The sheepherder, his faithful dogs and band of sheep.

The name Basque comes from the Romans, who upon invading the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains in Northern Spain, called the Basque Country "Vasconia" and its inhabitants "Vascos" which eventually became "Bascos". The Basque are the oldest homogeneous racial group in Europe and their blood extends back as far as the Stone Age.

Beginning in 1880, large numbers of young Basque males, who were willing to endure the isolation and continuous work, came to the Western United States to care for sheep herds which often numbered in the thousands. The sheep industry reached its peak in Malheur County at 360,000 sheep in 1910.  Hundreds of sheep camps dotted the county's rangelands until as late as 1934 with the passage of the Taylor Grazing Act and the regulation of public lands. This mural was made possible in large part through the generous donation of the Ontario, Oregon, Basque Club. Inc.

Address: A Street and Court Street (Dr. Hamilton Dental Office)

Artist: Colleen Mitchell-Veyna (painted in 2005)