But a hundred years ago, the landscape looked very different.
Instead of forests, there was a great level of plain that stretched from horizon to horizon.
Around the middle of the 19th century, there were an estimated one million sheep in this area.
A 1938 postcard showing shepherds from the marshy region of Landes, France, getting around on stilts.
The sheep were managed by shepherds who moved around on long stilts.
Using stilts had several advantages.
It extended their field of vision allowing them to survey distant flocks of sheep.
Tall stilts also increased their stride allowing them to cover long distances in less time.
This system of locomotion was so effective that men on stilts could keep up with horses at full trot.
The locals called this unique mode of transportationtchangues, which means “big legs”.
The lower part which rests upon the earth is enlarged and is sometimes strengthened with a sheep’s bone.
Habituated from their childhood by this sort of exercise many shepherds developed extraordinary skills of acrobatism and maneuverability.
Stilt races were also an essential part of any merry-makings in the villages of Gascony.
Stilt dancers from Landes walk through London on their way to a performance at the Albert Hall.
Jan. 9, 1937
Sources:Scientific American Supplement, 1891/Wikipedia/Chronicling America/Mashable
