Introduced into central Oregon by pioneer ranchers in the early
1860s, sheep herds multiplied rapidly. Expansive grasslands with
nearby stream courses for water and, by the mid-1880s, the
advent of railroads, created an ideal setting for the new
industry. Typically, sheep ranching involved the establishment
of a home ranch or base, and location of a series of permanent,
sheltered "sheep camps" adjacent to good grazing and water.
Herdsmen were commonly responsible for between 1,000 and 2,000
head. Judith Keyes Kenny, whose family engaged in sheep raising
for decades in Wheeler County, has commented: "Sheep are
peculiar in the fact that they inspire strong emotions, either
of affection or decided distaste. There is nothing romantic
about the industry and all satisfaction must come from the work
with the animals and the monetary gains" (Kenny 1963:104-105).
From the 1870s to the late 1930s, the production and management
of sheep became one of the most important economic activities to
develop in the upper John Da