This month in History: Elmore County’s Sheep Industry in Pictures

1924 Graham Brothers. model truck. J.S. Bennett driving the one ton truck full of wool sacks through town to be hauled by railroad to market in 1924. “111” was Bennett’s brand.

Courtesy Joe Bennett

In the office of the Mountain Home News we have folders filled with old pictures that have been entrusted to us from members of the community. Included in those files are a lot of pictures pertaining to the sheepherding industry in Mountain Home. This month pictures from the sheep industry caught my attention when I was trying to find pictures for the history piece as I took sheep in 4-H and have always had a soft spot for them. I also spent my early years growing up on the Bennett ranch after they had made the switch from sheep to cattle, but traces of their earlier business remained with old sheepherding wagons lining the driveway and the old Basque cook we called Frenchie still living on the ranch. I spent a lot of time hanging out in the cooks house with him and his three legged dog named Chico or pretending to be a herder in the old wagons and they’re cherished memories. I really enjoy digging through our old photos albums and hope you enjoy this small sample. For the full story, pick up a copy of the Mountain Home News or click on this link to subscribe to the newspaper's online edition.