WHEREAS, Basque sheepherders working in the United States dominated the sheep industry for almost one hundred years, beginning with the establishment of the Altube Brothers’ Spanish Ranch in Nevada in 1873; and

WHEREAS, by 1976 there were only 106 Basques with sheepherding contracts, while most of the second and third generation Basques had moved into different industries; and

WHEREAS, Basque ethnic identity in the United States remains tied to the collective past they share of sheepherding as the door opener to the United States; and

WHEREAS, Basques whose families were never a part of the sheep business still preserve this significant aspect to the history of Basque development in the West; and

WHEREAS, the State of Nevada has long been considered the center of the Basque peoples of the American West and was the founding site of the North American Basque Organizations (NABO); and

WHEREAS, Basque descendants have encouraged the dissemination of Basque culture in the United States, perpetuated the traditions of the land of their ancestors, and preserved the stature of the people of Basque birth or descent in America;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JIM GIBBONS, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, do hereby proclaim July 25, 2009, as