Messages in the trees: looking for ‘arborglyphs’ around Lake Tahoe

Messages in the trees: looking for ‘arborglyphs’ around Lake Tahoe

Wandering through the pine and aspen forests of the 1800s could be a difficult task for a Basque shepherd. Brought to America by the promise of potential wealth, Basque people had developed a reputation for handling sheep in the West. But navigating the new landscape with a whole flock in tow was often disorienting. To mark their paths through the woods, many shepherds would carve their names, various images, or directions into the tree bark—lea…