Hello friends,

The big news this week for football fans was Superbowl XL. The Seattle Seahawks met the Pittsburgh Steelers in Detroit for the big game. Pittsburgh won, 21-10. This was the fifth time the Steelers have won the Super Bowl.

Sunday, February 12, is Abraham Lincoln's birthday.

Sheep were taken to summer range in the mountains, then to lower elevations for winter pasture. Sheepherders were hired to follow the sheep and watch over them. The sheepwagon proved more practical than a tent in the harsh Wyoming winters and could easily be pulled to remote locations by the horses.The wagon bed was 11 feet long, 6 1/2 feet wide, it had a canvas top and a stove for cooking and heating. One end contained a full-size bed, there was a bench on either side of the wagon and the table folded down when not in use. Beneath the benches was storage space. A bread board, about 18 inches wide, pulled out to provide counter space for cooking, then folded back in when not in use, like a drawer. The space was compact, but it was built for efficiency. It had wooden wheels.

Although not insulated, the sheepwagon provided a dry place to get in out of the weather and get warm, as well as some of the comforts of home, such as a bed and a table to sit down to your meals. The camp tender delivered supplies at regular intervals, and this was often the only human contact a sheepherder had for months at a time.

After World War II, sheep ranchers built fences to hold their sheep and bought pick-ups to drive out and check on the flocks, so it was no longer necessary to hire a full-time herder to tend the sheep. Sheepwagons became a thing of the past, seen occasionally on ranches, usually deserted. Today, they are being restored or replicas are being built, to be used as offices or guest houses as a tribute to the "Old West."

In the spring of 1916, they bought a sheepwagon and moved into Campbell County, where he trapped coyotes and wolves all summer, then he went to work for the State as a government trapper. They had 4 young children by this time; my mother was a year old.

The government assigned areas for him to trap, usually on somebody's ranch. He stayed and trapped until the area was cleared of predators, typically several months. The family would set up camp while he trapped; they had a large tent that served as the living room and bedrooms, and the sheepwagon was used to cook and store food. The tent was heated by a sheet-iron stove and stayed warm and cozy.

By the time the fifth child was born, they filed for additional homestead land next to the original claim. Although it meant prolonged absences from his family, they decided it was best for my grandmother and the children to have a permanent home where the children could attend the same school year around. They built a small home and my grandfather removed the wheels from the sheepwagon and parked it next to the home, where it was used for food preparation and storage for many years. My grandmother and the children ran the homestead, raising gardens and domestic animals by themselves most of the time. When my grandfather came home between trapping assignments, the family celebrated his homecoming. They were a close and loving family.

My mother always said the sheepwagon was the precursor of the trailer house, and she was correct. The early trailer houses, "8-wides," had many of the same features used in the sheepwagons to make good use of limited space. Camper trailers today are based on the original sheepwagon design.

Next week........ more sheepwagon stories.

Chocolate Cookie Cake: 1 pkg. (2-layer size) devil's food chocolate cake mix, 4 squares semi- sweet baking chocolate, 1/4 cup butter or margarine, cut up, 1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 cups thawed whipped topping, 12 chocolate sandwich cookies, coarsely crushed ~~~~ Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare and bake cake mix as directed on package in 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Cool in pans 5 min. Invert onto wire rack; remove pans. Cool completely. Melt chocolate in small microwaveable bowl on high 1 to 2 min. or until chocolate is melted, stirring after 30 sec. Blend in butter. Set aside to slightly thicken, about 5 min. Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Gently stir in whipped topping and crushed cookies. Place 1 of the cake layers on serving plate, top-side down. Spread top of layer evenly with cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining cake layer, top-side up. Spoon glaze over top of cake.

Sagerose Creations

Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else. _ JUDY GARLAND, 1922- 1969, American film actress and singer.

Life before remote controls?

© 2006 Rosie Cooley; All rights reserved.