SHERIDAN COUNTY DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY

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DAY 1: PAY A VISIT TO A STATE HISTORIC SITE AND A BATTLEFIELD

Trapper George Mandel built a cabin and post office near the forks of Goose Creek; that cabin still stands today at Whitney Commons in downtown Sheridan. The arrival of the Burlington & Missouri Railroad in 1892 transformed Sheridan into the region’s industrial and commercial center; both of Sheridan’s Train Depots still stand today.

Just 30 minutes south of Sheridan is Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site and Interpretive Center. The fort, constructed in 1866 played an important role in Red Cloud’s War. Nearby Fetterman Battlefield is the site of the U.S. Calvary’s worst defeat until Little Big Horn.

Fort Mackenzie is a former U.S. Army post in Sheridan, now used by the U.S. Veterans Administration as the Sheridan Veterans Administration Medical Center. There are 48 structures listed as contributions to the Fort Mackenzie National Register of Historic Places district.

The Historic Sheridan Inn, constructed in 1892, was one of the first hotels in Sheridan. It was conceptualized and developed by William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody. Refurbished in 2013 bringing 21st-century luxury to the 19th-century building.

DAY 2: EXPLORE A NATIONAL MONUMENT AND THE BRINTON MUSEUM

Sheridan’s historic heart beats with the stories of cowboys, Indians, battle sites, ranching legends, and western outlaws. Prepare for a day of historic immersion with breakfast at Silver Spur Cafe, a beloved Main Street haunt, or head to Ranchester for breakfast at Innominate Coffeehouse & Bakery.

Less than an hour from Sheridan, near Crow Agency, Montana, is the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. The site memorializes the U.S. Army’s 7th Cavalry and the Lakota and Cheyenne in one of the Indian’s last armed efforts to preserve their way of life.

Next stop is The Brinton Museum, located on the 620-acre Quarter Circle A Ranch in the community of Big Horn. The museum offers an authentic view into the life of Bradford Brinton, a Western gentleman and art collector who was a patron of many of the most celebrated 19th and 20th- century Western artists.

Lunch at the Brinton Bistro comes with sublime mountain views and an opportunity to wax poetic about the museum’s immense collection.

Returning through Big Horn, take time to visit the community’s main street, home to a number of historic properties, including the beautiful Big Horn Mercantile and the Just Ledoux It Steakout & Saloon. Stop at the Bozeman Trail Museum. Built in 1879 by the Rock Creek Stage Line, the blacksmith shop, now home to the museum, originally satisfied the needs of travelers on the nearby Bozeman Trail.

In Sheridan the Trail End State Historic Site mansion built and inhabited by former Wyoming Governor and U.S. Senator John B. Kendrick. Kendrick was a successful cattleman when he commissioned the house.

In nearby Dayton, Hans Kleiber, artist, poet, and naturalist, constructed his first printing press with gears and rollers cast at the Sheridan Foundry. He received the Silver Medal from The Printmakers Society and was given a special showing at the Smithsonian National Museum in Washington, D.C.

You’ll have tickets for tonight’s WYO Theater show (whatever’s on the marquee is sure to please). When the WYO Theater opened in 1923 as the Lotus, newspaper headlines proclaimed it “Wyoming’s Wonder Picture Palace!” The theater remains one of Sheridan’s hallmark attractions.

DAY 3: TAKE A HISTORIC WALKING TOUR

Sheridan is the Cultural Capital of Wyoming, and features numerous galleries, exhibits, exhibitions, and art collections open to the public. There are plenty of opportunities to have a hands-on experience in shaping your own artistic vision. Take Sheridan’s self-guided Historic Walking Tour and enjoy more than 100 public art pieces and numerous buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Take your show on the road and visit the Ucross Art Gallery; exhibitions are evocative, insightful and beautiful. Ucross is less than 40 miles from Sheridan; pastoral beauty is the highlight of the drive. For more than 35 years, Ucross has been giving space and time to artists who come from all disciplines, including literature, visual arts, music, choreography, film, performance, and multidisciplinary art.

Sheridan County still has plenty more for travel groups to experience, so be sure to Subscribe to Leisure Group Travel for FREE and get even more travel ideas and tips

Sheridan County Travel & Tourism​

SHAWN PARKER

sparker@sheridanwy.gov

Cell: 307.673.7120

www.sheridanwyoming.org

 

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