The Oxarango Operation

Author Leonard Louis Levinson stated, "History is the short trudge from Adam to Atom."  Recently, we came across a snapshot in history that has really got us excited.  We are hoping you will stay tuned as we capture the "short trudge" or repurposing wood from a former sheep ranch to its new life as RLP's latest flooring product, The Oxarango.

Early this spring we were contacted by the Oxarango family to see if we would be interested in purchasing some of their lumber as they go through the process of shutting down a long-time family sheep ranch in the Magic Valley of Southern Idaho.  As we got to know the family and all the history this ranch represents, we were pleased to discover a way for them to preserve some of this history as they embark on a new chapter in their lives.  This story will unfold over the next several months as we repurpose the lumber from their sheep ranch into doors, trim, flooring, and tables for the new house they are building.  With a sense of nostalgia their new home will be literally made from their family’s history.

Roger Oxarango was of Basque decent and emigrated from France to the United States in 1948 as a sheepherder; he spoke no English.  While first starting out in Wyoming, Oxarango then met his wife Rose on a sheep and cattle ranch in Nevada.  They eventually settled in Southern Idaho where they built up a sheep operation.  Their amazing life story and ranch history will continue to unfold.  After Roger’s passing in 1998, his son, Robert, took on the family business and continued to grow it over the years.  In early 2012, the Oxarango family saw an opportunity to tweak their ranching history as they shift their focus from sheep to cattle.

Chapter one of this story opens with a few photos from the lambing sheds as they begin the dismantling process.

These sheds sheltered the ewes as they lambed each spring.  

Each pen was numbered for record keeping.

The lambs were painted with the corresponding number.

Over the years, the paint drips have built up on the pens.

Here, the pens in the shed have been torn down.

They are then denailed and staged outside in preparation for the trip to the Reclaimed Lumber Products yard where we "Give new life to old wood".

Stay tuned for Chapter Two in the coming months as we follow these pens, feed bunks and grey, weathered corral boards on their journey to a new life.