National Monument to the Basque Sheepherder Collection

The Basque Sheepherder Monument is located northwest of the University of Reno, Nevada, surrounded by a few trees and sagebrush next to Rancho San Rafael. The 23-feet tall bronze sculpture is the work of the Basque sculptor Nestor Basterretxea, who gave the monument the title “Bakardade,” or “Solitude”. It takes an attention-paying view of the relatively abstract bronze column to see what it depicts: a shepherd carrying a lamb over his shoulder under a full moon. The initiative for the construction of the monument was mainly conducted by José Ramón Zengotitabengoa.

The first generation of Basque immigrants to the United States were mostly shepherds. The bronze map of the United States at the base of the sculpture depicts areas in which Basques settled and their descendants live. Most of the bronze plaques and some of the large bronze letters above them were stolen in 2011, but they were replaced with more durable steel ones later in 2012.

Sources:

NABO [online]: https://nabasque.eus/Astero/monument.htm#:~:text=The%20monument%20to%20the%20Basque,the%20present%20to%20the%20future.

EXPLORE RENO-TAHOE AND BEYOND BLOG [online]: https://explort.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-basque-sheepherder-monument-at.html