16 Aug - Sheridan County Museum, Sheridan Inn, King's Saddlery

16 Aug
This morning we drove a few blocks from the campground to the Sheridan County Museum.  It is located just off I-90 exit 23 where we exited to go to the RV park.  The museum looks like a log cabin, fairly new and very well-kept.  We were the only patrons.  As I mentioned before, the end of the tourist season is swiftly approaching and places like these are quickly emptying out.

The female volunteer working the desk was very friendly and knowledgeable.  She gave us some information about Sheridan and Sheridan County and then pointed us to the museum starting point.

Like many places "out west", the history of the town of Sheridan and Sheridan County was built on the railroad, mining (be it coal, gold, silver, etc), ranching and the native Americans.  The museum described these influences with many artifacts, photographs and displays.  They have obviously put a great deal of time and effort into capturing their history.  I've said before many times, I am so glad to see history like this preserved because once it is gone, it is gone.

Sun messed up the picture of the museum

The Flume.  Logs making there way down the mountain using water and a wooden pathway

Sheridan Wyoming Main Street

Automobile route from Omaha to Great Falls MT, the "Custer Battlefield Highway", Oct 16 1919.  The route was expanded from Des Moines to Glacier national park in 1924..  

From the Sheridan Brewry

Firefighting, especially in the mines, a part of Sheridan's history

 

A display on Native Americans and the Indian Wars around Sheridan

After the museum, we drove back downtown and stopped at the Sheridan Inn, a historic, iconic hotel dating back to 1893.  

How it looks today

Another view

The veranda

How it looked back in the day

Another view

Buffalo Bill Cody is centered in this picture

It's claim to fame is it was owned by Buffalo Bill Cody from 1894-1902.  Cody used the front lawn to hold auditions for his wild west show.  When it opened it was said this hotel was "the finest hotel between Chicago and San Francisco".   

Buffalo Bill Cody

It was the social center of the area bringing together area ranchers, townspeople, rail passengers and stage coach travelers.  It had 64 rooms on three floors with one bathroom per floor.  Now it has 22 rooms as they enlarged the rooms and put bathrooms in each room.  The hotel includes a bar/restaurant, a parlor room for small groups up to 15 and a ballroom for large gatherings.  The original wooden floor in the ballroom has been preserved to include bullet holes that have been plugged and filled!  Awesome!  

Three out of many bullet holes in the floor from overzealous customers.

The entire structure fell into disrepair after it closed in 1965 and sat empty for a long time. In 1990 the Sheridan  Heritage Center saved the site from the bulldozer.  In 2013 it was purchased by a group of investors who had it completely remodeled and in May of 2015 it was reopened.

There are three fireplaces that are original, made out of local stones and they are all three fully functional.  

Fireplace in the main entrance

Fireplace in the ballroom.

Fireplace in the parlor area, a smaller meeting room

The bar area is especially awesome.  The bar itself was a gift to Buffalo Bill Cody from Queen Victoria of England after Buffalo Bill performed for her there.  It was handcrafted in England, shipped to the United States via ocean liner.  The bar then was transported via train and ox carts to it's current location where it was assembled in 1893.  90% of the glass is original.  There is an imperfection that is the "certificate of authenticity" in that one of the wooden pillars is inverted.  That was supposedly done on purpose when it was built.  

This photo does not do the bar justice.  It is magnificent woodwork, a true piece of Americana from the old west.

I felt honored to sit here a have one of the local brews.

The imperfection - an inverted pillar.

The hotel is absolutely amazing.  It would be quite an experience to stay there.  Even the hotel desk area is original.  

Next stop, King's Saddlery.  Like everything else we have seen in Sheridan, this place is awesome, Indescribable. Incredible.  

King's saddlery is internationally known for it's ropes and saddles. Out here is the wild, wild west, saddles and ropes are a BIG DEAL!  It was opened in 1963 by Don King.  His trophy saddles can be seen at the Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Museum of the American Cowboy and the Pro Rodeo Hall of Champions.  His products are world renowned, sold worldwide as some of the best available.  Behind the saddle store is the Kings Saddlery Museum housing famous saddles, leather working tools, firearms and other western memorabilia.  Again, these picture do not capture how cool this place is.  We touched saddles that cost $1500 and we touched saddles that cost $10,000.  The leather work is absolutely amazing.  Here are some pictures of the retail storefront:

Spurs.  Any type, any style.  

Harnesses, bridles, you name it.

The thingies you put your boots in :-)

So, ropes??  I admittedly know nothing about equestrian items, saddles, bits, spurs, ropes, etc but they have it all, and it all it top notch.  They have literally thousands of different types and styles of ropes - used to lasso cattle, calves, etc.  A young cowboy in the shop attempted to tell us the differences between the ropes and he quickly lost me!  You use a different ropes to rope a calf than you would a bull.  Some are softer, some are more rigid.  Some have give and some don't.  On two-man roping, they use two totally different types of ropes.  Working ropes are longer.  The competition ropes are shorter.  Some are called "grass ropes".  and on and on...  Very interesting!

 The museum featured a wide variety of western items but the most impressive were the old decorative saddles and the firearms.  I apologized to the staff as I drooled over the old Winchester rifles, various pistols and other firearms that are all part of old west Americana.  

Winchester Model 1894

A gold plated lever action Winchester rifle made specifically for Don King.

Winchester Model 1873, 32-30 caliber.  

Various pistols

There were displays on saddle making and the tools they use to custom make saddles right here in the store.  One of the $10,000 saddles we saw took two weeks to hand-craft.  The cheaper ones could be made in a a couple days depending on the detail.  

Saddle making mock-ups.  Solid marble tabletop workspace

This is all done by hand.  $10,000+

Hand crafted leatherwork

Sterling silver on this saddle.  This cowboy would be riding tall on this baby!

Hundreds of saddles, various sizes and details.  Some are working saddles, some competition saddles, some pleasure riding saddles.

Years and years of history here.  Saddles donated back to Kings to be displayed here.  These are not for sale.

New ones waiting for their new owners

The museum portion also included native American displays and other western history.

Saddle making tools

Brochures and catalogs from saddle companys

Indian pappoose

Native American beadwork, moccasins

Am immaculate horse-drawn hearse.

Advertisement for a rodeo here in Sheridan WY

An actual covered wagon

Inside the covered wagon.  An early American RV!!

This is one of the "nuggets" that was not on our radar on this trip but was so cool!  This is why you have to get out on the road and stop in these little places to really see America.  I am so glad Sheridan WY was one of our stops.

My souvenir!!

One the way "home" we stopped for groceries and a bite to eat, then headed back to the campground to get thin gs wrapped up in preparation for our departure tomorrow.  We will drive about 253 miles tomorrow and towing the "condo on wheels" it will take us about 5 hrs since we will stop a couple times with the dog and we only travel about 60 mph.

Next report, Ellsworth Air Force Base FamCamp, Rapid City South Dakota.