Re: Sheep and Wool

Over the years I have looked at information about some of the California and Nevada narrow gauges. This is the reason I asked about sheep.
I wondered why the N-C-O had so many stock cars compared to other types. It seems the N-C-O carried not only cattle but also sheep. Looking for something else I found a mention in a Reno newspaper in 1903 that several thousand head of cattle were coming off the N-C-O going to Nebraska. They had an experimental convertable stock car with cranks to stow the upper deck at the roof. I expect that the N-C-O moved sheep around because loading shoots for two-level stock cars show up in some pictures.
Among the N-C-O accounting records at California State RR Museum I found a summary sheet for the year 1918 that listed 1.3 million pounds of wool being shipped out to primarily New England points. A year later I found that the US Cenus printed reports also reported agricultural information; by county it listed number of sheep, number, weight, and value of fleece sheered. The numbers reported with the 1920 people count supported the 1918 report.
I wonder if the Sumpter Valley also handled wool. It should show up in the annual reports to the ICC, etc.
Brian Norden