Shep's Vigil - Dog Statues on Waymarking.com

During the summer of 1936 a sheepherder fell ill while tending his flock and was brought to the St. Clare Hospital in Fort Benton, Montana. A nondescript sheep dog had followed the herder into town and soon set up a vigil at the hospital's door. A kind hearted nun who ran the hospital kitchen fed the dog during those few days before the man died. The herder's family in the East requested that his body be sent back home. On that August day the undertaker put the body on the east-bound train for shipment to his waiting relatives. As the gurney was rolled out onto the platform, a big gaunt shepherd dog with watchful eyes appeared out of nowhere and watched as the casket was loaded into the baggage car. Attendants later recalled the dog whining as the door slammed shut and the engine slowly started to pull away from the station, then head down, turning and trotting down the tracks. On that day the dog, later named Shep, began a five-and-a-half year vigil that was only broken by his death.

Digging out a spot for himself under the wooden depot, Shep waited and watched each train in hopes that the next would bring his master back. He watched the passengers disembark from the coaches and witnessed the unloading of the baggage cars. He looked mutely and questioned each passerby. After each train had left the station, he returned to his shelter, where he would lie and watch and listen for the whistle of the next incoming train.

Rain or shine, summer and winter, Shep kept his vigil.

Shep was an older dog when he came to the station house in Fort Benton. Throughout his vigil the long nights under the platform and the cold winter had taken their toll. Stiff-legged and hard of hearing, Shep failed to hear old 235 as it rolled into the station at 10:17 on January 12, 1942. He turned to look when the engine was almost upon him, moved to get out of the way, and slipped on the icy rails. Shep's long vigil had ended.

Shep's funeral was held two days later. He was laid to rest on the bluff overlooking the station where his long wait had been in vain.

Breed: collie Date Built: 1994/01/01

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Date Logged Log User Rating   06/02/2007 ZenPanda visited it

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