The area where the project is taking place is populated largely by the descendants of Basque immigrants who arrived in central and eastern Oregon in the second half of the 19th century to participate in the gold rush in California. As they spread out along the coast they found work as herdsmen, helping to drive the expansion of the sheep and cattle industries.

For more information about the Basque culture in central eastern Oregon, follow this link to an excellent website maintained by the Columbia River Basin Ethnic History Archive.