Boyhood Among the Woolies: Growing Up on a Basque Sheep Ranch

Growing up on a sheep ranch afforded Sebastian Etulain’s boys a magical upbringing with magnificent memories―despite the demanding work. In Boyhood Among the Woolies, his youngest son, Richard, reveals the family’s story, a rare look at life on an early eastern Washington sheep ranch. He recounts endless chores related to supplying feed and water, lambing season, sheep shearing, keeping animals safe, and fighting one of the largest dangers―grass fires. He also describes family activities, relationships with hired staff, favorite dogs, brotherly pranks and shenanigans, schooling and church in Ritzville, Basque history, and more.

Glowing reminiscences aside, author Richard W. Etulain never fell in love with ranching. He became a town and city dude, an award-winning historian who specializes in the history of the American West. He has given more than two hundred presentations on western and United States historical, literary, and cultural topics. He is the author or editor of over sixty volumes, and his books and essays have won several major prizes. Recent titles include Thunder in the West: The Life and Legends of Billy the Kid, and Abraham Lincoln: A Western Legacy.