They carved on aspen trees, tens of thousands of them in ten western states. Arborglyphs Called arborglyphs, these carvings give us information we could not find elsewhere. If you want to know when and where sheep grazed or who the sheepherders were, chances are only arborglyphs could provide answers. Though carving was a widespread activity, the sites were remote and often the trees died before their messages from the past could be recorded. Today, there are very few left dating before 1900, since aspens only live about 100 years.
Most carvings are names and dates, the dry stuff of history.
Most of the messages are hard to understand as most are in the Basque language, Euskara. These personal details regarding the lives and thoughts of young Basque men shed light on roughly one hundred years of American Western history. Enjoying the Carvings While exploring the Nevada and California mountains, you may find carved some well-known names, like Laxalt or Borda. Mostly you will encounter the musing of lonely and unknown herders like Arnot Urruty, whose spirit still clings to the trees he carved. Some day the time will come to leave this place.