“From Inverness to Idaho”

(Release Date 9/17/25, 5am MDT)

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 about how the Trailing of the Sheep Festival got started.Hosted by Vance Cunningham.

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

“A History of Their Own”

(Release Date 9/24/25, 5am MDT)

The second episode of Sheep Stories, brought to you by the Community Library’s Jeanne Rodger Lane Center for Regional History in Ketchum, Idaho. Today we’re exploring Basque immigrants, how they came to Idaho, and their experiences working with the sheep. The Basque Country is a small region of both Spain and France on the Bay of Biscay. They speak their own language and have a unique history, and have a rich culture here in the Wood River Valley. Hosted by Vance Cunningham

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

“Following the Incas”

(Release Date 10/1/25, 5am MDT)

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’ll be hearing from the Peruvian immigrant herders. Compared to the Basque and the Scottish, their history in Idaho is much more recent, but their stories still sound very similar to those that came before. Hosted by Vance Cunningham

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

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.

While sheep were not the first industry to bring people to Ketchum, 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.