The special aspen tree carvings (called arborglyphs) left by sheepherders during their time spent tending sheep in the mountains and forests here will be commemorated in signage. The Trailing of the Sheep Festival is the recipient of a Legends & Lore Historic Signage Grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. These grants are used to promote cultural tourism and commemorate legends and folklore as part of a community’s heritage.
A special sign-unveiling ceremony will be held on Thursday, June 17, at 5 p.m. in Forest Service Park in Ketchum. The sign will be located near the entrance to The Community Library’s Regional History Museum. In addition to the City of Ketchum, other partners in this project include The Community Library and the Idaho Commission on the Arts, who recommended the Festival’s application for the grant.
As for the original signs, many of the arborglyphs were carved over 50 years ago and are fading away as the trees age and the bark deteriorates.
“Preserving this special part of our community’s history is very important to us and we are privileged to have received this grant to permanently honor this legacy,” shared Laura Musbach Drake, Trailing of the Sheep Festival’s executive director.