Don’t Miss The History Around Sheridan!
Written By: Sarah Reish
Sometimes on our trips we come across these cool places, but there isn’t enough information to share. So we compile it and save it until we have enough to share. So here are a handful of cool spots you can visit that are packed with cool history. The list below is all located outside of Sheridan in the surrounding area.
Hans Kleiber’s Studio Cabin
The Hans Kleiber cabin is small but it is packed with history. It is located in Dayton, Wyoming - which is, incidentally where the very first Wyoming rodeo was held in 1890.. If you think you don’t know Han Kleiber’s work, you have more than likely seen it and don’t know it. Han’s was a US Forest Ranger and spent much of his time in the Bighorn Mountain’s, which inspired much of his work. The cabin is open to the public for free during the summer months.
Tongue River Crossing
The Tongue River Crossing area pictured we learned was somewhat of a trail crossing for the Bozeman Trail, which violated the Fort Laramie Treaties. In 1865 an Arapaho village was destroyed by General Patrick Conner. Days later the Sawyer Expedition was attacked by an Arapaho War Party. It took 13 days for a military escort to arrive. For just over 15 years, from 1879-1895, the area served vital in communications. The area served a Post Office, stage station line and more.
The Battle of Tongue River
A short distance from the Tongue River Crossing is this location. It is known as the Battle of Tongue River in Ranchester, Wyoming where General Patrick Conner was order to make war with the Arapaho in an effort to punish them for not keeping the peace. He was accompanied by an aging Jim Bridger as his guide and they set out from Fort Laramie with 500 men to secure the trails for the great western expansion. Known as the Poweder River Expedition. While General Conner did not completely wipe out the village, he did cause serious damage. After a serious counter attack they retreated back to the newly built For Conner (Reno) where he was reassigned. Ultimately, the campaign raised awareness and the public demanded military protection in the area while heading to the Montana gold fields.
The site of this battle is also a camp ground, believe it or not. It is actually quite lovely. The sites are clean and there are also picnic areas, two restrooms, horseshoe pits, a playground and it sits directly in an oxbow of the Tongue River. It is open from May 1 - September 30. There are 20 sites available with two being ADA sites. In addition each site and picnic area has a grill.
Hit the road!
Sometimes some of the best adventures include crazy history. Some history is beautiful like the Hans Kleiber cabin, while other history is darker, like the battle of Tongue River where two nations struggled to make peace. We hope you document and share your adventures on social media. Tag us @LiveWYldMag and use #LiveWYld