The Brinton Museum & Quarter Circle A Ranch
Written By: Sarah Reish
Located next to the impressive Bighorn Mountains is the Brinton Museum. Unique in that it was once the Brinton Family Ranch, the Quarter Circle A Ranch. There is a lot to this museum and ranch so I will try to explain it as best I can. I will divide it into two parts, the museum and the ranch.
The Museum
The Brinton Museum is located inside the Forrest E. Mars, JR. Building. Fun fact, the building is built with the largest rammed earth wall in North America. It is located not far from the Brinton home on the Quarter Circle A Ranch. It is a multi level building featuring American Indian and Western Art, along with special exhibits.
Western Art
The Western Art exhibit is a gallery with soft lighting allowing the art to speak for itself. It is Mr. Binton’s original collection featuring some of the greatest western artists, many of whom we are familiar with and/or have seen at other museums. It is always exciting to recognize artists we appreciate and love.
American Indians Art
This gallery is stunning and highlights many of the ways native art was used in every day objects like dolls, clothing, and headdresses. When I look and appreciate these pieces I find myself wondering how we, as modern civilians don’t really appreciate art. We often put it in a glass box and don’t appreciate it like other cultures. What would it be like to make something beautiful and really use it in our every day lives?
The Artwork of Ludmila Dranchak
One of the temporary exhibitions is by Ludmila Dranchak. I recognize her work from seeing it in various art museums. Her exhibit was in the Jacomien Mars Reception Gallery. The empty space of the gallery allowed her hanging artwork to stand tall and be seen. It was really a lovely exhibit and her life story is equally inspiring.
Spirits of the West: Bill Reid
This exhibit is unique because it seemed to me his art reflected his mood. Some times there were muted colors and others it was vibrant. Some where just of nature and others full of people. My favorite were the pieces where he carved a design and then painted with beautiful colors. His color and style are uniquely his own and I hope to see it again.
The Quarter Circle A Ranch
The Brinton family ranch is beautiful. The property is cradled by two creeks, the Trabing Creek and the Little Goose Creek, which when it was settled offered enough water to care for the people, crops, and livestock.
The Brinton ranch house
The stunning white Brinton ranch house was built in 1892 and remodeled in 1927-1928. It features a brick walkway and patio. Unfortunately the home was still closed for the summer and we were not able to enter. But the native plants and flowers were already making their entrance for spring. It was beautiful. The garden or lawn was closed in with a short stone wall. If you study the family history you will note this is thanks to Helen Brinton. Next to the home is the garden and green house for growing produce. Also on the property is the barn, bunkhouse, milk house, carriage house, saddle barn, and space for the large event tent. There are other out buildings as well. It is quite impressive.
The nature trails
There are two nature trails that can be enjoyed on this property. The first is the Brinton Nature Trail, which is just under a mile and follows Trabing Creek. The second is Quarter Circle A Nature Trail, which is 2.4 miles. They are open seasonally so we followed them as far as we were allowed. It truly is a beautiful location. The babbling creeks and new spring grass were exactly what we needed after a long overdue ending to winter.
Thoughts
I don’t typically include this section, but I wanted to share a bit more about this locating. It is located at a ranch, meaning it is off the beaten path. But the facilities from the museum to the ranch buildings are truly magnificent. I hope those of you who didn’t know about it or haven’t taken the time to see it will make this a priority. I was blown away.
Hit the road!
Do it! Make the time to visit and experience the beautiful exhibits and historic property! Be sure to share it on social media and let us know what you think. Tag us @LiveWYldMag and use #LiveWYld