In the foothills of the Smokey Mountains and along the banks of the Big Wood River…
Image by Ben Stromback
Exploring our relationship to the land.
Drinkers of the Wind is located in the beautiful Wood River Valley, just a hop, skip, and a jump from the world-famous Sun Valley ski resort. Most days, we feel worlds away from the glitz up north, surrounded by the sounds of birds (eagles, hawks, owls, quail, geese, and more!), the creaking of cottonwoods along the riparian corridor, and the occasional whinny of a horse. And on busy days, we add the rumbling of a tractor to the soundscape.
History
Robert “Archie” Bouttier bought the property in 1972, dreaming of starting a horse ranch. With a passion for Arabian horses, he launched a breeding program which produced horses with some of the best Polish and French Arabian bloodlines. At the height of his program, there were more than 80 horses on the ranch. His horses have been purchased by endurance and pleasure riders from across the country.
With a career as a commercial airline pilot, being a farmer and horse breeder took up all Archie’s free time until he retired from flying. At that point, he was free to throw himself into his horse breeding program and farming practically 24/7, growing and baling hay for himself and other landowners throughout the valley.
Always accompanied by a motley crew of dogs and cats, Archie’s love for all animals and the environment inspired many of his farm decisions. He converted to no-till on all his fields, dramatically improving soil health and the quality of his hay, worked with Fish & Game to improve bird and wildlife habitat along the riparian corridor, and rescued innumerable stray pets over the years.
With his passing, the horse breeding program came to a halt. His widow, Helen, has found loving homes for many of the horses and a number of them will remain on the ranch. A new farm plan is coming to fruition, focusing on organic food production, carbon sequestration, and more. We think Archie would be proud.
“We can take personal responsibility for the transformation of the natural world around us and we can plant trees, shrubs, vines, canes, fungi, forage and animal systems that create clean water, pure air and build the soil. We can plant the systems that provide abundant, low-cost yields of highly nutritious foods for humanity for all times.
Who is it again that will do this work? You and I.”
-Mark Shepard, Restoration Agriculture
