Evelyn Laila Holden
Podcast HostExpertise: Archival research and arrangement
Education: University of Denver
Highlights
- My favorite podcast of all time is “This Podcast Will Kill You”
- I miss the water in the Pacific Northwest
- Digital storytelling is incredibly important; I was drawn to it because it makes stories more accessible for people with invisible disabilities, like me
Experience
I was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, and moved to Denver, Colorado, for university. I graduated with a dual degree in Anthropology and History from the University of Denver in Spring of 2025. A few months later, I moved to Ketchum, Idaho, which has felt like home to me since I was a young kid, because my family spent as much time out here as possible while I was growing up.
In 2026, I became the Patricia Crandall Lane Trailing of the Sheep Festival Archive Intern, where I listened to and watched media housed in the archives at the Community Library Center for Regional History, Ketchum, Idaho. All the media I encountered was cataloged in detail for future inquiries, and I selected particularly fascinating audio for Season 2 of “Sheep Stories.” This internship has required me to learn new skills and become knowledgeable about Adobe Audition and other digital media platforms to create Season 2. Beforehand, I had no experience with podcasting or its platforms; through this internship, I was able to host Season 2 and provide narration for all episodes, focusing on subjects that felt most compelling.
-
Through historical interviews, we hear how border collies and great pyrenees guide, protect and care for the bands – and perform feats that can astonish even the most experienced herders. Bred for this work, these dogs are more than helpers on the trail. They are essential partners whose instincts, intelligence and loyalty have made them an integral part of the sheep-ranching tradition. -
Through interviews with sheep-ranching families from across the Wood River Valley, we hear the different paths that brought them into the industry – and, for some, ultimately led them out. Their stories reveal an industry shaped by changing markets, shifting priorities and the challenges of carrying a family tradition forward.
-
While sheep were not the first industry to bring people to Ketchum, ranching became deeply woven into the town’s identity and way of life. Through historical accounts and memories – including stories from Lane Mercantile – we hear how the sheep industry brought people together and helped build a community that continues to hold tightly to its roots and traditions.
-
The Wood River Valley has an extraordinary landscape that allows for sheep ranching to be successful, and is directly due to the mountains, prairies, forests, rivers and lakes that create such an expansive area for migration, particularly in the spring and fall. The landscape agrees, not only with the sheep, but with the herding industry as a whole.
-
This season of Sheep Stories explores the land that sustains the industry, the sheep that foster close-knit communities, the ranchers navigating new pressures on a changing way of life, and the sheep dogs whose instincts guide and protect the bands. Listen, learn, and follow the trail into the stories that continue to shape sheep ranching in Idaho.
