FOREST ODDITIES THE BIGHORNS OF OURA1 



BY ARTHUR H. CARHART 



M 



' AYBE the fact that wild mountain sheep will 

 come into the main street of a town is not an 

 oddity. Maybe the Creator planned for all living 

 things to be at peace so wild things could travel in Man's 

 lands without fear. But with the present general dread 



(Photograph by Christopher.) 



INVESTIGATING THE POSSIBILITIES OF GETTING A GOOD DINNER 



in wild animals of all that is man-made it is unusual that 

 a bighorn sheep would come to the main thoroughfare 

 of a town and pay his respects to the business houses. 



But with all of the unusual features of such a situation 

 there is one place where it 

 happens. The little city of 

 Ouray, Colorado, nestles in a vast 

 ampitheatre of rugged mountain 

 sides and within the boundary 

 of one of the most scenic of all 

 National Forests, the Uncom- 

 pahgre. From these rugged 

 slopes each .winter come bands 

 of bighorns to accept the hospi- 

 tality of Ouray. For the town 

 is host to these wild neighbors 

 giving them feed of good hay, 

 helping them in wintering 

 through. 



And the sheep reciprocate by 

 remaining around the town all 

 through the year and forming 

 one of the greatest attractions to 

 the tourists who happen to visit 

 this scenic area. There are here 

 some of the most spectacular 



waterfalls in the state, a famous canon is but a moment's 

 walk from town, and there are hot springs and other 

 attractions to be visited but unless the traveler gets the 

 opportunity to see the sheep of Ouray his visit there 

 is not quite complete. These sheep are at home in 

 town. They ream the mountains 

 wholly unhampered but have 

 adapted themselves to urban 

 conditions as well. It would be 

 hard to conceive a more striking 

 contrast to usual conditions than 

 that shown in the pictures, where 

 these sheep are raiding hay 

 stores in a railway car within a 

 few feet of a depot and in the 

 heart of Jown. One old buck, 

 whose horns show he is many 

 summers old, has used his crag- 

 climbing skill to get into the car 

 and seems as much at home 

 there as on a mountain top. 



That there are bighorn sheep 



around Ouray is not strange for 



the country is their natural 



habitat. That the people of the 



town are interested in these sheep 



is not an uncommon thing. But 



the fact that these wild things 



are so much at home in town and that the people have 



shown real action and results arising from interest they 



have for their wild neighbors is altogether an unusual 



combination. Ouray may well be proud of its odd 



(Photograph by Christopher.) 



HAVING DISCOVERED THE HAY IN THE CAR, THEY PROCEED TO GET AJJOARD AMD ENJOY IT 



