Sheridan, Wyoming. Where Craft is King.
The world comes out west expecting to see cowboys driving horses through the streets of downtown; pronghorn butting heads on windswept bluffs; clouds encircling the towering pinnacles of the Cloud Peak Wilderness; and endless expanses of wild, open country. These are some of the fibers that have been stitched together over time to create the patchwork quilt of Sheridan County’s identity, each part and parcel to the Wyoming experience. Toss in a historic downtown district, with western allure, hospitality and good graces to spare; a vibrant art scene; bombastic craft culture; a robust festival and events calendar; small town charm from one historic outpost to the next; and living history on every corner, and you have a golden ticket to the adventure of a lifetime.
Located at the foot of the iconic Bighorn Mountains, halfway between Yellowstone National Park and Mount Rushmore, picturesque Sheridan County is all archetypal mountain verve and Wyoming vigor, but there’s an artistic dynamism and cultural allure here that belies its cowtown reputation. Take, for example, Sheridan’s polo community, one of the largest in the entire nation. From June through September, The Bighorn Polo Club offers free tournament games on Sunday afternoons and practices twice per week while the Flying H Polo Club offers high-goal tournament games on Saturdays. Sheridan County’s polo heritage extends back to the 1800s, when British aristocracy purchased large ranches to raise cattle before pivoting to raise world-class polo ponies.
The flagship Sheridan WYO Rodeo draws nearly 30,000 visitors to town every July, while the WYO Theater, Brinton Museum and the Whitney Center for the Arts have become artistic touchstones with significant regional cache. National attractions abound – the Historic Sheridan Inn is a siren song to the legend and lore of the Wild West; Eatons’ Ranch is the oldest continuously operated dude ranch in the nation; the ancient Medicine Wheel, at an altitude of 9,462-feet, lords over the mountains with a mystical presence that defies explanation; and Indian battle sites like Fort Phil Kearny, the Fetterman Fight, and the Wagon Box Fight, all located along the Bozeman Trail, offer endless educational and historical attractions. The Sheridan WYO Winter Rodeo, returning with wild skijoring action in February 2023, has become one of the largest winter events in the state, and combines the community’s cowboy heritage with Wyoming’s love for the outdoors.
There are countless ways to immerse yourself in the history and tradition of the Modern West. You could set out on a five-night cattle drive with the crew from Double Rafter, or celebrate your inner Remington by creating unique art with the good people at Red Bison Studios, the Paint Post, or the Gallery on Main. Experience our culinary scene with a visit to the new Welcome Market Hall, the Warehouse Gastropub, Mydland Market, or Verdello, or find out why Craft is King in Sheridan with a tour through Koltiska Distillery, Black Tooth Brewing Co., Luminous Brewhouse, and Smith Alley Brewing Company and Public House. The culture of craft is as quintessentially Wyoming as long days on the ranch, bucking broncs, and snow-capped peaks. Sheridan is home to a vast spectrum of craftsfolk, including world-renowned leather crafters, brewers, metalsmiths, carpenters, chefs, sculptors, gunsmiths, painters, writers, fashion designers, and bladesmiths – maverick artisans that are celebrated for their steadfast belief in the relevance of craft in a world where design and aesthetic are increasingly influenced by technology, media, and demand.
