Re: Unusual structure near abandoned narrow gauge

Randy Hees Wrote:
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> Like others, mentally removing the peaked roof,
> which leaves a compound curved roof, which kind of
> looks like a horse drawn streetcar, but the wall
> framing is missing, and the top plates of the
> walls don't match any railroad construction I am
> familiar with... Which leads me to think that this
> might be a sheepherder's wagon or a portable farm
> kitchen (again a wagon)... which were more
> informally built.. and since the farm worker's
> were frequently specific ethnic groups, and
> carried some of their traditions into the
> construction of the wagons... In the SF Bay area
> (near the NG South Pacific Coast) many were
> Portuguese (from the Azores) and we see
> interesting wagons (but in their case peaked
> roofed).
>
> Randy


Yes, I had exactly the same thought, that it might be a sheepherder's wagon or caravan.

In addition to the Azoreans in CA I understand there were Basque shepherds in many Western states, and in eastern Oregon a lot of shepherds were from Ireland. (In fact, my Irish grandfather worked as a shepherd in Oregon for a few years in the 1920s, prior to marrying my grandmother.)

-Philip Marshall