The Bighorn Mountains are a mountain range in northern Wyoming and southern Montana forming a northwest-trending spur from the Rocky Mountains extending approximately 200 miles northward on the Great Plains. They are separated from the Absaroka Range, which lie on the main branch of the Rockies in western Wyoming, by the Bighorn Basin. We asked at the Visitor's Center why they are called The Bighorn Mountains. While there is no official reason, most folks believe the Native American Indian Tribes that frequent the area would hunt bighorn sheep and would refer to these mountains as The Bighorn Mountains.
After the Visitor's Center, we stopped at the Sheridan County Museum. We were greeted by E. W. Gollings. Bill Gollings did paintings known for their accurate accountings of the Old West. Gollings drew upon his own personal experiences as a cowboy. Here we would have a chance to explore the history of Wyoming and the American West through the eyes and ears of the men and women who settled Sheridan County.
The Battle of the Rosebud occurred June 17, 1876, in the Montana Territory between the United States Army and its Crow and Shoshoni allies against a force consisting mostly of Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne Indians during the Great Sioux War of 1876. The battle which ensued would last for six hours and consist of disconnected actions and charges and counter-charges by General George Crook and Crazy Horse, the two forces spread out over a fluid front three miles wide. Crook claimed victory by virtue of occupying the battlefield at the end of the day, but his actions belie his claim. Concerned for his wounded and short on supplies, Crook retraced his steps to his camp on Goose Creek, near Sheridan, Wyoming, and remained there immobile for seven weeks awaiting reinforcements. He would play no role in the Battle of Little Bighorn eight days later.
The early 1900s saw the first great coal boom for Sheridan County. Monarch was just one of a dozen or so communities that flourished chiefly in the area of the Tongue River Valley between Sheridan to the south and the towns of Ranchester and Dayton to the north. For nearly 60 years, coal from Sheridan County mines helped to power Wyoming and places throughout the American West. Here is a diagram of the Monarch Coal Mine.
The town of Monarch, show here in minature, no longer exists. As methods for mining coal were changing, the old underground “slope” and “tunnel” mines – labor-intensive – giving way to strip mining in which the top layers of soil - “overburden” - are peeled away to expose the veins of coal beneath. All that remains today are a few livestock structures, the town water tower, St. Thomas Catholic Church and the mine foreman's house.
The arrival of the Burlington Railroad spurred the growth of new industries in Sheridan County. Entrepreneurs saw in the lush timber of the Bighorn Mountains a ready supply of railroad ties. However getting the ties off of the mountains proved difficult. Construction began in 1893 on a network of tie flumes. Over the next twenty years millions of ties flowed out of the Bighorns for railroad construction and maintenance. Here is a model of one of the log flumes.
After leaving the Sheridan County Museum, we decided to visit the historic Sheridan Inn. The Sheridan Inn’s significance in our nation’s history lies primarily in its direct connection with William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody, who developed and sold the concept of the Inn to the railroad. As part owner, he directed hotel management, and even auditioned new members for his touring company the “Wild West” show from the front porch.
The Burlington Railroad is right across the street.
Sheridan has a Public Arts Committee. They have started a new campaign to place works of art in public places. On the lawn in front of the Sheridan Inn is The Dance by James Muir.
The first floor lobby is largely intact with the original beams, columns, fireplace and front desk. The decorative paint scheme of the room is fully restored, as well as the original plaster ceiling, floor covering, lighting, and furniture. The historical displays and photographs represent the early history of the Inn and the many facets of Buffalo Bill.
On October 25, 2013, Bob and Dana Townsend became the newest owners of the Historic Sheridan Inn. In January of 2015, the Open Range Restaurant was opened. On May 15th, 2015, the hotel portion of the Inn opened its doors to guests for the first time in over 50 years. Dana was tending the bar in the Original Buffalo Bill Bar when we arrived. She set us up with samples of the local craft beers.
And so ends our initial exploration of Sheridan. We are looking forward to getting out and about the next couple of day.
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