In a scene straight out of a classic western movie, a massive flock of sheep blocked a road near Cokeville, Wyoming, causing a traffic jam in the area. The incident, which took place on a winter day, was captured on video and submitted to ViralHog.
Wyoming, known for its vast open spaces and cowboy culture, is the ninth largest state in the US but has the smallest population, with less than 600,000 people. As a result, traffic jams are a rarity in the state.
The video shows a cowboy on horseback moving the flock of sheep down the middle of the road. This, naturally, caused a delay for motorists, including the one who submitted the video.
Of note, it isn’t uncommon for ranchers in Wyoming to use public roads to move their herds between pastures or to winter ranges. The tradition of moving livestock in this manner dates back to the early days of ranching in the American West. The hardworking ranchers and cowboys of the time had to use every available means to move their livestock from one location to another.
While some may find the scene of sheep blocking a road in 2023 a bit absurd, for many Wyoming residents, it is just another day in the life of a state where cowboy culture is still alive and well.
This isn’t the first we’ve seen such an odd disturbance on the road, though. While there are normal ones, like the first snow causing left and right crashes in Denver, there are those that were incredible. In Memphis last August, a semi-truck spilled jars of alfredo sauce on Interstate 55. The messy and smelly wreck forced the closure of several lanes of traffic until things got cleaned up.
Meanwhile, another semi-truck crash in Texas in 2019 saw milk getting spilled on the road. It was a bit fortunate, though, as it happened during the wee hours, so traffic was really light during the cleanup.
