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Show BASQUE HERDERS LEND CHARM TO . OREGON RANGES As the car drove over a hill, writes Amos Rurg during a journey through Oregon, we heard a melodious voice singing in a foreign tongue. It was a Basque herder seated on a rim, watching bis flocks below. These are mystery men of the range, courteous, agreeable but reticent, reti-cent, fitting in perfectly with their unattended solitude. Vlien we drove into the Basque town of Jordan Valley, another aspect as-pect of these people was presented. It was late Sunday. Dashing mounted mount-ed vaqueros, with fringed chaps and tilting sombreros, caracoling up the street on spirited ponies, and strolling stroll-ing young ladies with a vivacity of natural charm and dress gave to this frontier Oregon community a touch of the Spanish Pyrenees. When the first Basque settler wandered wan-dered into Jordan Valley more than forty years ago and saw the endless sheep range he urged Ms brother in far-away Spain to come. That was the beginning of the correspondence that spotted the shelterless sage plains of southeastern Oregon with Basque herders and their nomadic flocks. These cleanly, industrious and hospitable hos-pitable people are gradually having their language and customs modified by the young people. attending school. There are still many of the children, however, who have never seen a train. They refer to a trip to On- tario as "going out to the railroad." After a Basque dinner the entire' population assembled in the community commu-nity hall and gave a Basque dance in our honor. The snapping fingers, gaycty, merrymaking and frequent bursts of song that accompanied the dances flowed from the deep roots of their ancient heritage. National Geographic Geo-graphic Magazine. |