Range Wars
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These sheep were casualties of 1904 range wars in Lake County. (Courtesy of Oregon Historical Society) Enlarge Image
Oregon’s range wars are rooted in land disputes between cattlemen and shepherds at the turn of the 20th century. Tensions boiled over on the use of public land for ranching in central and eastern Oregon. Cattle ranchers were angry that sheep overgrazed low-elevation cattle land. This made the range unsuitable for cattle. Shepherds, on the other hand, accused cattlemen of buying up water resources and fencing the range - which they regarded as public land.
Cultural friction was a major component of the conflict. Oregon’s cattlemen were largely Anglo-American, Californian, and Mexican. The shepherds were largely Irish and Basque nationals or their descendants. Additionally, horse mounted cattle workers looked at the pedestrian shepherds with disdain.
It was the cattle ranchers who proved the most belligerent. Cattlemen threatened shepherds and killed sheep for around three years along the Crooked River. Even though there was only one official murder, many shepherds lost their livelihoods as cowboys left thousands of sheep slaughtered on the plain. The wars only ended with the regulation of public lands after 1906. Rather than share the range, both sides bought land and created new businesses for intensive livestock production.