We have a new exhibit about to open (this Friday) featuring primarily woolen goods from our part of the world. Wool, of course, comes from sheep and I thought to illustrate the media release I wrote with some photos. I included a few sheep photos from our collection and another featuring one of our stellar volunteers, Adele Ganguet, standing beside one the sheep wagons in the Museum's collection. Adele's family were sheep people, so it was a fitting shot.

Sheep wagons are pretty cool. Whether one wants to assign the title of 'first RV' to them, conestogas, or some earlier incarnation ... how far back might 'gypsy' wagons go? ... they are along the evolutionary trail to our modern mobile homes and recreational vehicles.

Sometimes solitary, sometimes a couple or a pair of folks, often Basque sheepmen in the 'old days, the sheep wagon was a true 'home on the range' for its inhabitants. Besides the flock, a sheepman's company might have been no more than the horse pulling the wagon and his faithful (yet working) dog.

A little stove on which to cook and to keep warm in cool weather, a place to store food and extra clothes, a set of utensils, some tools of the trade, and a bed. Not a lot, but perhaps that was the point ... not everyone fares well when removed from the human flock.

In the Museum's 'Jo-So' sheep wagon ... named for the Jussaud family, one of whose descendants, 'Jo' Winn, sits on our Board Directors ... one can spot a small guitar. I was reminded of cowboys riding night herd singing their 'cow lullabyes' to their charges. perhaps sheepmen were inclined to perch on a nearby rock in order to strum and sing for their flocks by night, too. Maybe a little music helps keep the dark at bay through the long, lonely hours.

The new exhibit, entitled Ewe Guessed It: Woolen Goods of the Walla Walla Region, looks to be worth seeing as Collections Manager Laura and her volunteers are moving beyond the staging phase into installation this morning. Though largely a textile exhibit, there will be several items never before displayed by the Museum and a number of items distinctly not apparel. Come on out and see it ... it will run from August 14 through September 7.

Building Progress: The drywall is almost entirely in place and my early morning visit to the site showed me the 'mud men' at work. I noticed a fully wired electrical socket and work continues on the log-look of the blockhouse entry.

Today's photos include Adelle by a sheep wagon; the interior of the 'J0-So' sheep wagon; a 'mudder' plying his trade; and a pair of images of the blockhouse entry. Sheep were once almost as plentiful as the grass around here. At some point in the future, the future, the Museum will explore that heritage in more depth in a gallery entitled Where Sheep May Safely Graze. Enjoy!