A Visit to Sheridan, Wyoming

This northern Wyoming town is a piece of preserved America.

Just near the Montana border on I-90 is a small slice of America from the past. Sheridan, Wyoming, is nestled in a beautiful valley against the Bighorn Mountains. It is a town of just over 20,000 people and is the largest town between Casper, Wyoming, and Billings, Montana. Many come to Sheridan each summer for the incredible mountains and activities that surround the place. Amazing hiking, fishing, and entertainment options await from May to September. I grew up in this wonderful town, so my heart has a great affinity for it. It has much more to offer than people think, and it serves as an eastern gateway to Yellowstone National Park and a launch for excursions to the Black Hills and Custer State Park in South Dakota. I do a lot of business in Sheridan, so I am there often and have a deep understanding of the great things that make it so special. We moved there in the late 70s when I was a very young child, and it became my playground for the next ten years as my dad took me out to learn to fish and shoot pheasant. No place has ever captivated my heart like Sheridan, so there’s a high likelihood that this article will be overly sentimental and swooning of this magical Wyoming wonderland. I was there just a week ago for a fishing trip to Fort Smith, Montana, and thought it would be a good time to step away from a heavy week of politics and bring you an uplifting view of this incredible place.

History

Sheridan is a remnant of the Indian wars in the United States. After the Civil War, the newly reorganized American empire decided that the West would be its next conquest. There is a lot to say about Manifest Destiny and the tragedy of the American Indian, but that will have to be for another piece. The West was a place for Civil War veterans, who had seen the barbarity of war, to try and escape the miseries that undoubtedly plagued their minds. Sheridan is surrounded by Indian War battlefields that hold old ghosts of a terrible, under-discussed moment in American history. Just an hour’s drive south of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Sheridan had battles like the Wagon Box, the Fort Phil Kearney massacre at the Fetterman fight, and dozens of other skirmishes with the Lakota Sioux during Red Cloud’s War.

The valley was a staging area for General Crook’s campaign against the Lakota and Cheyenne in 1876, and over the next two years, the U.S. Army forced the tribes onto reservations. This relocation paved the way for settlers to arrive and homestead northern Wyoming. George Mandel, an early trapper in the area, built a cabin and post office near the forks of Goose Creek. While Mandel did not find the valley suitable and left, a Civil War veteran named John D. Loucks paid $50 for the forty-acre claim

From Wyohistory.com: “One evening in the spring of 1882, Loucks sat on a hill above Goose Creek and envisioned a town laid out in the valley below him. He went to his cabin and sketched out the town site, giving it the name “Sheridan” in honor of the Union general he had served under. Loucks then hired Jack Dow of Big Horn to survey the town, and registered the plat in the Cheyenne land office. Loucks later served as the first postmaster, and in 1884, took office as the first mayor when Sheridan formally incorporated.”

After the railroad put up a station in Sheridan, the town experienced its first boom. Buffalo Bill built a fabulous Inn across from the station. With a massive front lawn, Cody could do auditions for his Wild West show and show off the luxury of the West in his magnificent lodge.

The Inn is still in Sheridan and is a hotel and restaurant (which I will cover later) is the perfect base for a weekend in town.

The Bighorn Mountains

Many who find themselves in Sheridan come for the incredible mountains that surround the town. While this isn’t a traditional western town that is adjacent to a major ski resort, the mountains themselves are an endless playground of hiking, fishing, and hunting that people travel from all over to enjoy. The upper North Tongue River is a catch-and-release fly fisherman’s heaven. The watershed is home to Wyoming cuthroat and can be fished from June to October with dryfly stimulators and dropping bead heads of all colors. It has become crowded over the last twenty years as people have discovered the beauty and the legendary fishing. In the fall, Elk hunting and big game pursuits are everywhere. And in the wild areas east of town, the pheasant and grouse hunting is a close second only to South Dakota for the chance to hunt for these wild and beautiful birds.

I have spent years travelling to Sheridan for the fishing. Here is a favorite highlight from 14 years ago when a few friends and I spent the week on the North Tongue.

There are thousands of places to camp and explore in the mountains. I have taken my kids there many times to get out of cell phone range for myself and so they can feel the wild winds and cold rains that come across this incredible place. My favorite place to camp is Prune Creek Campground. It holds a special spot in my heart for the many memories created around the campfire there, but beyond that, it is a great launching point for everything there is to do.

A favorite hike is to Paradise Falls, where you can slide down a wild river through a series of granite chutes and cure yourself of the summer Wyoming heat.

There is nothing like the summer rain in the bighorns. The afternoon thunderstorms that build up across the valley between Yellowstone and the Bighorns are spectacular to see, and the incredible rain is the perfect complement to the warm summer afternoons. The way the light hits the forest when the rain is falling is an unforgettable image.

A view of the Sheridan valley from on top of the mountains.

Rodeo

There is no better celebration of the West and Western American culture than the annual WYO Rodeo. This incredible 5-day event is more than just a throwback, it is the heartbeat of Sheridan. Starting in the second week of July, the Sheridan WYO rodeo is the primer for Cheyenne Frontier Days, so many of the top riders and ropers from across America are tuning up their skills before the final summer circuit rodeo in Cheyenne. For Sheridan, it isn’t just about the spectacle of the sport; it is the chance for the town to gather and celebrate their heritage. The event includes street dances, parades, pancake breakfasts, and a carnival. The entire week has great entertainment and music in venues all around the Main Street area. I love rodeo in Sheridan. It is a chance to participate in something that feels like an older America. When we travel as a family, we typically like to arrive on Thursday and get settled in. Friday morning starts bright and early with a town-wide pancake breakfast cooked by the Boy Scouts. It is like a family breakfast for an entire town. Old friends and reunions are often seen at the old wooden tables that block off the street in front of Town Hall.

The festivities continue on Main Street with a mattress relay race, where local businesses build wheeled beds and run down the street for bragging rights and a trophy. There is usually a 5k race that finishes similarly at the other end of Main Street. We typically grab a seat on the east side of the road and break out the camp chairs for the several hours of activities.

At the end of the races, the major focus of the morning, the town-wide parade starts. Filled with local floats, collector cars, Native American people on horseback, and traditional cowboys, nothing says Americana like the Sheridan parade. The parade kicks off with the 7th Cavalry (a local troop from the Elks Club), who dress like the soldiers of the Indian Wars, and begin the several hours of floats that drive down Main Street for the viewing pleasure and eager candy-grabbing hands of children.

My favorite float in the parade is typically the Native American float. The Crow Agency is just an hour away, and they come to participate in the festivities as well. The drum circle and the dancers finish the parade and then head to the Sheridan Inn for a Pow-wow on the lawn at the hotel. The Natives are also very involved in the rodeo because it is also their World Champion Indian Relay races each night at the fairgrounds. (More on that in a moment)

The Pow Wow at the Sheridan Inn is a beautiful showcase of the Crow people and their cultural heritage. The Plains Indians are a people rich in heritage and tradition, and the Pow Wow helps visualize this old way of life in the West. I am always compelled to see this part of the day. My love for history actually starts in Sheridan. When I was in the fourth grade, I had a teacher who wanted us to understand this rich legacy of history we were surrounded by. He would take us on field trips to the different battlefields and to the museums that house the artifacts of the early West. We met painters who had trained with Charles Russell and saw leather makers perfect their craft. The Pow Wow reminds me of those lessons and my understanding that history is imperfect and often cruel. The pride of the Crow people is beautiful, and while they can seem beleaguered and anguished on the reservation, for a few days in Sheridan, their pride in their culture is evident.

The evening starts the main event in Sheridan. The fairgrounds are at the top of the hill just above downtown, and this is THE event of the year in Sheridan. The town comes out to witness and celebrate their love of Wyoming, Cowboys, Indians, and America.

The event that no one wants to miss is the World Championship, Indian Relay races. It is hard to describe this event, but in my opinion, it is one of the best sporting events in America. A rider races 3 different horses around a mile-long track. They have to jump off one horse in an exchange zone in front of the grandstands and mount another. The horses only have a bridle. This bareback race is incredible to witness. The natives are in full dress of their tribe, including eagle feather head dresses and buckskin loincloths. There are four teams racing at a time, and so there are often collisions and injuries, but there is nothing more exciting than watching the event unfold.

Of course, the rest of the evening is filled with world-class roping and riding, and barrel racing.

Saturday Events

On Saturday, we typically start our day with Brunch at The Bradford Brinton Art Museum in Bighorn, Wyoming. I have written extensively about this museum before because I find it to be one of the most interesting pieces of philanthropy in the United States. The building is beautiful the food is great and the views are world class. The museum is free for anyone and house tours and leather working demonstrations are also available for people who would choose to spend the morning here. It is worth the trip out. Request a patio table if the weather is cooperating.

After brunch, we head over to the polo grounds to watch an afternoon game. We usually grab a bottle of wine and some snacks and head over to watch the sport of kings in another spectacular setting. Admission is free, and the scene is incredibly fun. There is a champagne divot break in between each period of the match. Bighorn is famous for polo. When I was a young child, Queen Elizabeth came to watch several matches that a family member was playing in. Polo is a huge part of the culture in Bighorn and is worth spending a few hours here.

An Evening at the WYO Theater

After a full day of festivities, there is still time to catch a show at one of the most iconic theaters in America, The WYO. When I was younger, this was a movie house with a single screen and was a beautiful art deco era design. It fell into disrepair in the 1980s when single-screen theaters could no longer make the economics work. A group of philanthropic people in Sheridan did not want to see this iconic building become something else, and so they established a foundation to rescue the building. They renovated it into a lovely live performance hall where acts of all sizes come through to play to the folks in Sheridan. The tickets during rodeo week are usually pretty hot, but any other time, it is a place where you can snag a ticket and watch an amazing performance by a touring band or a local theater troupe. The last show I had the fortune of seeing there was Corb Lund. The humorist cowboy singer from Edmonton, Alberta.

Food and Drink

Sheridan is surprisingly filled with world-class places to eat and enjoy a night on the town. Every time I come to town, I am surprised at how wonderful the creations are from local chefs who are making the Sheridan Valley their place of choice to showcase amazing food. Wyoming is the freest state in terms of food laws, and so getting locally sourced, great food is actually much easier than it is in many other places in the United States. The town is filled with local grocery stores like the indoor farmers market that runs 6 days a week on Main Street, and our favorite local place for great meats, local produce, and products, Sackett’s Grocery. Even though there are more places than one could eat at in a weekend, I thought you might enjoy seeing a few of my favorites.

Le Rēve

This is Sheridan’s newest restaurant, and they have started off with a bang. This beautiful dining room is part of what is becoming a major renovation to a classic building in Sheridan, the Cady House. This was the largest building in Sheridan in the early 1900s, and the incredible sandstone has been restored to its early glory. The restaurant is spectacular, and the drinks and food match it perfectly. Zoilan Zuiz is the executive chef, and his creations are incredible. From the Le Rēve website:

“With over 20 years of experience in the culinary arts, Chef Zoilan Ruiz has honed his craft in some of the world’s most prestigious kitchens. His journey began in the Bay Area, where he developed a deep appreciation for fresh, local ingredients and traditional cooking methods.

Each dish he creates showcases a blend of time-honored techniques and innovative flavors, crafted with meticulous care and a commitment to excellence.

Chef Zoilan’s dedication to his craft extends beyond the kitchen. He is driven by a profound joy in bringing people together through food, crafting experiences that linger long after the meal is over. His approach to cooking is not just about flavor but about creating connections, celebrating traditions, and making each dining experience truly special.”

I ate here the last time I was in town, and it was a true delight. They have a great wine list, cocktail menu, and a fabulous selection of seasonal rotating entrées. This is a must-stop in Sheridan.

Open Range

On the main floor of the Sheridan Inn is the best steak house in town. Set in the original lounge of the hotel, the bar along the western wall is the same one that Buffalo Bill had installed when he built the inn. This is a wonderful place to have a great steak dinner. They have a fabulous patio on the front porch of the Inn, and there’s nothing like grabbing a drink at the bar that is over a hundred years old. It is a great place for dinner, and the food and service are exceptional.

Sly Bar and Mercantile Pizza

One of our favorite traditions after polo is to go to the Bighorn Mercantile and grab several of their wood-fired pizzas. They have a great selection of pre-crafted recipes to choose from, or you can build your own. We think this is the best pizza in the Sheridan area, and it is housed in a classic old mercantile building on the main street of Bighorn. Once the pies are ready, we head next door to the Sly Bar (if it’s not busy with a wedding) and enjoy one of their selected cocktails or drinks. It is a great atmosphere and the setting is the quintessential small, western town experience.

The Wagon Box

When I was a child, this was the most luxurious place to eat in Sheridan. It found a bumpy way through most of the last 30 years, but the good news is that its new owners have started a revival. The Wagon Box is located in Story, Wyoming. It’s just a few miles south of Sheridan and is a beautiful town that is bisected by Piney Creek. In the summer, this is one of the best places to escape the valley heat. Surrounded by ponderosa pine and storybook green fields, the Wagon Box is a wonderful place to enjoy a great meal or listen to some local music. They host several songwriting competitions throughout the summer, and the porch on the old Inn is the most wonderful one in Wyoming. They even have a great Substack you can follow along with at

The Wagon Box

. The Wagon Box is becoming more than just a place to eat, though. With many different symposiums and events throughout the summer, this is a great place to stay, camp, or come learn about the Western way of life. It is worth the drive out of town to cool off in the summer! This is the only restraunt I know of that still has a library for your use while you are there.

Sheridan and the surrounding area are amazing. I have a deep love for the place for so many reasons. The old spirit of the West and the retained love of the cowboy culture are just a few. What you find when you go to Sheridan is a sense of what America was like before the American Empire got into full force and effect. I love that about being there. I can still go down Main Street and get a great cup of coffee at Java Moon or Bison Union, or my sons can go shopping for silver coins at the coin trader. There is still a way to make a living in Sheridan as an artist and musician. That feels like what it might have been like 30, 50, or 100 years ago. There is a lot to say about what that does to a soul. The scale of Sheridan allows for a neighborly interaction and a way to still take a crack at the American dream. I am certain, like any place in America, it has its troubled side, too. But for a place that seems to capture what it might have been like to live in a pre-empire America, there is no better place in my mind than Sheridan.

Main Street

The last and most important piece of why Sheridan is such an incredible place is the downtown Main Street. This is the best, most thriving street of what America used to be like in every small town before business and shopping were pushed into the era of consolidation. I love to walk the street and pop into the different stores to see what they have to offer. It is the heartbeat of this amazing town and feels like a time warp.

There are too many places to mention, but a few of my favorites are PO News and Flagstaff Cafe, where you can still get tobacco and smoking supplies. Red Bison Pottery which has some of the most beautiful handcrafted mugs and dishware anywhere, The Fly Shop of the Bighorns, and the most famous store of all, King Ropes. The museum in the back is worth taking the time to visit. Be sure to look for Slim Pickens getting punched out at a rodeo. It’s a place where several hours seem to just disappear.

As I am wrapping this up, so many other places come to mind that are worth the time and energy. The Trails End Museum, Kendrick Park, Dayton, and a dozen other shops and stores on Main Street. What I do know is that while this isn’t a comprehensive list, you will find time in this amazing town worth the effort it takes to get to it. Flights from nearly every major city come into Sheridan on a daily basis in the Summer, and it is a 6-hour drive from Denver or a 2-hour drive from Billings. There are several chain hotels to stay at, but booking an Airbnb or a Vacation Rental on Main Street to get the full advantage of life in Sheridan. Take the time to come visit this old slice of America. You won’t be disappointed.