tho..sadly she will learn)
Thank you so much for the inspiration!
Wonderful video. I am trying to make a dollhouse size sheepvagon (1:12 scale) and hopefully having viewed your video will help me. I love the porta potty.
Very talented couple!
Very similar to tinker caravans used in Ireland horse drawn, the tinkers travelled around Ireland mending pots and pans and sharpening knives and farm implements such as scythes.
THIS IS PERFECT! I Want one just like this!
What an absolutely fascinating -- and robust -- latching mechanism (shown in full @ the 7:59 mark). I'm surprised that more examples of it don't appear in the historic record ... and that it's not still being used today for that matter.
Great story and interesting people and it really feels good to hear that they source their parts from other small local home grown businesses here in the US. I'm looking forward to more great stories, thanks for what you do.
Awesome tour - thanks a million!
how am i just seeing this!!!
Excellent
I've seen these sheep wagons in the forest areas around Meeker, Colorado while hunting. Tiny forest roads. Probably used for grazing cattle around the area or something. A migrant or two seem to be residing in them.
Fantastic !!!!!!
Great story Kirsten. I want a sheep wagon!
That there is a thing of beauty.
Cool stuff
rewatched and truly want one ~
Very nice and interesting story, thanks for sharing.
Wonderful video, well shot, and a great story. Thanks for sharing it. One of your best!
I love these wagons.