Why are there Basque people in Nevada?

Basques have been living in Northern Nevada for over a century and form a population of several thousand. Basque immigrants first came in the mid-1800s during the Gold rush. The Basques have also been closely-tied to sheep herding in Nevada and neighboring states.

How many Basques live in Nevada?

5,390 Basques
Today, about 5,390 Basques live in Nevada, mostly in the central and northern parts. The National Basque Festival is in Elko each year, and the National Monument to the Basque Sheepherder is in a Reno park.

What are Basque sheep herders famous for in Nevada?

Basque herders were some of the very best sheepherders in western range sheep operations. These men soon found out upon arriving in the American west, that they had entered one of the loneliest professions in the world.

Where did the first Basque sheepherders in Nevada migrate from?

Some came directly from Basque regions in Spain and France, while others who had fled to Argentina to escape civil war in Spain in the 1830s made the trek north when the news of the gold discovery reached them in 1848.

What is the Basque culture?

The Basque Country is a cross-border cultural region that has a distinctive culture including its own language, customs, festivals, and music. The Basques living in the territory are primarily represented by the symbol of the flag Ikurriña, as well as the Lauburu cross and the Zazpiak Bat coat of arms.

Why did Basque immigrants find sheepherding difficult in Nevada?

Itinerant Basque sheepherders would allow their sheep to graze on the open public lands adjacent to settled cattle ranches. The 1934 Taylor Grazing Act clamped down on itinerant grazing practices and caused severe difficulties for those Basques who could not afford to purchase land of their own.

What is the religion of the Basques?

The Basques have a strong allegiance to Roman Catholicism. They were not converted to Christianity until the 10th century, however, and, although they are now among the most observant of Spanish Catholics, animism survives in their folklore.

What is special about Basque people?

The Basques have unique customs and a language – Euskera – that is unrelated to any other spoken in Europe, or indeed the world. Nestled in a mountainous corner of Atlantic Europe, they also show distinct genetic patterns to their neighbours in France and Spain.

Where are Basque sheepherders from?

Basques, who call themselves Euskaldunak, are from the Pyrenees Mountains located on the border of Spain and France. Basques have their own language known as Eusk, but since the majority live in Spain, they also speak, read, and write in Spanish.

Why did the Basque people come to Nevada?

Emigrating to Nevada first for gold in the 19th century, and then again later to put their sheepherding skills to use in northern Nevada’s rugged mountainous terrain, Nevada’s Basques intertwined their unique culture with other influences that would shape the region, putting their distinct stamp on Nevada’s personality that still thrives today.

When is the Basque Festival in Winnemucca Nevada?

Every June, the town hosts a Basque festival—2020 will be the 42nd year of the festival, complete with a parade and Basque dancing and sports demonstrations. Not to mention, Winnemucca has the most Basque restaurants per capita in the west. “The culture is alive,” Irujo says.

Where are examples of Basque ranching in Nevada?

A good example is the Spanish Ranch in northeastern Nevada where at one time they reportedly ran 18,000 cattle and 12,000 sheep on the same ranch. One reason this was possible is that sheep and cattle do not compete for the same forage. This ranch today still runs both sheep and cattle.

When did the Basques come to Elko County?

Range sheep did not begin to arrive in earnest in the Elko County area, in northeastern Nevada, until the beginning of the 1900s when the Altube Brothers, who had started as cattlemen, began to also run large bands of range sheep using Basque herders.