Wyoming Sheep Wagon Company: Buffalo business preserves the past, builds the future

For the past 13 years, George and Lori Clark have been renovating and building custom sheep wagons with their business, the Wyoming Sheep Wagon Company.

With a slogan of “Preserving the Past, Building the Future,” the Clarks breathe new life into dilapidated sheep wagons, preserving craftsmanship while carving out a place in the modern age for one of the West’s most iconic symbols.

New perspective

George comes from a long line of ranchers with roots in Montana. He grew up raising draft horses and owning cattle his entire life.

After an accident left him paralyzed 15 years ago, George was forced to sell his cow herd and reshape his entire outlook on life.

“I lost my whole world,” George says. “It was like taking a five-gallon bucket of water and dumping it out on the floor – there went my life, and everything I was used to.”

Giving up ranching was almost too much for George to bear, yet words from his father reminded him things could have been much worse.

“My dad looked at me and said, ‘You know, being in that wheelchair is not the worst thing that can happen to you,’” George recalls. “He told me I could be looking up at the grass and not down at it. That’s how close it was.”

With this in mind, George turned his attention to a new venture. After seeing a sheep wagon sell for $15,000 at an auction, George began to consider what it might take to break into a new business.

A spare running gear from an old draft horse cart gave him the idea to begin building sheep wagons fit for the modern world. 

George admits his idea was met with skepticism at first, as people wondered how he would be able to work on the wagons from a wheelchair. Fortunately, stubbornness runs in his genes just as deeply as ranching.

“I’m Scotch Irish, and I’m stubborn,” George says. “I don’t like when people assume things.”

A custom-made work platform and wheelchair ramp was the solution, allowing George to maneuver around his shop and work on wagons. 

Support from George’s wife Lori was also essential in getting the company off of the ground years ago, and she remains pivotal to the business today.

Lori does a little bit of everything in her role as “president of the company,” including helping with construction, coordinating with clients and running the website.

“If not for Lori, I couldn’t have done any of this,” George says. 

An Amish neighbor and good friend by the name of Sam has been a full-time employee for the past two years, and his hard work and expertise has helped the company expand and serve clients across Wyoming and the nation.

Preserving the past

Preserving the history of the sheep industry and memories of ranching families is the main goal of every Wyoming Sheep Wagon Company restoration project.  

A combination of time-honored craftsmanship skills and modern building materials ensures the wagons will last for generations to come. 

“Once we get them restored right, they should last another 100 years,” George says.

The majority of refurbishing work is done at Sam’s shop in Buffalo. The building can accommodate up to three wagons at a time, but Sam jokes it’s still only “halfway big enough.”

“We’ve never been without a wagon – or multiple – in the shop,” George says.

The work is steady, and it doesn’t happen overnight. Quality craftsmanship is always the company’s number one priority.

Restoring wooden running gears is an art known as wheelwrighting, and Sam excels at the craft.

“With preserving the past and building the future, we try to keep it real,” George says.

This means most of the work is done by hand, and natural building materials used in restoration are of the highest quality – never imported and sourced locally as often as possible.

The majority of lumber comes from the nearby Big Horn Mountains and is milled, planed and shaped onsite. A solar-powered kiln of George and Sam’s design dries and stores the wood until it is ready to be worked with.

For the wagon’s cover, American-made sailboat canvas is stretched over the carefully-constructed wooden frame, and windows are made of glass bought from a local maker in Buffalo. 

“We spend a lot of time on the details,” George says. “Aesthetics are important. When people come to shows and look at our wagons, nobody’s ever had a complaint.”

The company’s clientele has included everyone from neighbors and local museums to Gov. Mark Gordon and First Lady Jennie Gordon, as well as clients from surrounding states and hotel owners looking to provide patrons with a unique bed and breakfast experience.

“The people we do the work for all know quality is guaranteed,” George says.

Building the future

In addition to restoration projects, the Wyoming Sheep Wagon Company specializes in building brand-new, fully-customizable wagons, bringing modern comfort and reliability to an age-old craft.

Wagons are available in 10- and 12-foot lengths and are built upon new rubber wheel running gears to ensure smooth, reliable towing. 

Modern comforts like electricity and refrigeration make the wagons an attractive option for the bed and breakfast industry and customers looking for a unique “glamping” experience. 

Interiors are spacious, and some models are even capable of accommodating a king-size bed.

One of George’s latest projects is a handicap-accessible sheep wagon complete with a solar-powered wheelchair lift. Although the project started as a personal venture, George has hopes of expanding the prototype to bring accessible sheep wagons to customers wherever there is an interest. 

In terms of the future, Wyoming Sheep Wagon Company is continuing to evolve as opportunities arise, while trusting in the same core principles which have marked the business since the beginning.

“One of the things we go by every day is God’s got a plan,” George says. “We don’t always know what’s coming, but we get to it eventually.”

“You never really know what’s going to evolve out of something,” he continues. “But we do know God’s got a plan – and it works.”

For more information on the Wyoming Sheep Wagon Company, visit wyomingsheepwagonco.com, e-mail clarkgl55@yahoo.com or call 307-670-1720.

Grace Skavdahl is the editor of the Wyoming Livestock Roundup. Send comments on this article to roundup@wylr.net.