TimManBlog

Sheridan, Wyoming: Retirees Home on the Range

September 26, 2021
(photos and memories from August 1997 and September 2010)

Sheridan, Wyoming seems perfectly happy with its current size and situation. This north-central Wyoming town of 17,000 lies at the eastern edge of the Big Horn Mountains. Runoff streams provide ample water for nearby tree-lined pastures.

Sheridan has both a hometown feel and a retirement feel, and the combination complements both groups. Main Street would not be five blocks of bustling shops without the workers from the surrounding farms and ranches.

Alternately, Main Street would not be five blocks of bustling shops without the retirees supporting the merchants. I came across retirees seated on Main Street benches who offered me advice on which buildings to photograph.

The retirees also support the arts — the old WYO theatre has been converted into a playhouse to serve this demographic.

Both retirees and tourists enjoy the local fishing opportunities.

Named for Union Civil War General Philip Sheridan, the town was founded in the 1880s. Eventually, the railroad came through town and nearby coal deposits were mined to provide coal for the locomotives. By 1910 Sheridan was prosperous enough to build a 3-story, well-ornamented City Hall building.

Wyoming vies with other western and midwestern states as the most Republican state in the Union. Sheridan is a Republican town.

Sheridan is the county seat of Wyoming’s Sheridan County. A well-kept structure surrounded by massive cottonwood trees, the Sheridan County Courthouse anchors the south end of Main Street.

To the old-timers, cottonwood shade trees denote permanence on the northern plains. Such permanence is the ultimate satisfaction — it seems to last forever, as veterans memorials are meant to.

Here’s a bonus photo: I copied this photo from the web page of The Mint Bar on Main Street in Sheridan.

A list of all photo posts from the American County Seats series in TimManBlog can be found here.

All photos were taken by the author on September 21, 2010, except for the final photo showing the interior of the Mint Bar which was copied from https://www.mintbarwyo.com/, the Mint Bar website.

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I do this as a hobby and not for a living (yet) — but donations are happily accepted if you’d like to help defer my costs.
Thanks,
Tim

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