Wyoming Road Trip 2024: Sheridan

For all the places I love in Wyoming, Sheridan will always hold a special place in my heart. It’s the first place my great grandfather put down roots in the 1880s, it’s the setting for happy childhood memories visiting my grandparents, and it’s where I was born. So, yeah. I have deep roots in Sheridan. We seriously considered moving back to Wyoming recently, and Sheridan was our top choice of potential locations.

Nestled at the foot of the Big Horn mountains, Sheridan is surrounded by beauty on every side. Don’t even try to resist the draw to head to the mountains. Explore every side road, hike a few trails, and let yourself settle into wonder as you wander.

Main Street

Sheridan boasts one of the most alluring Main Streets in Wyoming. With its many restored historic buildings, it invites you into its rich western history, even as it embraces the now. Hipster micro breweries co-exist peacefully with the Mint Bar, where thirsty cowboys have been knocking back a cold one since 1907.

There’s something for everyone on Main Street. Outstanding antiques stores sell treasures of a bygone era, just down the street from the Surf Wyoming shop that caters to adventure seekers. (And yes, Wyoming surfing really is a thing. Think whitewater rapids on the Snake River.) You’ll find everything from high-end luxury furnishings, charming boutiques offering chic styles, and the ever-present T-shirt and souvenir shop. And in every store you enter, you’ll find a warm, friendly welcome.

King’s Saddlery

As you mosey down Main Street, be sure to step into King’s Saddlery. For the working cowboy, King’s is a complete western tack store, offering all the necessities from boots and hats to bridles and rope.

But King’s is more than just a store. Behind the storefront, you’ll find a museum housing the personal collection of local cowboy legend, Don King. A saddle craftsman himself, King collected hundreds of exquisite saddles and other cowboy memorabilia. You can even watch a leather craftsman at work on a new piece.

Bought Beautifully

One of my favorite stores on Main Street is Bought Beautifully, a non-profit business dedicated to lifting women out of poverty. This boutique offers hand-crafted goods made by women artisans around the world. The founders, Colin and Emily Betzler, build long-term relationships with their global partners, and they are truly making a difference for these women and for the next generations.

I love knowing that my beautiful hand-crafted purchase is providing dignified work for widows, orphans, refugees, and victims of sex trafficking. If you can’t make it to Sheridan, check out Bought Beautifully online.

The Sheridan Inn

A few blocks off Main Street stands the historic Sheridan Inn, with its 69 gables. First opened the summer of 1893, the hotel boasted the first bathtubs and electric lights in that part of the state. Col. William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody held an ownership stake in the inn, and lived there from 1894 to 1904. During his residency, he held auditions for his famous Wild West Show on the front lawn. The hotel quickly became the social center for the area.

By 1965, the hotel had fallen into disrepair and was facing demolition. But a series of generous investors with a passion for historic preservation saved it from the wrecking ball. In 2015, the beautifully restored hotel opened to guests for the first time in 50 years.

Many of the original features were maintained on the first floor, including the fireplace, beams and front desk. Queen Victoria gifted the ornate cherry wood bar to Buffalo Bill and had it shipped across the Atlantic. Step up to the bar and step back in time.

Trail End

John B. Kendrick, a Texan by birth, first set foot in Wyoming territory when a Texas cattleman engaged him to drive a herd of cattle to Wyoming in 1879. He liked it so much he stayed, settling in the Sheridan area. He became a very prosperous rancher, then turned to politics where he served two terms as a U.S. Senator and two years as the Governor of Wyoming.

He built the 13,748 sq. ft. Kendrick House from 1908-1913 and named it Trail End, because Sheridan was the end of that first cattle drive trail. The home has thirty rooms, including a ballroom on the third floor. Since his duties often called him away, the family primarily used it as a summer home.

Now a State Historic Site and museum, the home has been restored as nearly as possible to its original state, and includes many of the original furnishings. For all the rustic attractions in Wyoming, it’s an interesting contrast to see how one Cattle King lived during the earliest years of the state.

Brinton Museum

In 1923, Bradford Brinton, a wealthy businessman and World War I veteran, bought the 620-acre Quarter Circle A Ranch from William Moncreiffe, a Scottish immigrant and prosperous rancher. Brinton extensively remodeled the ranch house and purchased an additional 2200 acres of adjoining land. After his death, the property passed to his sister Helen and ceased operations as a ranch. Helen left the property in trust, with the goal of preserving the Quarter Circle A Ranch and using the ranch house to make the Brinton’s extensive collection of art and historic artifacts accessible to the public.

Located in Big Horn, Wyoming just south of Sheridan, today the Brinton Museum has three components. The Quarter Circle A Ranch house, built in 1892, houses the Brinton’s extensive personal collections of western art, historic documents, books, and Indian artifacts. The 24,000-foot Forest E. Mars, Jr. museum opened in 2015, and it contains an impressive collection of western and Indian art, including works by Charles Russell and Frederic Remington. Lastly, nature trails throughout the beautiful grounds beckon bird watchers and nature lovers to stroll through this pristine sanctuary.

Near the Brinton Museum, you’ll find the Mount Hope Cemetery, established in 1885 when Wyoming was still a territory. Just for fun, wander through the graves and let the ghosts of the past whisper their stories.

Get Wyo’d at the Rodeo

The bucking bronc is the state’s most iconic symbol for a reason, and the good folks of Wyoming sure do love their rodeos. The second week of July is rodeo week in Sheridan, and it’s the peak of summer fun. One of the top-ranked PRCA rodeos in America, it draws professional cowboys and cowgirls from all over the country.

But there’s something different and really special about Sheridan’s rodeo. From 1953-1984, Sheridan celebrated All-American Indian Days, an event that began as an effort to combat racial discrimination. It featured traditional native competitions and customs from several tribes, and concluded with the crowning of Miss Indian America. I remember going as a very young child, and I loved all the dancers in colorful tribal regalia at the pow wow, the hypnotic drums rumbling their beat in my tummy.

Although that celebration ended in 1984, some of the enduring traditions carried over into rodeo week, including the First Peoples’ pow wow. The Sheridan rodeo also hosts the World Championship Indian Relay Race, which is quite something to behold. Someday soon I hope to return to Sheridan for rodeo week to relive my vivid childhood memories.

Polo

People are always surprised to learn that Sheridan is polo country. That’s right, the sport of British nobility has had an enthusiastic following here since the first match was played in 1896. Known as the polo capital of the Rocky Mountain West, Sheridan owes that distinction to two British aristocrat families, the Moncrieffes and the Wallops, who were among the first settlers in the Sheridan area. At one time, both families were involved in selling horses to the British government for use in the Boer War. With their equine expertise, it’s only natural that they would import their favorite British sport into the American West. Fun fact: my great grandfather’s homestead is now a polo pony ranch.

A Front-Porch Community

My short-term rental for this visit was in the neighborhood where my grandparents lived in the late 1950s. Craftsman-style houses with wide front porches are almost obscured by the huge trees — blue spruce, cottonwood, willow, birch, Douglas fir, white pine. Many tower more than 70 feet high, and it strikes me that I am walking by the same trees my grandparents walked by before I was born. Those are some deep roots. Come see for yourself how much there is to love in this western front-porch community.

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