Montana Man Has Made Business
Of Restoring Herders' Wagons
LIVINGSTON, Mont. —(AP)— Jem Blueher has a niche in the ``mobile-home'' business.
``The original RV, right here,'' he said, gesturing to one of his restored sheepherders' wagons. The units were a way to roll the comforts of home into the backcountry as herders traveled with the grazing animals.
``It's basically an Americanized gypsy wagon,'' Blueher said.
Through his business, Blueher's Anvil Wagon Works, Blueher, 37, refurbishes old wagons and builds new replicas. Each one, new or old, typically has a bed, benches, a wood stove and a table. At about 11 or 12 feet long and five and a half to six and a half feet wide, the wagons aren't exactly roomy. But they are a cozy, efficient living space that provides the basics of home.
``The small space, you get used to it,'' Blueher said.
He can say that from experience, having lived in one of his wagons for two years. Herders and ranchers tending animals first used the wagons in the late 1800s. They went out of fashion in the mid-20th century, he said, though some still are in use today.
These days, few of Blueher's clients use the wagons for their original purpose. Rather than pulling them behind horses across the landscape, clients often park their wagons and use them as guest quarters or temporary homes while building something more permanent.
Other people simply like the nostalgia, Blueher said.
Jerry Swenson of Belgrade is one such person. ``I like to preserve history,'' Swenson, 58, said of his collection of eight sheepherders' wagons and other wagon types. Swenson restores his wagons himself with some help from a man in North Dakota. But he knows Blueher and commended him for trying to preserve the nostalgic pieces.
Some of Blueher's clients want only basic restorations to clean up an old wagon and get it working again. Others want all the bells and whistles Blueher has to offer. Prices for the wagons, depending on the options included and whether a project is a restoration or a replica, range from $3000 to $30,000.
``This is the Cadillac sheepwagon right here,'' Blueher said, looking at a luxury model he worked on earlier this year. ``This has been a fun project. It's nice to go crazy every once in a while.''
The ``Cadillac'' customer ordered details such as a driver's bench with a canopy covering, built-in tubes to hold fly fishing rods, a white Naugahyde-lined ceiling, a red tin roof and electrical wiring. The client, who lives in Washington state, will use the wagon as a horse-drawn mobile unit, not just a guest bunk, Blueher said.
Blueher, who has an electrical engineering degree from Montana State University, uses historic photos and old catalogs from buggy and wagon companies as templates for his work. Each sheepherder's wagon was unique, whether in its decorating or included amenities.
Blueher tries to honor those qualities each time he does a restoration. ``We want to leave the character in it,'' he said.
Blueher spends anywhere from 200 to 400 hours working on a project. He learned the craft from his stepfather, Don Ellis of Livingston, about 15 years ago and then built on those skills with the help of other wagon builders around the country. Blueher has occasional help, but for the most part he's a one-man operation.
He handles carpentry, welding or forging items such as wagons' latches and hooks, wheelwrighting and other components of restoration and new construction. Blueher also works on other equipment such as buggies, sleighs and chuckwagons.
Doug Espelien, 59, of Gallatin Gateway, hired Blueher to restore an old doctor's buggy and a ``cutter,'' which Espelien described as a ``one-horse open sleigh.'' The buggy dates back to about 1870 and the cutter is about 100 years old, but Blueher's work made both ``like new,'' Espelien, a rancher and businessman, said.
``The job Jem did was phenomenal,'' he said. Restoration on both pieces cost him about a total of $3500, Espelien said. But it was well worth it.
``It's really old and it's in pristine condition,'' he said of the appeal of restoring the buggy. ``To a large degree it's a collector's item.''
_____________________________________________________________
Wish he was closer,I have an old covered wagon I would like to get restored for the trail rides..................good luck
Of Restoring Herders' Wagons
LIVINGSTON, Mont. —(AP)— Jem Blueher has a niche in the ``mobile-home'' business.
``The original RV, right here,'' he said, gesturing to one of his restored sheepherders' wagons. The units were a way to roll the comforts of home into the backcountry as herders traveled with the grazing animals.
``It's basically an Americanized gypsy wagon,'' Blueher said.
Through his business, Blueher's Anvil Wagon Works, Blueher, 37, refurbishes old wagons and builds new replicas. Each one, new or old, typically has a bed, benches, a wood stove and a table. At about 11 or 12 feet long and five and a half to six and a half feet wide, the wagons aren't exactly roomy. But they are a cozy, efficient living space that provides the basics of home.
``The small space, you get used to it,'' Blueher said.
He can say that from experience, having lived in one of his wagons for two years. Herders and ranchers tending animals first used the wagons in the late 1800s. They went out of fashion in the mid-20th century, he said, though some still are in use today.
These days, few of Blueher's clients use the wagons for their original purpose. Rather than pulling them behind horses across the landscape, clients often park their wagons and use them as guest quarters or temporary homes while building something more permanent.
Other people simply like the nostalgia, Blueher said.
Jerry Swenson of Belgrade is one such person. ``I like to preserve history,'' Swenson, 58, said of his collection of eight sheepherders' wagons and other wagon types. Swenson restores his wagons himself with some help from a man in North Dakota. But he knows Blueher and commended him for trying to preserve the nostalgic pieces.
Some of Blueher's clients want only basic restorations to clean up an old wagon and get it working again. Others want all the bells and whistles Blueher has to offer. Prices for the wagons, depending on the options included and whether a project is a restoration or a replica, range from $3000 to $30,000.
``This is the Cadillac sheepwagon right here,'' Blueher said, looking at a luxury model he worked on earlier this year. ``This has been a fun project. It's nice to go crazy every once in a while.''
The ``Cadillac'' customer ordered details such as a driver's bench with a canopy covering, built-in tubes to hold fly fishing rods, a white Naugahyde-lined ceiling, a red tin roof and electrical wiring. The client, who lives in Washington state, will use the wagon as a horse-drawn mobile unit, not just a guest bunk, Blueher said.
Blueher, who has an electrical engineering degree from Montana State University, uses historic photos and old catalogs from buggy and wagon companies as templates for his work. Each sheepherder's wagon was unique, whether in its decorating or included amenities.
Blueher tries to honor those qualities each time he does a restoration. ``We want to leave the character in it,'' he said.
Blueher spends anywhere from 200 to 400 hours working on a project. He learned the craft from his stepfather, Don Ellis of Livingston, about 15 years ago and then built on those skills with the help of other wagon builders around the country. Blueher has occasional help, but for the most part he's a one-man operation.
He handles carpentry, welding or forging items such as wagons' latches and hooks, wheelwrighting and other components of restoration and new construction. Blueher also works on other equipment such as buggies, sleighs and chuckwagons.
Doug Espelien, 59, of Gallatin Gateway, hired Blueher to restore an old doctor's buggy and a ``cutter,'' which Espelien described as a ``one-horse open sleigh.'' The buggy dates back to about 1870 and the cutter is about 100 years old, but Blueher's work made both ``like new,'' Espelien, a rancher and businessman, said.
``The job Jem did was phenomenal,'' he said. Restoration on both pieces cost him about a total of $3500, Espelien said. But it was well worth it.
``It's really old and it's in pristine condition,'' he said of the appeal of restoring the buggy. ``To a large degree it's a collector's item.''
_____________________________________________________________
Wish he was closer,I have an old covered wagon I would like to get restored for the trail rides..................good luck
