ALLEN LYONS
Sheepherders are needed with every herd of sheep, most of the time they
are easy to find, One I know is you have to keep looking because you can't
always tell when you need to change. I made arrangements with Allen to herd
~ sheep in 1990. He was ready to start and show up a few days before it was
time to go on the mountain. I had the camp ready, when the first of July came
Ie took the sheep and started up the sheep trail and to the allotment.
Allen always complained that we didn't go the same way every year. One
ear down Rolson, one year down Jordon, one year down the highway, I guess he
had good reason because we did change several times before they made us truck
them across the mountain. Allen herded for six years. He had many tales to
'ell about his experiences on the mountain, border disputes or just bad times.
The last year he herded we were having a dispute over where the line
was, and he confronted the neighbor about it one morning. In the heat of the
dispute, the neighbor and his son took Allens rifle away from hin ~y force.
r had just arrived at AlIens camp when he returned, so I saw first hand the
scratches on his hand from having the gun pulled away. After making sure that
Allen was all right. 1m drove around to the neighbors camp. The son was gone
but the herder was theirs. I sat on the wagon tongue and talked to him for
about an hour, explaining how they were crowding us, and that Allen was right.
And that they should back off, and respect the line between us. so that we could
both get along. the rest of the summer seemed to go well.
When we gathered the sheep to go home that fall I remember Wayne Poulsen
asking me if I had them all. I said I think so, Allen had road the Allotment
pretty good, at least he said he had. When we got home and coraled the sheep
to load lambs. I discovered that I was out over a hundred lambs. I was out
a lot of sheep, and not a clue as to where they were.
I talked to the Mexican herders to see if they could help me, and young
Leopold said he would ride for me in a few days. He knew the country and
could make the time count. He rode Seely Canyon, Jordon~ Staker and Rolfson,
but didn't find anything. I asked him to go again and ride my allotment,
which he did in a few days. He found a big bunch right in the middle of my
allotment. There was 240 head he gathered them up and brought them down,
I picked them up the next morning right where he left them. He was way after
dark getting back to his camp. I paid him $200.00 he was sure pappy and
so was I.
The story goes if I can learn all the pieces, that the neighbor that
we had the trouble with, picked up this bunch of sheep when Allen
wasn't watching and started them up Seely Canyon, Hopin~ that Allen wouldn't
find them. Which is just what happened, there was good feed and they stayed
in Seely Canyon for a while, it's possible that some elk hunters started them
down and they came back home right where they belonged, but we were gone by
then so the~just waited in the middle of the allotment until we went back to
look. After I add this number to what I had my count was alright, and every
thing turned out alright.
In order to avoid any more problems, I arranged with a Mexican to herd
the nest year. Allen was always asking me why he got fired.
It took me all summer and late into October to get my fifle back, but
I finally got it.
Allen didn't find another job herding sheep, and he moved out of the
trailer court where he was living .. So for want of a better place he moved
his trailer on to my ground just east of the irrigation pond. He had been
there two months when I learned he was there. I told him that he would have to
work for me to pay the rent. He said he would and as long as I had the sheep
I would get him to help now and then.
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