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The Sheridan Press in Sheridan, Wyoming publishes Destination Sheridan as a guide to Autumn fun in the Cowboy State.

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1 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

Fall 2013/Winter 2014Winter Activities

Events

FEATURES27-30

Women in nontraditional roles

21Women in government

9-10What it means to be a woman

in Sheridan County

11Wage equity

in Wyoming and Sheridan County

13Resources available for starting and

growing a business

15Breaking the cycle

17-20Woman of the Year Bios

31WYDOT families at

Burgess Junction

33Local taxidermists

35The thrill of the hunt

37Hunting outlook

41Breaking trail

43Shows must go on!

45Hitting the snow

covered trails

46Downhill skiing and

ice fishing

39A Wyoming tradition

48Koltiska Pumpkin Patch

48Christmas Stroll

49A family gathering

Destinations

50Downtown Sheridan

51A new breath of life

for the Sheridan Inn

52Sheridan County Museum

55The Brinton Museum

56Sheridan ice rink

57Arvada/Clearmont

58Big Horn

58Story

58Ranchester

59Wyoming

Information Center

57Dayton

53Bighorn mountain lodges

47Snowmobiling

23THEN & NOW

25How we compare

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Many of us have a tendencyto hole up during theWyoming winter months,

clinging to our Netflix and hot tea,whilst burrowing into our down slip-pers and fleece blanket. Surely I’m notthe only person who often finds herselfavoiding the blowing snow and sub-zero, wind-chilled temperatures here atthe base of the Bighorns, am I?

Growing up, I was a gym rat, playingvolleyball in the fall, basketball in thewinter and running track in the spring.I had no use for the blanket of whitecovering the ground Novemberthrough April. Icy roads made basket-ball travel difficult, and running hurdlesin the old Big Horn Elementary gymwasn’t the most effective way to train.

I detested the cold, the wind, the iceand the seemingly endless months oflong, dark hours – outside of playingsports, living here was boring! So lack-luster in fact, I couldn’t wait to move toa city where I was certain there wouldbe delightful things to do indoors dur-ing the blustery frigid winter.

Following my grand escape, I eventu-ally moved back to Sheridan and real-ized what a foolish girl I had been.Hindsight being 20/20 and all, I fre-quently wish I could return to the days

of my teenage winter monotony anddiscover the myriad glorious activitiesthat were awaiting just outside my backdoor.

While living in Bozeman, Mont., Ibegan to shift lifestyle gears and out-door recreation became my passion.No sooner had I moved back to Sheri-dan on Jan. 1, 2004, than a friendwhisked me to the Antelope Buttecross-country ski trails where I stum-bled upon (literally at first) what wouldbecome my staple for winter activity.

Thanks to the Black Mountain andPowder Pass Nordic Clubs, we are for-tunate to have more than 40 miles ofgroomed trails available for cross-coun-try skiing. Sibley Lake, Cutler, PoleCreek and Willow Park ski areas aregroomed and maintained by the twovolunteer organizations throughout theseason. Nordic skiing is also delightfulon the South Piney Creek trail just out-side of Story, Black Mountain Road andat Antelope Butte. For those feelingparticularly daring, perhaps my most fa-vorite cross-country ski outing is nightskiing on Big Goose Creek after a stringof extra cold days.

High traffic, groomed trails aren’t foreveryone but fret not, backcountry ex-ploration opportunities abound! Back-country skiing in the Bighorns has yetto become a hobby for the masses, soindividuals pursuing the steep slopesand deep powder have to take mattersinto their own hands when it comes todetermining where to ski. I would sug-gest starting with a hike up Red Gradeor jumping in just below SteamboatRock.

For those who are anxious about at-taching five- or seven-foot planks totheir feet, groomed trail or not, snow-shoeing is an excellent alternative. Thisis the winter sport for anyone becausesnowshoes can go anywhere there issnow! In addition to taking advantageof all of the groomed trails I’ve touchedon, snowshoes offer a great way to getoff the trails and explore new terrainthat may have been overlooked duringsummer hiking trips.

No winter season is complete without

at least one trip up Highway 14, out-side of Dayton, to go sledding at “TheBowl.” Located between Arrowheadand Bear Lodges, this mecca for moun-tain community activity is a gem for afamily day spent in the sun and snow.

There are plenty of warm sunnyweeks here in our valley throughout thewinter, leaving the lowlands devoid ofsnow. I encourage folks to take advan-tage of these breaks from the whitefluffy stuff and go on a hike. Not onlydo we have a tremendous city pathwaysystem for walking right in Sheridan;the Sheridan Community Land Trusthas afforded us with the 4-mile SoldierRidge Trail which is accessible from thewest end of Fifth Street, yet still givesone the feeling of being completely outof town.

In addition to the aforementioned,ice climbing, winter camping, (bothbeing offered this winter at SheridanCollege), snow cave building, downhillskiing, snowboarding, ice skating,hockey, snowmobiling, ice fishing,snowman or snow angel making andsnowball fights are all wonderful winterpursuits that we have available to ushere in or near Sheridan.

I must admit, on occasion I stillstruggle convincing myself to leave thehouse during the dark chilly months.Without fail, however, every time I pullon my ski boots or strap on my snow-shoes and head out for a snowy exploit,I return home at the end of the day fee-ing rejuvenated, inspired, and invigor-ated.

These days, I can genuinely say I lovewinter — the cold, the snow and espe-cially the opportunities for adventure. Ilook forward to sweaters, jeans, boots,tall socks and warm drinks. Ultimatelythough, the best part may be having acareer that allows me to take people outto enjoy the Wyoming winter wonder-land with me, even if they have to putdown the Netflix and tea.

Julie Davidson is the director of LearnOutdoors for the Northern WyomingCommunity College District, where shealso teaches cross-country skiing andsnowshoeing.

Wyoming seasonSo much adventure, so little winter

Julie Davidson | photo by Justin Sheely

3 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

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Vol. 2, No. 3Published, October 2013

Destination Sheridan is a lifestyle and tourismmagazine dedicated to serving the greater

Sheridan area. Its circulation reach is into visi-tor centers, places of hospitality, motels, localbusinesses, and other establishments in the

greater northern Wyoming area, SouthDakota, Montana and Colorado, and homedelivery customers of The Sheridan Press.

It is also available online: thesheridanpress.com

CONTRIBUTORS

Phil AshleyAdvertising Manager

Circulation/Distribution Director

Kristen CzabanManaging Editor

Nicole ScofieldArt Director

Janae LaMeres, SalesLisa Marton, SalesTerry Weitzel, Sales

Mark BlumenshineProduction Manager

Hannah Wiest, JournalistChristina Schmidt, Journalist

Tracee Davis, JournalistJustin Sheely, Photojournalist

Brad Estes, Sports Editor

Stephen Woody, Publisher

All photos in the magazine are Sheridan Press file photos unless

otherwise noted.Copyright, Sheridan Newspapers, Inc.

ON THE COVERJulie Davidson | by Justin Sheely

SHERIDANDESTINATION

One hundred thirty-six years ago, General George Crook and his Cavalry Troops, having been fiercely engagedby the Cheyenne Indians, retreated to the banks of Little Goose Creek. General Crook was fishing and hunting

on the banks of the creek not far from Sheridan while General George Armstrong Custer was meeting his demise atthe Battle of the Little Bighorn to the north. As you enjoy the scenic vistas of the Sheridan Community, on the banksof the Goose Creeks, I'm sure you'll be enthralled — as was General Crook — with the natural beauty of this placewe call home.

Welcome to Sheridan! We certainly hope during your time here you will have the opportunity to explore and enjoyour lovely community — stroll through our downtown, discover our restaurants and share our history and heritage.

We are very proud of our community and believe that we truly have it all. Our quality of life is unsurpassed and the business climatehere is very welcoming to entrepreneurs and businesses. We have no state income tax and the property taxes here are among the lowestin the nation. If you are considering relocating your business, the city of Sheridan stands ready to help — your business is a big deal tous.

It is our great pleasure to have you here as our guests. Visit often and stay a while.

Sincerely,

Dave Kinskey, Mayor

SHERIDAN!Welcome to

On behalf of the people of Sheridan County, welcome! We’re a community with a historicpast and a modern lifestyle, nestled in a beautiful setting.

This year we are celebrating our 125th anniversary as Sheridan County, once part of Carbonand then Johnson counties. Over the past 125 years we’ve developed from an economic basein agriculture, railroads, tourism and mining, to include health care, light manufacturing, ed-ucation and technology. We continue to embrace each of these important economic segmentsas our community continues to develop.

We’re happy to have you share our lifestyle that includes the arts, the outdoors, rodeo and his-tory. Our beautiful Bighorn Mountains are both spectacular and user friendly. Regardless ofthe season, there is an activity to be enjoyed in their solitude. Our prairies offer solitude as wellas endless vistas of ranching and wildlife. Our cultural life ranges from local and nationally rec-ognized rodeo to local and nationally recognized fine arts and craftsmanship.

Enjoy your stay and explore the opportunities.

Sheridan CountyCommissioners

From left:Commissioners Steve Maier,

Mike Nickel, Tom Ringley, Bob Rolston

and Terry Cram.

5 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

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My favorite outdoor win-ter activity is… watch-ing the Packers playfootball, while in-doors. No contest.The best event held inSheridan between Octo-ber and April is... theChristmas Stroll isgood because mostof your friends areback in town for theholidays.

If I were to pick a female hero, it would be… mymother. Instead of Googling “female heroes”let’s be genuine about it.

My favorite outdoor winteractivity is… walking withmy dogs. They enjoythe snow much morethan I do. They makeour cold evening walksmore tolerable withtheir antics.The best event held in Sheri-dan between October andApril is... the communityThanksgiving dinner.There is something re-

ally awesome about a community that throws afree, giant dinner party for the holiday, solicitsdozens of volunteers and literally tons of do-nated food and encourages everyone to attend. If I were to pick a female hero, it would be… DameDaphne Sheldrick. She runs an elephant orphan-age and anti-poaching organization in Kenya.Despite increasing poaching and crushing pop-ulation growth, she perseveres. She is a bravewoman whose passion is inspiring.

My favorite outdoor winteractivity is… snowshoe-ing. I love seeing theBighorn Mountainsin a different way. Ilove how the snowchanges the landscapeand makes it feel likea new adventure.The best event held inSheridan between Octoberand April is... all the giv-ing. Sheridan is sucha generous town, and

I enjoy seeing that spirit of giving come aliveover the holiday season. If I were to pick a female hero, it would be… am I al-lowed to say my Mom? She has shown me al-most daily what it means to live a life withselflessness, laughter, endurance, creativityand love. Otherwise, I’d have to say Joan ofArc, or Beryl Markham, a British-born au-thor, pilot and adventurer.

My favorite outdoor winteractivity is… snowshoeingin the Bighorns. It iseasier than cross coun-try skiing and burns alot of calories. The best event held in Sheri-dan between October andApril is... the HolidayDinner every Decem-ber. Sheridan is a gen-erous community andthat is demonstrated

best at this annual event. If I were to pick a female hero, it would be… AntoinetteTuff has a humble role at the front desk in anelementary school in Georgia. Last August agunman entered the school and started shoot-ing randomly. Tuff talked to the gunman andconvinced him to surrender to police, prevent-ing a potentially horrific mass shooting.

7 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

Snowshoeing/Cross County Skiing

My favorite outdoor winteractivity is… snowshoe-ing each ChristmasDay with my husbandand my dog. It startedout as a way to spendthe holiday togethersince we’re a fewhours from family andhas been turned into afamily tradition.The best event held inSheridan between October

and April is... the FAB (For. About. By.) Women’sConference! What a great way to spend a cou-ple of days with your girlfriends and neighborslearning new skills and empowering each other.If I were to pick a female hero, it would be… MargaretBourke-White. She was an American photog-rapher best known as one of the first female warcorrespondents. She paved the way for so manywomen who now follow in her footsteps.

Kristen Czaban

The Sheridan Press CONTRIBUTORS

Managing editor

Justin SheelyPhotojournalist

Hannah WiestReporter

Christina SchmidtReporter

Brad EstesReporter

Stephen WoodyPublisher

Stephen Woody has landed “butter side up” in Sheridan, Wyo., since becoming the Press’ publisher in May 2011. His spouse of35 years, the former Susan Bradley, is a native of Sheridan. He is a second-generation community journalist, editor and publisherwith newspapers and other media in Texas, Wyoming, Arizona, North Carolina and Colorado. He has written more than 6,000columns and editorials in 31 years of community publishing and has been active in local leadership positions that dealt with busi-ness development, literacy and health care. He enjoys golf, jazz and southern writers. He relentlessly spoils two children and twograndchildren.

My favorite outdoor win-ter activity is… sleddingwith my dog, walk-ing around to look atChristmas lights.The best event held inSheridan between Octo-ber and April is... thepolar bear swim inLake DeSmet. I'venever done it, but Ilike the fact there arepeople out there

brave enough to do it.If I were to pick a female hero, it would be… My mom,Eileen Jackson. She is my psychologist andbest friend, and she still swoops in to save theday every now and again.

Tracee DavisReporter

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9 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

What it means to be a woman in Sheridan County...

statics compiled by Tracee Davis

According to the 2010 Federal census,

50%of Sheridan County is female.

Median female age is 42.8

According to the US Census Bureau

Quarterly Workforce Indicators

for the second quarterof 2012,

women in Wyomingages 21-64

earned 69%of what men earned.

Women 65+make 62%

of what men the same age make.

Jobs in Wyoming that are traditionally male dominated pay better than average wages comparedto national demographics. Jobs traditionally held byfemales generally pay lower than the national average for similar work.

Source: Wyoming Women's Foundation, Status of Wyoming Working Women 2011

Educational attainment/annual

income of women ages 21-64 statewide:

No High school diploma :6.2 percent/ $16,230

High school diploma:28.6 percent/ $18,750

Some college:41 percent/ $21,334

Bachelor’s degree:16.1 percent/ $29,555

Advanced degree:5.9 percent/ $37,003

Statistics from the Wyoming Women'sFoundation show 26% of female-headedhouseholds live below the poverty threshold. .

Women in SheridanCounty's workforce aver-aged annual earnings forfull-time work of $24,083.Men in Sheridan County averaged $35,611. Thatmeans women in SheridanCounty make 68 cents forevery dollar earned by men.Source: Wyoming Women's foundation, The Status of Working Women 2011

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 10

70.2% of women in SheridanCounty aged 40 and older have

had a mammogram in thepast two years.

As a state, Wyoming ranks

48thin the nation for breast cancerscreening. Women most likely

to be screened are collegegraduates aged 60-74 withhealth insurance, a regularhealth care provider and an

income over $75,000 per year.Source: Wyoming Department of Health Issue Brief, Sept. 2011.

There were 13 female candidates

from Sheridan Countyfor local and state offices on the ballot during the

2012 general election.Source: Wyoming Women's Foundation

Issues perceived as a serious problem bywomen in Wyoming communities:

Domestic violence:2004: 67.5%2009: 69.2%2012: 68%

Family issues: 2004: 58.8%2009: 62.4%2012: 64.2%

Caring for elderly relatives:2004: 55.7%2009: 62.4%2012: 63%

Substance abuse: 2004: 71.8%2009: 76.7%2012: 74.4%

Child care:2004: 64.1%2009: 72.1% 2012: 69%

Employment:2004: 71%2009: 65.4%2012: 64%

Child care in Sheridan costs between $650 and $1,000 per month

for 40 hours of infant care five days a week.

18%of women

self-report they experience

problems with substance abuse.

60% of thosewomen name alcohol as the

drug ofchoice.

Approximately one-fifth of women in Wyoming have been the victim of domestic violence. Source: Wyoming Women's Council Women's Issues Survey, 2012

Currently, there are two womenon the Sheridan City Council

and two women from Sheridan County serving in the

Wyoming Legislature.

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11 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

Despite its history of equality forwomen on many fronts, Wyoming hasconsistently ranked at the bottom forsalaries paid to women versus men.

The national wage gap is 77 percent.The smallest wage gap between menand women is in Washington, D.C.,where women earn 90 cents on the dol-lar compared to men’s wages.

Sheridan County ranks sixth in theWyoming’s county standings. Accord-ing to the Wyoming Women’s Founda-tion website, women in SheridanCounty make an average of $20,707while men average $34,160 per year,giving Sheridan County a wage gap of61 cents. The smallest wage gap be-tween genders is in Laramie County,with a 70-cent gap.

The large wage gap in Wyoming hasbeen attributed to several factors, in-cluding the high proportion of energysector jobs that are predominantly filledby men. However, even when men andwomen have the same occupations, thediscrepancy is significant. In an April2012 report, the National Women’sLaw Center noted that in 2010, womenworking full time, year round in man-agement, business and financial occupa-tions in Wyoming were paid only 68cents to every dollar a man made in thesame occupation and in the sales indus-try, the figure was just 57 cents to thedollar.

Another suggested factor for thewage gap is low wages for tipped work-ers such as wait staff at bars and restau-rants who tend to be predominantlyfemale. The NWLC report pointed out

that the with the minimum cash wagefor tipped employees at just $2.13 perhour, a person working full time, yearround would make just $4,260 in an-nual base pay.

Val Burgess, a longtime Sheridan resi-dent and business owner who hastaught wage negotiation classes, saysthere are many things women can do tocombat the discrepancy, including ne-gotiating wages rather than acceptingwhat is offered.

“It’s not all the men’s fault becausewomen need to step up to the plate,”she said. “It’s up to all of us. It’s noteven about being ‘tough’ but knowingyou are deserving of what you shouldhave. You are deserving of an equitablesalary. You are deserving of a good pay-ing job.”

Burgess said the first thing everywoman needs to do is thoroughly eval-uate her financial needs, documentingthe cost of everything from transporta-tion, clothing, insurance, car payments,house payments or rent, child care costsand more. From this information, awoman will know the minimumamount of money she needs to pay herbills, avoid accumulating debt and beself sufficient.

Creating this type of budget is neces-sary for every woman, whether she issingle or married. Knowing the amountof money you need to earn can makenegotiating a wage a little less intimi-dating since you have solid figures toback up your reasoning.

“We as women don’t look at the bigpicture,” Burgess said. “We are so used

to saying ‘oh, that sound good.’ But wedon’t investigate everything necessaryto support us or our families and that isa key component.

“Many women feel that because theyare married and their husband makes asalary, they are OK with not being paidas much,” Burgess added. “It’s notabout ‘my husband makes good moneyso I don’t need to.’ It’s about youneeding to be paid for the job you do.”

Burgess said negotiating a fair wage isespecially important when taking on anew job.

She said if you apply for and are of-fered a job, you know you are the can-didate the company or business wantsto hire and you can use that as leverageto ask for the salary you need.

“Your starting salary is the basis foreverything in the future,” she said. “Ifyou start out low in the beginning, youcould be selling yourself short andsometimes it can be up to a million dol-lars in your lifetime. The higher yourstarting salary, the higher your bonuses,pay increases and social security bene-fits.”

However, Burgess also noted that ahigher salary or bigger bonuses are notthe only negotiations that a woman canmake with her employer. She said it isimportant to factor in other perks orbenefits as well, such as asking for morevacation days, more flexible hours, thepossibility of working four 10-hourdays, working a day a week from ahome office or other accommodationsthat may save you money or make bal-ancing work and home life easier.

Wage equity in Wyoming and Sheridan County

· In 1869, Wyoming was the first state to allow women to vote. · In 1870, Wyoming was the first state to appoint a female justice of the peace, a female

bailiff and an all female jury. · In 1894, Wyoming was the first state to elect a woman to statewide office. · In 1920, Wyoming had the first town (Jackson) to be governed entirely by women.· In 1925, Wyoming was the first state to have a female governor. · In 2011, Wyoming was dead last in the equality of pay between men and women with

women earning only 68 cents for every dollar a man made.

By Christina Schmidt

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 12

TIPS: for negotiating a higher wageDo your budget! Know what you need! Know the minimum amount of salary youmust earn to be financially safe, while negotiating perks such as vacation time, working from home or other benefits.

Never be the first to name a salary figure when you areoffered a job. Rather, say you will consider any reasonable offer and wait for a re-sponse. You can miss out on a higher salary, for example, if you askfor a $35,000 salary when the company has budgeted $40,000.

Research the business you are applying to work for. Also research similar positions in the area so you know the averagewage for that job. This will help prevent you from throwing out arandom salary figure that is not realistic. The websitewageproject.salary.com allows you to research wages based on occu-pation and zip code.

Don’t bring personal information into the conversation, such as your need to pay off a school loan or how you recently ac-quired a higher mortgage on a new house. Your employer is con-cerned with the company’s financial situation, not yours. They wantto know what you can do for them, not the other way around.

Don’t point out how hard you have worked in the past.Instead, focus on how you plan to improve your work performanceand how you can contribute to the company moving forward.

Aim high, but be realistic!

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13 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

Resources available forstarting and growing a Sheridan business

By Tracee Davis

So, you're a woman in Wyoming andyou're looking to make some cash. Ifyou don't have any kind of college de-gree and don't want your job to entail ahard hat and steel-toed boots, yourwages are likely to cap out at about $10per hour. Also, chances are good you'llfind yourself working odd hours andweekends, so finding child care couldbe difficult.

The good news is Wyoming has re-sources in place to help women starttheir own businesses. While economicdevelopment is meaningful in any con-text, owning a business for women canmean making a career world work forher, and not the other way around.

Executive Director of the WyomingWomen's Business Center RosemaryBratton said her organization startedwith the goal of helping women get farand away from economic exploitation.

"Our state is driven by the mineraland construction industry," she said,noting those fields are male dominated.

Whether women are unable to workin an oil field or coal mine due to physi-cal limitations or familial obligations, orthey choose not to out of concerns ofsexual harassment or lack of engage-ment in those fields, the end result isthe same: most women in Wyomingearn drastically smaller paychecks thanmen.

Bratton said that problem is magni-fied in situations where male violence isan issue. In fact, the WWBC started asan offshoot project of the CoalitionAgainst Domestic Violence and SexualAssault in 1999.

"Economic justice and abuse issueshappen more often with women whoare survivors of domestic violence," shesaid. "We're doing a good job of get-ting perpetrators arrested and incarcer-ated, but what that does is leave womenand children in poverty."

What can women do if they don'twant to work in a coal mine, drive atruck or work on an oil rig?

The answer, Bratton said, is anythingthey want.

While Wyoming's economy doesn't

have a beaten path for women businessowners, the frontier is friendly for busi-ness development, thanks to a slew ofstate policies and resources.

This year, Wyoming was ranked fifthin the nation by the Pollina CorproateReal Estate's Top 10 Pro-Business Statelist. The state was compared to othersin 32 different areas. Wyoming rankedwell due to the fact it has no corporateor income tax and has a bevy of state-run economic development initiatives,like the Wyoming Business Council.

The WBC works in partnership withthe federal Small Business Associationto provide necessary training and finan-cial assistance for women to start theirown businesses in the field of theirchoice.

The WBC offers several develop-mental tools for aspiring entrepre-neurs, both male and female, free ofcharge:

• Assistance in development of a business plan

• Personalized reports for the intended business from the University of Wyoming Market Research Center

• Comprehensive education in necessary business fields, includingaccounting and business management

• Business counseling and networking Assistance specificallyavailable to Wyoming women via the WBC include:

• Microloans of between $500 and $50,000 to fund start-ups or expansions

• Individual Development Accounts,which provide a dollar-for-dollarmatch up to $2,000 for funds set aside by a woman interested invocational training, purchasing a home or starting or expanding a business

Bratton said the resources aim to en-able women to turn their passions intoa living wage by making the leap intoself employment. The programs are no

longer viewed solely as escape routesfrom domestic violence, but rather, theyrepresent an investment to coax womenof all backgrounds into independent selfsufficiency.

Amy Steel, health coach and owner ofthe Jour-neys Centerof Wellbe-ing, openedher businessapproxi-mately oneyear agoafter severalyears work-ing as aspeech ther-apist. Shesaid she

took a leap opening her business inSheridan.

"I went through a major life transi-tion, and spent a few years thinkingabout what I wanted to do with the restof my life. I became focused on healingmodalities and it seemed to me therewas a lack of them in Sheridan," Steelsaid.

After finishing school for her currentjob, Steel joined together with massagetherapist Shantel Rea, dietitian GeorgiaBoley and Kula Space Yoga Studio own-ers Michele Fritz and Evelyn Ferrante.The five women operate their respectivebusinesses independently, but under theone roof of the Journeys Center ofWellbeing.

Steel, a mother of four, said runningher own business is a significant amountof work, but the opportunity to followher passions has made for better balancein her life.

"The challenging part is having to becommitted to here, but having thatother pull," she said. "To make a busi-ness work, you have to be there a lot."

However, Steel said her business planand schedule is designed to work forher.

"The balance is always there for me,"she said. "I love this thing I'm doing.That makes it worth the extra that I'm

Amy Steel | photo by Justin Sheely

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 14

giving."According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor,

women comprise 47 percent of the active workforce. How-ever, the National Women's Business Council estimateswomen-owned firms are only 28.7 percent of all non-farmbusinesses across the country.

Bratton says it's time to get more women in the game."I never feel like its time wasted to develop a business plan

and work with counselors," she said."(The women) really getto know themselves and what their abilities are."

Whether women are seeking to become financially self suf-ficient, set their own schedules, have a final say in how thingshappen or just avoid having awkward conversations aboutwomen's health conditions with a male boss, entrepreneur-ship can be an incremental option for women.

More information on the WWBC can be obtained by call-ing 307-460-3943.

From right, Evelyn Ferrante gestures with her hand as Amy Steel and Annette Rinaldo followher movements during the Bar Body session at Kula Space inside Journeys Center of Well Being.

| photo by Justin Sheely

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Sheridan's Advocacy and ResourceCenter started more than 30 years agoas an informal group of women whojoined together to form a support net-work around women's issues. Overtime, necessity dictated that the groupfocused much of their work on issuessurrounding domestic violence andrape.

Today, the center is one of five advo-cacy groups in the state that combinesintimate partner violence with advocacyfor all victims of violent crime.

The Centers for Disease Control andPrevention reported in a 2011 NationalIntimate Partner and Sexual ViolenceSurvey that more than one out of threewomen and one out of four men expe-rience intimate partner violence duringtheir lifetimes. Among victims of do-mestic abuse, one out of three womenexperience multiple forms of maltreat-ment, including rape, stalking and phys-ical violence, while more than 90percent of male victims experiencedphysical violence and stalking.

Bonnie Young, now executive direc-

tor of the center, first came to the non-profit as a client in 1984. After her ownexperience leaving an abusive marriage,she eventually worked as a volunteerand employee for the center, and usedher experience to empower otherwomen in similar situations.

"The interesting thing is it's reallyimportant for us to stop separatingthem and start pulling it back to-gether," Young said.

Young said initially, the idea to mergeservices for women affected by familyviolence and victims of all other violentcrime came out of necessity because ofthe fact Sheridan is a rural communitywith limited resources. However, the

result has been the deliberate associa-tion between family violence and con-ventional crime.

"Domestic violence and sexual assaultis a crime, and we have, for so longtreated it like this thing that happens infamilies or this thing that happens towomen who have behaved inappropri-ately somehow," Young said. "All theseold, old ideas still affect women."

Young said addressing family violenceas a crime is a paradigm shift for manypeople in Sheridan County, and one ofthe primary roles of the Advocacy andResource Center is to help victims navi-gate an often unfamiliar legal system.

"First off, we do crisis interventionfor people who've dealt with violentcrime," Young said. "We're also theconnecting force between county attor-ney's office, law enforcement, the courtsystem and all the things the victim hasto work with."

While the center can't guarantee adesirable outcome for all victims, Youngsaid advocates make a big impression onthose going through hard situations.

Victim advocates act as guides for vic-tims of violence as they navigate thelegal system for divorce hearings, cus-tody disputes or prosecution of offend-ers.

Services to women are as diverse andvaried as the situations themselves, andadvocates at the center provide cus-tomized assistance to families.

"One of the things we found workingwith the prosecutor's office is evenwhen a victim doesn't like how the caseis going or what the outcome may be toa criminal case, the fact they were lis-tened to, the fact they were involvedand informed about all the steps givesthem a sense of respect, and they'revery much more satisfied with the out-come," Young said.

The center provides help in many

Breaking the cycleCenter aids victims of violence

By Tracee Davis

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"Domestic violence and sexual assault isa crime, and we have, for so long treated itlike this thing that happens in families orthis thing that happens to women whohave behaved inappropriately somehow."

— Bonnie Young

While Wyoming celebrates its nickname of being "The Equality State," the reality exists that women here, like everywhere, are still strug-gling to establish their place in society. For many women, that fact extends into family life.

While women in Sheridan County too often struggle within unhealthy relationships, the community has established a strong resource tohelp women and other victims of violent crime who are ready to break the cycle of abuse.

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 16

forms. Sometimes, it's a few hours respite from a bad envi-ronment or lending a nice suit to wear to court. Sometimes,women use the facility as a safe place to begin compiling astash of money and important documents for their eventualescape. It can even be financial help to start a new life.

From January to mid-August this year, the center gavemore than $20,600 in emergency assistance to 111 peoplefor housing, food, gas and utilities. The money comes fromfederal, state, local and private grants.

The Advocacy and Resource Center helped 336 women in2012, of those, 258 were the primary victims of abuse or vio-lence.

Young said the work of a victim advocate often entailswalking a long road.

"We expect and it's a fact that people return to the situa-tion many times before they finally stay out," she said.

"What we accomplish more than anything is the sense forthese people to feel like somebody cares what kind of condi-tions they live in," Young said. "They feel that they're safe,that they're respected by the fact they're giveninformation. They're given some choices."

Until women gain truly equal footing in society and theAmerican epidemic of violent crime is curtailed, victim advo-cates serve as a buffer between the injured and sometimes im-personal judicial system.

"It's about women becoming more equal, learning theirpower and taking their power," Young said.

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Foster is the owner and operatorof Big Horn Mountain Alpacas, asmall alpaca ranch and fiber pro-cessing business in Parkman. Shehas a master’s degree in educationand is self-employed as a fiberartist.

She is the author of two chil-dren’s books “Angora Rabbits,Hippity Hoppity Fiber Pets,” and“Freedom Wind, A Fourth of JulyAlpaca.” She has been a featuredguest with the Wyoming Depart-ment of Education WYHIWyoming Young Authors event inCheyenne.

Her husband, Jeff, nominatedher and said she continues to vol-

unteer with community events such as Dayton Days, Rehabilita-tion Enterprises of North Eastern Wyoming, the Sheridan Dogand Cat Shelter and the Bighorn Mountain Wild and ScenicTrail Run.

She has also served as a member of the Women’s OlympicDevelopment Program and has won community 5k runs on aregular basis.

“Caryn Moxey is a leaderamong women, as a businesswoman, health coach and con-tributor to the communityand many nonprofits,” KristinKelly said in her nominationletter for Moxey.

In 2012, Moxey made theleap to build her own gym,now employing several localresidents as personal trainersand staff members. As thebusiness became a success,Kelly said, Moxey put theprofits back into the businessby reducing rates for mem-bers, providing raises, purchas-ing new equipment, offering

more classes and providing more training for her staff as wellas members.

The business is an economic stimulator for the Sheridancommunity, Kelly said.

Moxey’s business, Kelly said, is “about being able to go onthat hike without being winded, knowing that it’s OK tohave some cake once in awhile and to have a healthy mindand a healthy body.”

Women comprise more than 50percent of VA Medical Center em-ployees and Rita Cherni-Smithsaid in her nominating letter forBanks that the center represents atreasure trove of female talent.

Banks is a registered nurse whomoved to Sheridan more than 30years ago to work for the VA. Sheworked her way up from wardnurse, to assistant to the chief ofstaff and then to chief of the busi-ness office. While working fulltime in the 1990s she earned anMBA through the University ofWyoming. Cherni-Smith stressedthe many hats Banks wears on thejob.

“In the 15 years I have known Jamie, I have observed an in-dividual who is passionate about her work,” Cherni-Smithwrote. “Despite a demanding workload, she consistently comesup with the time to trouble-shoot veterans’ problems, oftenworking late to return their calls.

“I can honestly say she never places her own interests ahead ofothers’, and am unable to think of anyone whose work ethic ex-ceeds hers.”

Burke grew up in Ogden,Utah, with her parents andthree siblings. She has lived inWyoming, Montana and Col-orado.

She choreographed “Manof La Mancha” and was thefirst ballet teacher at the Sheri-dan YMCA when she lived inSheridan the first time 35years ago.

After a stint away from thecommunity, Burke returnedto live in Sheridan in 2005.She formed the “Newcomer’sClub” to welcome new fami-lies to the community and re-

ceived certification as a Louise Hay “Heal Your Life”teacher. She teaches the classes at Sheridan College and nu-merous workshops around the country.

“She has opened her heart and her home to try to helpwomen, from many walks of life, through ups and downsand everything in between; whether it is confidence to makechanges, or providing resources and guidance to continuetheir path or change direction. Elaine has been there,” CindyTrumble said in her letter nominating Burke.

D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 18

Elaine BurkeLouise Hay “Heal Your Life” teacher

Jamie Nell BanksChief of the business office, Sheridan VA Medical Center

Caryn MoxeyCo-owner,PURENERGY Fitness

Mariann FosterOwner, Big Horn Mountain Alpacas

THE NOMINEES

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A 1994 graduate of NatronaCounty High School, Erin Kil-bride (neé Dowler) was a stand-out student and athlete whoplayed basketball at Casper Col-lege and Albertson College be-fore finishing her bachelor’sdegree at the University ofWyoming.

In 2006, she and her familymoved to Dayton.

She volunteered her time atthe Tongue River Valley COm-munity Center and later becamethe executive director. In thatposition she has helped to ex-pand the organization into twocenters.

“I have worked as a volunteerfor Erin since she started as the director, doing facilities main-tenance at both locations,” Dennis Wagner wrote in his nomi-nation letter for Kilbride. “I and almost all who work for andwith Erin, are very impressed with her professionalism indealings with customers and vendors. Being of an “older gen-eration” I am very encouraged by the sense of responsibilityand motivation this of this young person.”

The letter of recommendation was co-signed by Bob Wood,Sue Belish and Jay McGinnis.

Riehn was born in Sheridanbut moved to Hawaii with hermother, completeing gradeschool and college, earning abachelor’s degree in sociology.Despite living in a place manyrefer to as paradise, Riehnconsidered Sheridan homeand returned to begin her ca-reer in education and socialservices.

While working full time, sheearned her master’s degree inpublic administration fromthe University of Wyoming.

“One of Sarah’s many con-tributions to the Sheridancommunity is her work as atrainer for WAGE, a programthat helps women overcome

wage discrepancies,” Sandy Uhrmann wrote in her nomina-tion letter for Riehn. “While some other women may haveachieved Sarah’s level of professional success and respectwithin the community, Sarah stands out because she hasdone so despite disabilities that could be debilitating to thosewith less strength of character and courage.”

Riehn has participated in Leadership Sheridan County, theAmerican Association of University Women, the SheridanTeen Center steering committee and the Sheridan CountyAssociation of Substance Abuse Prevention.

A graduate of the Center for aVital Community’s CiViC Proj-ect, Howell is the “epitome ofleadership in everything that shedoes,” Kris Korfanta said in hernomination letter.

Howell was involved with theGreen House concept before themovement really began in Sheri-dan. Korfanta said Howell wrotea business plan to create one ofthese homes in her residence be-cause she knew there were betterways to care for our elders.Though her plan didn’t come tofruition, she helped the conceptmove forward in Sheridan.

Howell has also been a long-time advocate for wilderness preservation, helping to foundthe Wyoming Wilderness Association in 2003. She has servedas executive director of the nonprofit and plans to retire inOctober.

Howell has a master’s degree in fine arts and has said, “Artis my vice, and wilderness, my heart.”

Despite once being awardedsuch prestigious titles as “As-paragus Queen” and “HeiferQueen,” West is not used tothe spotlight. West currentlyworks as the development di-rector at the Sheridan SeniorCenter.

Carmen Rideout wrote inher nomination letter thatWest is kind, giving, humbleand encouraging to others.Rideout said West also fre-quently gives of herself, inspir-ing others to give as well.

“Rindy is an excellentmother supporting her chil-dren in all aspects of 4-H and

their involvement in the Sheridan County and WyomingState Fair,” Rideout said.

West has also participated in the Center for a Vital Com-munity’s CiViC project, demonstrating her commitment toSheridan.

19 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

Rindy WestDevelopment director, Sheridan Senior Center

Liz HowellFounder,Wyoming Wilderness Association

Sarah RiehnDirector, Northern Wyoming Community College District Adult Basic Education Program

Erin KilbrideExecutive director, Tongue River Valley Community Center

THE NOMINEES

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While she became a Friend ofthe Library many years ago,Walter has been a friend ofmany nonprofits and organiza-tions in Sheridan.

She worked as a registerednurse for an infant center andbecame the nurse for the ChildDevelopment Center where sheworked for 20 years before re-tiring in 2001. In addition, sheserved on the Sheridan CollegeFoundation Board for 14 yearsand was president during thecampaign to raise funds for theWatt Agriculture Building.

In 2009, Walter was intro-duced to the Green House Liv-

ing for Sheridan project. For three years she served asco-chair of the project’s task force, helping to raise $9 mil-lion for building the campus that houses 48 elders in fourcottages.

“Barbara is a remarkable go-to person,” Sy Thickman andJanet Moffat wrote in their nomination letter for Walter. “Ifsomething important needs doing and Barbara accepts theresponsibility, you can be assured that however the worldturns, Barbara will steer the course to get the job done. Notmerely getting it done, but developing friendships and en-thusiasm along the way.”

Since January 2011, Johnsonhas served as the executive direc-tor of the Sheridan CountyChamber of Commerce, growingmembership in the organization,increasing programs offered andstrengthening relationships withother entities in the community.

Johnson has worked with theBig Horn Home Builders Associ-ation, the Sheridan Holiday Inn,on the Sheridan Economic De-velopment Task Force, theDowntown Sheridan Association,the Critical Air Service TaskForce and the Sheridan Channel22 Creative Committee.

“She is a woman of influence,boundless energy and commit-

ment — about her family, her Chamber vision and responsi-bilities, her involvement in other community efforts, andgolf,” Johnson’s staff wrote about her in their nomination let-ter. “She is an inspiring and visionary leader.”

The Sheridan County Chamber of Commerce Board of Di-rectors also wrote a letter in support of Johnson’s nomination.

Young and her husband cel-ebrated 20 years of ownershipof three Bighorn Mountainlodges earlier this year. Thebusinesses provide ATVrentals, snowmobile rentals,lodging, restaurant and otherservices to their patrons.

“Her vision has guidedthese lodges to their currentsuccess and hopefully will pro-vide her and Rick a long andhappy retirement,” MonaWhite wrote in her letternominating Young.

In addition to being a busi-nesswoman, Young cares forher disabled father who lives atBear Lodge and serves as an

emergency medical technician with the Burgess JunctionSearch and Rescue team. She also contributes to variouscharities and provides venues for area fundraisers.

“She leads by example with her hard work and long hoursand is always smiling and ever the lady,” White wrote.

D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 20

Roberta YoungCo-owner, Bear Lodge, Elk View Inn and Arrowhead Lodge

Dixie JohnsonExecutive director, Sheridan County Chamber of Commerce

Barbara WalterGreen House Living for Sheridan co-chair

THE NOMINEES

This year’s FAB Women’s Conference

“Woman of the Year” award winner will be announced

Friday, Oct. 4 at Sheridan College.The FAB Committee would like to congratulate all of the nominees

and say thank you to all of the extraordinary women in

Sheridan County.To find out who won, visit thesheridanpress.com/fab.

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In the current U.S. Houseof Representatives, there are78 women and 357 men.The U.S. Senate set a recordin 2013 with 20 out of 100senators being women.

The Wyoming Legislaturecurrently has women claim-ing two of 30 Senate seats(15 percent) and 13 of 60seats in the House of Repre-sentatives (21.6 percent). Itranks 43rd in the nation forproportion of women tomen.

At the same time, womennow represent approximately47 percent of the labor force,according to the U.S. De-partment of Labor, and ac-cording to the Center forAmerican Women and Poli-tics, women have voted athigher rates than men inevery presidential electionsince 1980.

With statistics like that,

many feel it’s time women inAmerican government get afair piece of the pie.

“There are far too fewwomen in Congress, far toofew,” U.S. Rep. CynthiaLummis, R-Wyo., said. “It’sdeplorable, disgraceful, unac-ceptable. It’s not good forthe country to have that lop-sided point of view.”

Ask me againInducting 20 women into

the U.S. Senate in January2013 was remarkable, trainerfor Woman’s LeadershipWorks Katie Groke Ellis said.It was an indication thatground-up efforts to getwomen into politics – fromschool boards to city coun-cils to state legislatures – arestarting to work. However,Ellis doesn’t think it’s neces-sarily a trend yet.

“It’s said it takes threepeople at three different

times to invite a woman torun before she’ll do it,” Ellissaid. “Men wake up and say,‘I think I could be presi-dent,’ but women have to beconvinced.”

That was true for threewomen in Sheridan Countywho are currently in office.

Dayton Town CouncilorJoey Sheeley laughed inTown Clerk Linda Lofgren’sface when Lofgren asked herto consider joining theCouncil.

Sheridan City CouncilorKristin Kelly asked if peoplewere joking when they sug-gested she enter the race foran open seat.

Even state Rep. RosieBerger, R-Big Horn, askedseveral other people to runfor office before being con-vinced to make a run for itherself.

“Being in politics was not

on my to-do list,” Bergersaid.

That seems to be the casenationwide.

“What we find is you haveto recruit women,” Lummissaid about co-chairing theNational Republican Con-gressional Committee’s Can-didate RecruitmentCommittee. “Women arevery unsure of themselves asa group so you have to goout and recruit them. Theyare far less comfortable justcoming forward.”

But, once asked, womenare interested in governmentwork. Ellis has lead Leap intoLeadership conferencesaround Wyoming to fosterleadership skills in womenfor four years and said theyare very successful.

“Women in Wyomingseem to be thirsting for thisinformation,” Ellis said,which leads her to believewomen around America arethirsty.

“We are 50 percent if notmore of the population, andwe are not 50 percent ofgovernment,” Ellis said.“Government is supposed tobe representative. There isno way policies will changeto be more female friendlyand more woman’s rights fo-cused unless women areelected into office.”

Won the election. Now what?Winning an election for a

seat in politics is a battle forwomen – financially, cultur-ally and personally. Studiesshow that women raise lessin campaign funds than men,they have to fight media andcultural perceptions ofwomen in leadership andthey often have to make sac-rifices in home or work life.

Once they win, womenoften face an overwhelmingsense of, “Now what?”

Studies show that womenprefer to know how to dosomething before they do it,whereas men are more com-

WOMEN in government

21 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

Imagine sharing a piece of pie with your husband. You pick up your fork, lick your lips and savor thatfirst yummy bite followed by one more. Imagine at this point that your husband grabs the plate andpromptly devours the rest of the pie, mumbling something about how he thought it should be shared inthe same ratio of men to women in the U.S. House of Representatives.

You would get 18 percent of that pie slice, about two of the usual 12 or so bites it takes to eat a slice. Outraged yet?

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 22

fortable learning as they go.When women end up in gov-ernment, they struggle withfeeling inadequate, and ittakes time to build confi-dence.

Additionally, Sheeley, Kellyand Berger all expressed thatthey felt like people thoughtthey would change who theywere after they took office.Each said she has tried not tochange, but that the assump-tions are there.

In a small town like Day-ton, Sheeley realized howmuch her decisions onCouncil could affect friendsand family, citing a Councilvote on a conservation sub-division proposed by friendsof hers. She said it can takefinesse to maintain friend-ships and vote according tostatute.

“You have to say ‘yes’ or‘no’ to people you know andlike,” Sheeley said.

Berger and Kelly both saidthey felt their new positionof leadership seemed tomake people think they weresuddenly different and it hastaken work to convince themotherwise.

“I think I’ve learned lead-ership skills, how to betterpresent things or maybe helppeople understand theprocess of government or thebackground of an issue, but Ihaven’t really changed thatmuch who I am,” Kelly said.“It’s nice when people comeup to me and say, ‘Oh, yeah,things are OK.’ That’s good,you know.”

One of the biggest “nowwhats?” for women often re-gards the priorities outside oftheir political life: kids, hus-band, career, friends and vol-unteer positions.

Berger has seen women inthe Wyoming Legislature re-tire because there are toomany demands on their time,especially considering thedistance covered by legisla-tors to drive to Cheyenne.

“When there’s a downturnin the economy, health carecosts are rising, the babyboomers are aging, those de-mands don’t allow womenthe extra time to do service,”Berger said.

Kelly said it takes extra ef-fort, discipline and organiza-tion to be on city council.

“I have a supportive hus-band, I make lists, I planahead, I get up early and Ido a lot of spreadsheets,”Kelly said.

But it is doable, Kelly said.If it’s important and it willgrow you as a person andhelp the community, facingthe election and the “nowwhat?” is worth it.

Cute shoes still allowedA woman does not have to

be like a man when she en-ters political office. She canbe a woman on the sidelinesas a soccer mom and awoman in a Senate seat. Shecan offer strengths, ideas,values and communication

skills that are specific towomen.

A woman in governmentcan still wear cute shoes.

“You can be a leader, andyou can be strong, and youcan get things done and stillbe feminine and have greatshoes,” Kelly said. “I don’twant to look like one of theguys.”

Many women who end upin government often start involunteer leadership on localcharity boards.

Kelly’s father raised her tobe philanthropic, she said.She grew up volunteering forsoup kitchens in Washington,D.C., clubs in college andthe Sheridan Planning Com-mission.

Berger was involved civi-cally with the Chamber ofCommerce, the WYO The-ater, the Dog and Cat Shel-ter and the Parks andCultural Resources Commit-tee among other organiza-tions.

Sheeley volunteered as aveterinarian technician andon the animal shelter board.

That inclination towardcharity and leadership in awoman can be a powerfultool, Berger said. It demon-strates sensitive, nurturingtraits that are almost inher-ent in being female, traitsthat can play a critical role inpolitical negotiations.

“A woman can bring acalmer presence to a meet-ing,” Berger said. “Having awoman at the table will dif-fuse anxieties, and she can bea consensus builder.”

Women also bring strongrelational skills to politics.They often excel at workingbehind the scenes, at team-work and at compromise,Berger said.

Women in great shoes alsooffer to government the per-spective of more than half ofall its constituents, Ellis said.

“The more robust the de-cision-making table is, thebetter the outcome of thedecision,” Ellis said.

Ultimately, though, everywoman interviewed said shewould rather the fact thatshe’s a woman in govern-ment not be an issue at all.

“We are getting closer toan atmosphere of equality inaccepting women as leaders,”Berger said. “And that’s myhope, that soon this won’tbe about a person being amale or a female but aboutwhether that person is theright person to fill that rolein government.”

“You can be a leader, and you can be strong, and you can getthings done and still be feminine and have great shoes. I don’twant to look like one of the guys.”

— Kristin KellySheridan City Councilor

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 24

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25 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 26

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27 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

No, those are not relatives to JohnnyCash’s famous “Sue.” They are womenwho are doing exactly the jobs — non-traditional as they may be — that theywant to be doing.

“I’m not unique because I strive tobe unique. That’s just the way it playedout,” wildlife manager and polo ponybreeder Helen MacCarty said. “I’mlucky to make a living in an area of in-terest.”

In fact, even though all four womenwork in jobs dominated by men, none

felt remarkable, each expressing surpriseat being asked for an interview on their“nontraditional” roles. They said theyhave thought about being one of just afew women in their jobs but that theirgender has rarely, if ever, played a factorin co-worker interactions or job ability.

They are just doing what they wantto do.

However, statistics say they are a rar-ity. The U.S. Department of Labor de-fines nontraditional occupations asthose in which women comprise 25 per-

cent or less of the total number em-ployed in that occupation.

In August 2010, the Department ofLabor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, listednearly 120 occupations as nontradi-tional for women. These ranged frombricklayers and stone masons with 0.1percent female employment to 25 per-cent employment in the area of salesrepresentatives, wholesale and manufac-turing.

According to those statistics, HelenMacCarty, Paula Hovey, Anne Gunn

The last rays of sunlight dance through sagebrush in the arid Wyoming landscape, silhouetting a herd of elk as it walks up a hill on thehigh plains east of Sheridan. A hundred yards away, perched on an ATV, a rancher peers through binoculars to survey the elk, taking notes ona pad of paper.

Less than 50 miles north as the crow flies, a 13-year veteran of Spring Creek Mine near Decker, Mont., climbs into a shovel loader to begin agraveyard shift of loading house-sized trucks full of deep black coal.

Down the highway, the owner of a local software programming company wraps up the day’s work on a new smartphone application thatwill enable first responders to efficiently decode placards with information about hazardous materials when they arrive on the scene of anemergency.

And in the heart of Sheridan, hours after the sun has dropped, a police officer flips on lights and siren and pulls close behind a large truckspeeding and weaving dangerously on Coffeen Avenue. Once stopped, the officer places hand on gun and approaches the vehicle, ready forwhatever may happen.

It’s just another day on the job for hard-working Sheridan County residents Helen, Paula, Anne and Karla.

Women in NONTRADITIONAL ROLES

Helen MacCarty drivesher ranger up a dirt road to

the elk facility at the NX Bar Ranch on Aug. 4, 2013. The NX Bar Ranch is a

privately owned ranch with more than 23,000acres of land North of Sheridan.

| photo by Justin Sheely

By Hannah Wiest

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 28

and Karla Rogers all work in nontradi-tional occupations.

It is a testament to their love for theirwork that they consider themselves inno way nontraditional — and perhaps atestament to the changing landscape ofwomen in the workforce.

Wildlife ManagementFarm/ranch/agricultural managers who are

female: 18.1 percent-Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010For nearly 40 years, Helen MacCarty

has been involved in wildlife manage-ment primarily at the NX Bar Ranch innortheast Sheridan County. She man-ages habitat and herd surveys; trophygame animal breeding; commercialhunts; and the overall health and vitalityof hundreds of elk and a few bisonspread over 23,000 acres on the onlygame farm in Wyoming.

MacCarty has worked in some capac-ity at the NX Bar most her life but tookon the role of wildlife and commercialhunting manager full time at the age of40. Prior to that she was a bit busy rais-ing five children, she said.

Throughout her career, MacCartyalso worked for breeding programs onranches around the region and forwildlife research areas and game ranchesin Texas.

Her specialty has been trophy man-agement, which includes designingwildlife management programs forgame farms and herds around the na-

tion. MacCarty’s father, Allen Fordyce,

bought the NX Bar in 1948 and ran itas a cattle ranch until 1968. At thattime, MacCarty convinced her father toturn the ranch into a game ranch similarto those found in Africa because shehad become interested in multi-speciesgrazing and felt that the often non-arable land on Wyoming’s high plainscould be better utilized if grazed byboth cattle and native species such aselk.

MacCarty studied wildlife manage-ment at Colorado A&M (now Col-orado State University) and has devotedher life to promoting a game ranchingphilosophy, which she feels can increasethe value and productivity of land andranch ownership.

“I don’t know of anybody who hasmy specific experience as a woman,”MacCarty said.

And that’s OK with her. But it hasn’tcome without sacrifices.

Like time, a social life, stability andany semblance of normality. Whileother moms were driving children toactivities in the family station wagon,MacCarty was roping her kids intohelping with elk breeding and myriadother ranch chores at the NX Bar.

“There’s a fair amount of personalsacrifice involved. You better dedicateyourself to it because that’s the onlyway you will get any intellectual or fi-nancial remuneration,” MacCarty said.

At 78, MacCarty has no intentions ofslowing down. In fact, she has eventaken on a polo pony breeding businesswith her grandson.

“I’ve never had any trouble workingin a man’s world,” MacCarty said. “Thefield doesn’t lend itself to competition.I’m treated as an equal as long as I con-tribute at the same level they con-tribute. Any woman who is willing togive and take in the workforce is goingto make it.”

Heavy Equipment OperatorMining machine operators who are female: 3

percent-Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010Driving a shovel loader is kind of like

driving a car – except that a car is abouthalf the size of one shovel loader tire.

“Big, big trucks,” is about all PaulaHovey could think or say the first time

she saw the massive vehicles that are apart of everyday operations at SpringCreek Coal Mine in Decker, Mont. Andyes, she was scared the first time shedrove one.

But now, going on 13 years with themine, operating a machine the size of ahouse is simply what Hovey does day inand day out, and night in and nightout, on her 12-hour rotating shifts.

“The company is wonderful to itsemployees. They take care of us,”Hovey said. “We’re family out here.The guys and gals I work with are likebrothers and sisters.”

Admittedly, there are more brothersthan sisters, but Hovey said that’s neverbeen a problem. Her co-workers treather with respect; her usual crew lovinglycalls her, “Queen.”

Before Hovey began her career as aheavy equipment operator, she workedas a secretary for Coldwell Banker inCheyenne.

“I was actually scared, you know,”Hovey said. “It was a change, a bigchange from sitting at a desk answeringphones and doing computer work todriving big trucks.”

When Hovey started, she was one of10 women on the Spring Creek team.She is now one of 18 women out ofnearly 260 mine employees.

Like many women who have enterednontraditional careers, Hovey had atrailblazer before her, one she respectedand loved very much: her mother-in-

Helen MacCarty, 78, poses outside the lodge at the NX Bar Ranchin August of 2013. | photo by Justin Sheely

Paula Hovey | courtesy photo

FEATURE | Nontraditional Roles

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29 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

law. Joyce Neal worked for Spring Creek

Mine for 30 years before retiring inspring 2013. She is the one who con-vinced Hovey to apply and who servedas her role model on how to maneuverin a mostly male-dominated world.

“My mother-in-law worked here 30years,” Hovey said. “I’ll try to make itlonger. I will retire here.”

Through her years at the mine,Hovey has been promoted from utilityhelper, to haul truck operator, to bladeoperator, to dozer operator and mostrecently to shovel operator. In 2009,she began serving as a fill-in supervisorfor her 30-person crew when the nor-mal supervisor was gone.

“Paula is a leader not only with hercrew, but with our organization,”Media Relations Manager RickCurtsinger said.

Hovey’s advice to any women whothink they may want to join a minecrew: “Try it. Go out there and give100 percent. It’s a wonderful job.”

And, for those who were wondering,the mine provides outhouses just for itswomen, and they’re kept sparklingclean, and it’s really not so bad, Hoveysaid.

Software Programmer Computer software engineers who are female:

20.9 percent-Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010Though technologically and mathe-

matically based, computer sciences are agood match for female brains that arewired for problem solving and lookingat things from multiple angles, softwareprogrammer Anne Gunn said.

In fact, a 2001 study done by Har-vard University found that women typi-cally have a larger frontal lobe, which isresponsible for problem solving, and upto 10 times more white matter thanmen, which offers speedy neurologicalconnections in the brain.

(The study noted that neither malenor female brains are “better.” Theyjust work differently while often reach-ing the same conclusion.)

Gunn, who owns Sheridan Program-mers Guild, said the lack of women incomputer sciences is likely a result ofmale-centered education and male-cen-tered presentation of what program-ming is all about.

“Computer science education oftenfocuses on the wiz-bang aspect of thetechnology,” Gunn said.

And that typically speaks more tomen, as do the standard intro to com-puter science problems that often usesports team box scores and the like.

However, Gunn said, once a womangets through the education and discov-ers what programming is really like,they tend to really enjoy it.

“At its root, computer science isabout solving problems for customers,and women can relate to that,” Gunnsaid. “Women are interested in whatthey can make the technology do if it’ssomething meaningful.”

For example, Gunn has developedsoftware for smartphone applicationsthat help emergency responders decodehazardous material (Hazmat) placardsto make response efforts more efficientand effective.

Gunn has also developed software fornurses, educators, computer-basedlearning activities and e-book publica-tions.

Twenty years ago, Gunn co-foundedsoftware company Tally Systems in NewEngland, which was eventually sold toNovell. When she moved to Sheridan,she worked a traditional 40-hour-per-week job as a consultant for 12 yearsbut decided that she’d like to return tothe flexibility of owning her own soft-ware company, and thus Sheridan Pro-

grammers Guild was born.“Programming is the world’s best

mom’s job,” Gunn said. “I don’t un-derstand why that isn’t obvious to morepeople.”

Gunn encourages any woman wholikes to learn and communicate and cre-atively solve problems to look into com-puter science, ignoring the fact that itmay be nontraditional and realizing thatit just might be ideal.

Police OfficerPolice patrol officers who are female: 13 per-

cent-Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2010“If you’re thinking about switching

careers, you have cop written all overyou,” her friend told her after a classthey took to obtain concealed carry per-mits.

Funny thing is, Karla Rogers tookthat concealed carry class because shewas terrified of guns.

“But the idea stuck in my brain,”Rogers said.

She was working as a property man-ager in Greeley, Colo., at the time butsoon enrolled in Greeley’s police acad-emy. Ten months later — five monthsof bookwork on statutes and case law,and five months of technical, job-liketraining — Rogers knew she’d foundher career.

“There was no big traumatic experi-ence in my life, no police officers in myfamily line,” Rogers said. “Curiosity

Anne Gunn tests a product from the Sheridan Programmers Guildon her laptop computer in the conference room on East RidgeRoad in Sheridan. | photo by Justin Sheely

Officer Karla Rogers of the Sheridan Police Department. | photo by Justin Sheely

Nontraditional Roles | FEATURE

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 30

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just got the better of me.” Rogers, who was born in Sheridan

before moving to Green River, startedworking for the Sheridan Police Depart-ment one and a half years ago. She’sbeen the only female officer since shestarted, though there have been othersbefore her.

“It doesn’t bother me. I work on adepartment full of guys, and now I have22 brothers,” Rogers said.

Still, she is not naïve. She’s heard sto-ries about female officers facing sexualharassment and discrimination, but itnever worried her. She looked at policework like any other profession in whichmen and women have to work together.

“I don’t feel like I’m treated differ-ently by fellow officers, and they don’ttiptoe around me because I’m female ei-ther,” Rogers said.

The public, however, can be anotherstory.

Rogers has a slim build, averageheight and long, blonde hair. Even inuniform, it’s obvious she’s a woman,she said. Quickly and adequately estab-

lishing command presence has takensome work.

“My sergeant, he’s huge. He’s a bigguy, so he automatically shows up withcommand presence,” Rogers said. “I’vehad to tailor how I approach people. IfI’m too aggressive, or if I’m trying toput off like I’m bigger and strongerthan I am, someone will call my bluff.”

Instead, Rogers uses her communica-tion skills — her intuition even — tocalm tense situations, glean informationfrom people and, whenever possible,find a verbal solution to a problem.

If a situation does turn physical,Rogers is confident in her training withher tools and techniques. And she trustsher 22 brothers as back-up.

Being a woman does offer distinct ad-vantages, however.

“My gender in and of itself can be agreat tool,” Rogers said.

The obvious instance is when dealingwith female victims who may not wantto share traumatic details with a man.

And though it’s not something shecan rely on, people sometimes display

more respect for a female, especially onewho is small in stature and less intimi-dating than a man. Her tone of voice,different communication style and in-nate female empathy can also be benefi-cial.

Rogers said it is the mental and emo-tional challenges that could be hard onsome women.

“You have to ask yourself the hardquestions first,” Rogers said. “Am I ca-pable of taking a life if I have to? Am Iwilling to lose my life? Can I handlethat suicide being the last thing I seebefore I go to bed at night?”

Still, for Rogers, all the rewards —the daily challenges, the camaraderie,the knowledge that her presence as anofficer may have deterred a crime ormade Sheridan safer — far outweighwhat could be gut-wrenching work.

“At the end of the day, I still knowwe helped people and made Sheridansafer,” Rogers said. “That’s a big, driv-ing force for me, especially in Sheridanwhere I plan to build a family andwould like to keep it that way.”

FEATURE | Nontraditional Roles

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Located in the BighornMountains on U.S. Highway14 between Dayton andLovell, at over 8,000-feet el-evation is the Wyoming De-partment of Transportation’sBurgess Junction mainte-nance camp.

Maintenance crews forWYDOT have been sta-tioned at Burgess Junctionsince 1953 when a shop andfour houses were con-structed.

“It was built solely for thepurpose of winter mainte-nance on those roads sobusiness could be done oneither side of the mountain,and of course for recre-ation,” said Rich Hall, areamaintenance supervisor forWYDOT.

Hall said maintenance re-quirements have increased inrecent years, due to increasedtruck traffic and traffic fromsnowmobiling, skiing andsnowshoeing recreationists.Crews used to work 12-hourdays and they now work 16-hour days.

“It is a four-man crew, sothey have one man who goesout early (5 a.m.) and makesthe first run through theroads and gets a good idea ofthe conditions,” Hall ex-plained. “Then two menwho work a regular shift of 7a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and oneman then works about 1p.m. to 9 p.m. They workaccording to the weather, soif a storm moves in and theycan’t keep up, we’ll work thewhole crew at night if weneed to.”

Storms on the mountaincome often and come strong.The station averages 375inches of snow each year,though of course, some yearssee much more.

“Two years ago we wereway above average,”WYDOT employee DaveJohnson said. “We didn’tthink winter was ever goingto end. We were still rotor-ing snow in June that year.”

Johnson, an assistant crewleader and heavy equipmentoperator, has lived at the sta-tion since 1984 and has seenplenty of years that wereabove or below average. Oneof the worst storms in recentmemory is the epic storm of

April 1984 which he saiddelivered 84 inches of snow.

During the storm, the areasearch and rescue team at-tempted to come up themountain to search for someoverdue individuals. Themaintenance crew struck outin the middle of the storm totry to clear the road.

“We took a couple trucksand a loader with a plow onit,” said Trent McKinley, anequipment operator at thestation since 1981. “It wassnowing and blowing so badyou couldn’t see nothing.Snowplows are a wonderfulthing but they will getstuck. That was quite thestorm there.”

The storm proved toomuch for the crew and theequipment and McKinleyended up getting stuck in thesnowplow for two days, be-fore being rescued by a heli-copter that returned him tothe station.

Though life at the remotemaintenancestationdoesn’t

31 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

WYDOT families atBURGESS JUNCTION

Dave Johnson, left, and Trent McKinley stand in front of a line of snow plows at the WYDOT facility at Burgess Junction. | photo by Justin Sheely

By Christina Schmidt

Crews clear snow near Burgess Junction| courtesy photo

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 32

usually include such dra-matic adventures as rescue byhelicopter, it does presentdaily complications and reg-ular challenges.

“You don’t have the op-tion of swinging by the gro-cery store every night onyour way home from work soyou definitely have to planahead or do without,” John-son said. “When my wife andkids were up here, you go totown and you buy a month’sworth of groceries, especiallyin the wintertime becauseyou didn’t know if youwould get back down for amonth. You buy multiplegallons of milk and throwthem in the freezer, 10 or 12loaves of bread and throwthem in the freezer.”

Johnson and McKinleyboth raised children on themountain and special effortswere made for their educa-tion. A teacher from Sheri-dan County School District1 taught the children in aclassroom at Camp Bethelfor kindergarten throughfifth grade. Once out of fifthgrades, a bus was sent up themountain to collect the stu-dents for classes in Tongue

River Valley. In addition,Johnson and his wife pur-chased a house in Daytonthat allowed the children tostay in town as well.

Both men said that despitethe isolation, the station hasbeen a wonderful opportu-nity for them and their fami-lies. Wildlife abounds at thestation and hiking and sight-seeing opportunities are justoutside the door.

“Living in a situation likethis isn’t easy,” Johnson said.“The people you work withon a day to day basis, you seethem in the morning, in theday, in the evening. You arebasically just a big familywith four houses.”

Rather than viewing thewinter isolation as a negative,Johnson and McKinley saidthey and the other crewmembers embrace the winterweather and take advantageof winter recreation opportu-nities as they can.

“We have snow machinesand what not and we try tomake snow our ‘friend,’”McKinley said.

“When snow is your friendyou have a whole differentoutlook.”

Burgess Junction | courtesy photo

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33 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

Enayat (Andy) Rahimi hasworked as a taxidermist inRanchester since 1991 andopened his shop on U.S.Highway 14 in 1994. It wasoriginally Big Bear Taxi-dermy, named after the bearstatue out front, before be-coming Rahimi’s Taxidermywhen he and his businesspartner realized there wasenough business for each ofthem to have their ownshop.

“I look at it as an art be-

cause it is,” Rahimi saidabout his work of preservinganimals in a variety of forms.

“It’s very hard to copyMother Nature, but you canget as close as you can, youcan try to copy the naturallook of the live animals,”Rahimi added.

Rahimi grew up on a farmnear the southeast edge ofthe Caspian Sea in Iran.

“I was so fascinated withwild animals as a kid,”Rahimi said.

He would spend hourswatching wildlife on thefarm, remembering how itmoved and how it looked inits natural habitat. He readbooks on taxidermy — thefew he could find — andeven tried to make his ownmolds and preserve the ani-mals he hunted in his youth.

Rahimi attended highschool in Iran then came toAmerica for college. Hegraduated from Sheridan

College with a degree infarm and ranch management

in 1975. The original planwas to earn his degree inAmerica and return to Iranto take over the family farm.

But life went a differentdirection.

At Sheridan College,Rahimi met his wife, Lau-rien, now a teacher in Sheri-dan, and the IranianRevolution of 1980 made re-turning to Iran difficult.

So they stayed, and Rahimibecame an American citizen

in 1982. After graduating from

LOCAL TAXIDERMISTS

Taxidermist Enayat Rahimi stands in his showroom at Rahimi’s Taxidermy in Ranchester | photo by Justin Sheely

Sometimes life doesn’t go quite as planned. And sometimesthat’s OK, even if it means learning to call another country home.

If that new country has rolling hills and angled mountains, it’sgood. If those mountains teem with wildlife, it’s better. And if youget to work with that wildlife every day — commemorating deer, elk,birds, fish and more in their natural beauty — it’s great.

“It’s very hard to copy Mother Nature, but you can get as closeas you can, you can try to copy the natural look of the live ani-mals.”

—Rahimi

Taxidermist Enayat Rahimi uses clay to recreate the tissue surrounding the glass eyes of a trophywhitetail buck at Rahimi’s Taxidermy in Ranchester | photo by Justin Sheely

Rahimi keeps an assortment of glass eyes for the different kinds of animals he works on | photo by Justin Sheely

By Hannah Wiest

Page 37: 2013 fall destination

Sheridan College, the couplemoved to Laramie. Rahimistudied diesel technology atWyoTech and eventually gota job with Burlington North-ern Railroad in Nebraska as amachinist.

He continued to studytaxidermy and began to do afew mounts on the side forfriends while in Nebraska.

When he and Laurienmoved back to SheridanCounty and were once againtucked against the BighornMountains with their abun-dant wildlife, Rahimi decidedto pursue his lifelong passionfull time.

He has mounted every-thing from deer, to elk,bears, mountain lions, birds,fish and more.

His taxidermy shop evenincludes wildebeests, im-palas, kudos and bush buckfrom Africa and sika and fal-low deer from England andIreland that he hunted him-self with a friend he madethrough his taxidermy work.

“I love to hunt. That’s

why I’m living here withthese mountains and this na-ture,” Rahimi said.

As a hunter, Rahimi un-derstands the importance ofpreserving the hunt.

“For hunters, taxidermybrings their hunting memo-ries to life,” Rahimi said.“This is part of theirmemory for their hunt,and I try to do my bestto preserve that mem-ory for them.”

Rahimi was 24when he left Iran.He stays intouch withfam-

ily who remain in Iran, butAmerica is home now.

Life didn’t go quite asplanned, and that’s OK withthis taxidermist who doeswhat he loves every singleday in his

home below the BighornMountains.

D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 34

Need someone to preserve your hunting memories? Check out these Sheridan County taxidermists:

• Big Bear Taxidermy, Ranchester, 655-9397• Hartman’s Taxidermy, Sheridan, 672-0383• Rahimi’s Taxidermy, Ranchester, 655-9447• Rimrock Taxidermy, Sheridan, 673-5196• Wolfcreek Taxidermy, Ranchester, 655-9433• Worldwide Taxidermy Studio, Sheridan, 672-5270

A mounted Big Horn Ram is displayed in the showroom

at Rahimi’s Taxidermy in Ranchester

| photo by Justin Sheely

Page 38: 2013 fall destination

Perhaps the oldest recreation in theSheridan area is the pursuit of gamethrough our open plains, foothills andmountains. Each fall, thousands of resi-dents and non-residents come to Sheri-dan to hunt elk, mule deer, antelope,mountain lions, bears and more. Whilemany hunt with family or friends, oth-ers opt for a guided hunt with an outfit-ter.

Though contracting with an outfitterfor a guided hunt can cost hundreds oreven thousands of dollars, Cole Benton,chairman of the Wyoming State Boardof Outfitters and Professional Guidessaid it can offer benefits to certainhunters.

“There’s several reasons,” Bentonsaid about why some hunters choose tohire an outfitter. “Number one is thequality of animals available. Anotherthing is they aren’t competing with thepublic.”

Benton has beenoutfitting inWyomingfor

close to 30 years and in Montana formore than 15 years. He takes clients onhis own ranch, as well as other privateranches. He said access to these privatelands is a big draw for many hunters.

“It is primarily ranches that we lease,”he said. “We have a set number of muledeer, antelope and elk hunters each yearand that is the only way you can main-tain the quality. In fact, 50 percent ofour own personal ranch we do not

hunt.” “The outfitter canmaintain the qualitywhereas on public land,you can’t do that,” hecontinued. “What yousee is what you geton public land. Out-fitters that hunt thenational forest, theydo have to compete

with the public. For our hunting outhere, no one is out here but payingclients.”

Benton said many hunters also cometo have a catered experience and take abreak from hectic lives at home.

“When a hunter shows up here, basi-cally all he needs is his personal gearand his hunting license,” he said. “Theywork hard all year and when they comeout they don’t want to work. Theywant someone to take care of them.”

In addition to the opportunity tohunt trophy animals, outfitted huntsmay be necessary for hunters seekinggame such as mountain lions and bearsthat require special techniques. For in-stance, most mountain lions are locatedand then tracked using trained dogs,and very few hunters have their owndogs for that purpose. However, anoutfitter who specializes in mountainlion hunts will have trained dogs thatare used for client hunts.

Though the high cost of an outfittedhunt may discourage some hunters,Benton said most people realize theyare paying for a unique experience anda special opportunity to hunt lands thatare normally inaccessible to the generalpublic.

“Actually we very, very seldom everhear that,” he said about complaints onthe cost. “If I have a call from someone

who says the cost is too high, I willdo everything I can to find that

person a place to hunt. Ithink part of my job is help-ing find people a place tohunt if I can’t accommo-date them myself. I tellthem it may not be as goodas it is here, but I also un-derstand the money

35 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

THE THRILL OF THE HUNT

“There’s several reasons,” Benton saidabout why some hunters choose to hire anoutfitter. “Number one is the quality ofanimals available. Another thing is theyaren’t competing with the public.”

By Christina Schmidt

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 36

Helping to make your

hunt last a lifetime!

Come see our gallery 480 Hwy 14 Ranchester, WY 307-655-9397

RECIPIENT

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for 2011

issue. And a hunt is not in what youkill, I don’t believe. It is the enjoy-ment you have when you are doingit.”

Benton recommends beginningyour search for a reputable outfittermonths before you plan to hunt.Like any investment you make,doing your homework in advance willhelp ensure a positive experience.

“Websites are the best thing in theworld for ads, but buyer beware,” Ben-ton said. “Make sure that is updated in-formation you are looking at. It makesno sense to look at pictures of deerfrom 15 years ago.”

Benton also said references can be away to research an outfitter, but cau-tions that oftentimes, people listed asreferences are a carefully selected groupof clients that will only give glowing re-ports of their experience.

“The reference list does help, butwould you put anybody’s name on areference list that you wouldn’t wantsomeone to call?” he asked.

Benton says he addresses both theissue of references and showcasing theresults of hunts by updating his websiteevery year, with photos of every animalharvested, not just the large or impres-

siveani-mals.He then al-lows anyone request-ing a reference, to choose any personfrom his website to call and visit with.He even has prospective clients requestto speak with hunters who did not har-vest an animal during their hunt, just tosee how the experience was and howmany animals he or she saw during thehunt.

Benton also said to visit with youroutfitter prior to your hunt about anyphysical disabilities or limitations youmight have. He said some hunting areasare in remote locations that require

strenuous orlong hikes to access. He said if you areoverweight, have asthma or otherwisecannot perform extended physical activ-ity let your outfitter know so that otheraccommodations can be made.

More information about licensed out-fitters in Wyoming can be found at

http://outfitters.state.wy.us.

SAME DAY APPOINTMENTS WHENEVER NECESSARY!

Office Hours: Mon - Fri 8am - 5:30pm Sat 8am - Noon

Barry M Wohl, M.D., F.A.A.P. • Suzanne E.K. Oss, M.D., Marilyn K. Horsley, P.A.-C.

916 Jackson Avenue • Across from Memorial Hospital Website: www.drwohl.com

307-675-5555

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37 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

HUNTING OUTLOOKGuide for Sheridan

The outlook for pronghorn hunting in most of Sheridan Region is good. NortheastWyoming has abundant herds of pronghorn. Populations are still at high levels in severalherd units, so hunting seasons have been designed to give hunters plenty of opportunity inthose areas. However, in hunt areas north of Gillette and Moorcroft, pronghorn popula-tions are lower than a few years ago, so license numbers are lower than in the past. InSheridan Region pronghorn hunt areas, hunters are allowed to purchase a second any ante-lope license and up to four doe/fawn licenses. However, potential hunters need to beaware that most pronghorn hunting is found on private land and they should makearrangements for a place to hunt prior to buying licenses. Hunters willing to wait until afteropening day or the first weekend of the season may find it easier to get on private lands. Itis possible to find some pronghorn on parcels of public lands scattered around northeastWyoming, but hunters can expect to bump into other hunters also using those lands. Be-cause of crop damage, Hunt Areas 22 and 102 near Buffalo will have rifle doe/fawn sea-sons beginning Sept. 1 in portions of these areas.

Deer hunting in Sheridan Region will be similar to recent years. However, deerhunters in areas near Gillette and Moorcroft can expect to see less deer than they did afew years ago. Sportsmen with access to private lands should have have high harvestsuccess, while hunters on public lands will see greater numbers of hunters and compara-tively lower success. Antler growth and body condition of bucks are good this year inmany areas where animals had access to better forage. If hunters have access to privateland, they may consider buying reduced price doe/fawn deer licenses since severalthousand are available across the region (many of which are restricted to private lands).Several deer hunt areas between Sheridan to Kaycee have been opened to doe/fawnrifle hunting beginning on Sept. 1 to address crop damage issues. In Hunt Areas 27,29, 30, or 33, a hunter can again purchase an unlimited number of doe/fawn deer li-censes until the quota is exhausted. In Hunt Area 24, no quota (unlimited) was set forthe type 8 white- tailed deer doe/fawn licenses.

NOTE: In mid-August 2013, reports of dead deer were received in Sheridan Region.It appears the deaths may be due to Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease or blue-tongue. Ifthe outbreak intensifies, white-tailed deer hunting may be affected by this disease.

Sheridan Region contains some of Wyoming’s best known elk hunt areas. Thosehunters successful in drawing one of the highly sought after limited quota any elk li-censes for a hunt area in the Bighorn Mountains, the Rochelle Hills or the Fortifica-tion area will have opportunity for a great hunt with the possibility of bringinghome a real trophy. The limited quota any elk hunting season in Hunt Area 123 willbe open this fall after not being opened since 2011.

Because nine potential hunters know there are some large bulls in this area, it wasone of the hardest licenses to draw in the state. For those hunters not drawing a li-cense, there are still some leftover antlerless elk licenses available and residents canpurchase a general license to hunt in Areas 36 and 37. Success for general licensehunters and limited quota antlerless elk license hunters tends to be much lower thanthose who have a limited quota any elk license, but they can still enjoy time to-gether hunting with family and friends. In a small portion of Hunt Area 37,cow/calf hunting is scheduled to open Sept. 1 and will run through Sept. 30. Thisseason is designed to allow rifles hunters the opportunity to harvest an elk beforethey leave public land and hopefully redistribute some elk. Antlerless elk (type 4 li-censes) hunting in Hunt Area 38 will begin on Oct. 1 this year, which should signif-icantly increase hunter success.

From the Wyoming Game and Fish Department

PRONGHORN

DEER

ELK

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 38

1709 Sugarland Drive Sheridan, WY 82801

307.675.2100

but nightly stays too! Not just for extended stays

The Bighorn Mountains in Sheridan Region have a thriving moose popula-tion. Limited quota licenses for any moose in Hunt Areas 1, 34, and 42/43are some of the most highly sought after licenses in Wyoming. We expectthere will be some large mature bulls harvested this fall as some real barn-burners have been observed during the summer of 2013. Although bullmoose are often observed along roads and highways during summer, manybulls head for deep cover soon after the hunting season begins, making for achallenging hunt.

Game bird hunters in Sheridan Region may not have as good huntingthis fall as they did in 2012. The drought of 2012 resulted in little residualcover for nesting habitat in spring 2013. Field personnel report smallbroods or baren hens across the Region. Spring “lek” (breeding ground)surveys of sage-grouse showed that sage-grouse numbers were still belowlong-term averages. Wild turkey numbers vary throughout the region. Inthe Buffalo and Sheridan areas there were already large numbers of turkeys,so it is expected there will be plenty of birds. Pheasants from the WyomingGame and Fish Department bird farm will be released on several SheridanRegion Walk-In Areas. Hunters are reminded that most game bird huntingoccurs on private land, except for blue grouse hunting in the BighornMountains and pheasant hunting on the department’s walk-in areas.

Migratory Game BirdsDucks · Dark Geese · Light Geese · Snipe · Rails · Mourning Doves· Sandhill Cranes

MOOSE

GAME BIRDS

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39 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

Many Wyoming citizensare indoctrinated into asportsmen's culture of hunt-ing and shooting at an earlyage, but visitors and thosewho are new to the sporthave several avenues to get inthe club. A key componentof that process is a state-sanctioned Hunter's Educa-tion class and thecomplementary HunterMentor Program.

Hunter's Education is a12-18-hour instructionalcourse taught by a volunteerstaff of local Game and FishDepartment officials thatgoes over safe gun handlingand hunting practices. It alsoprovides an overview ofhunting regulations andwildlife habitat considera-tions. It's required for allhunters born after 1966.

"The premise of thecourse is that we're turningout safe, legal, responsiblenew sportsmen," said JimDawson, hunter educationcoordinator for theWyoming Game and FishDepartment.

Hunter's Educationcourses became a mandatoryrequirement prior to pur-chasing any type of hunting,but not fishing, license inWyoming in 1979. Dawson

said the program today rep-resents a great success storyfor the Game and Fish De-partment, that serves as aneffective agent to pass downthe heritage of ethical hunt-ing and love of wildlands.

Upon graduation from aclass, each person receives awallet-size card that must becarried with them on allhunts, along with appropri-ate licenses and tags, for therest of their lives. When asportsmen is checked in thefield by a warden, failure topresent a Hunter's Educa-tion card is a ticket-worthyoffense.

Nearly 30 years after theintroduction of the HunterEducation Program, a sup-plementary program was in-troduced via an act of theWyoming Legislature to ex-pand hunting opportunitiesto residents and visitors whowant to try the sport beforethey decide to commit to thehours of classroom study.

"In 2007, we started theHunter Mentor Program,"Dawson said. "It's the try-before-you-buy model."

Enrollees in the HunterMentor Program can pur-chase licenses to harvestgame of their choice. For afull calendar year, the interimhunter can participate ineach respective game season.However, they must alwayshunt with someone 18 orolder who has completed theHunter's Education course.The mentor, usually a rela-tive or friend, can changefrom hunt to hunt through-out the year.

Dawson said the programlets a student do more thanjust watch the hunt; it letsthem be the one to take the

shot, and it works to recruitnew faces into an importantaspect of Wyoming heritage.

"The preponderance offolks who use the HunterMentor Program go on totake Hunter Ed courses,"Dawson said.

Dawson said that becausemany Wyoming residentscomplete their Hunter's Ed-ucation class during theiradolescent years, there's aperception an adult enrollingin the class would feel out ofplace.

Dawson said those con-

cerns are unfounded, as mostclasses are comprised of amix of all ages. However, thestate also offers onlinecoursework coupled with aday at a gun range for shystudents.

Dawson said the HunterMentor Program can act asanother pathway toward in-dependent hunting.

"The demographic whouses the mentor programmost is 20-something fe-males," Dawson said. "Thisis a wonderful opportunitywhen gals marry into a hunt-

Mick Kaser holds a Flintlock muzzle-loading rifle while he explains the history of muzzle-loadingguns and the evolution of firearms during a Hunter Education Class at the Family Life CenterChurch in Sheridan. | photo by Justin Sheely

"This is a wonderful oppor-tunity when gals marry into ahunting family. They're able topurchase a license and havetheir mentor card, go out andgive it a try. It perpetuateshunting as a lifestyle for thefamily."

—Dawson

A Wyoming traditionBy Tracee Davis

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 40

ing family. They're able topurchase a license and havetheir mentor card, go outand give it a try. It perpetu-ates hunting as a lifestyle forthe family."

Dawson emphasized thatonce a hunter signs up to be

mentored, the clock startsticking, and it's irreversible.

"It's critical they do notsign up early and then wastethe opportunity," Dawsonsaid. "It's best to sign up forthe program right beforeyou're going on a hunt to

make sure you use the op-tion. It's one calendar yearfor life."

Both Hunter's Educationand the Hunter Mentor Pro-gram aim to equip Wyominghunters with a healthy loveof land, respect for wildlife

and safety savvy gun prac-tices in a welcoming, open-arms approach.

Additional resources foraspiring hunters include re-gional Game and Fish De-partment offices around thestate.

An original 1893 Marlin Lever Action is set on display with a collection of rifles and muzzle-loading firearms fromMick Kaser during a Hunter Education Class at the Family Life Center Church in Sheridan. | photo by Justin Sheely

Page 44: 2013 fall destination

BREAKING TRAILGroomers clear path for recreation

During the snowstorms that fre-quently come through our area all win-ter, most of us hunker down in ourwarm and dry homes. However, severalSheridan residents head into the snowand the mountains to prepare local skitrails for users.

For more than a decade, members ofthe Black Mountain Nordic Club havesponsored maintenance of the cross-country ski trails in the Bighorn Na-tional Forest around Sibley Lake andCutler Hill. The trails are open to bothcross-country skiers and snowshoers.

The club was formallyorganized and achievednonprofit status in2001, but thefounders andother volun-teers hadactuallybeen

grooming trails since the late 1970s. “Jim Goodwin and myself and a cou-

ple other people started ploddingaround Sibley and thought there wassome potential for ski trails there and itkind of got started from there,” CurtSchwamb said. “We formed the cluband it has sort of grown from thatpoint. We’ve accumulated equipmentlittle by little.”

The group now has a handful ofsnowmobiles and six implements usedfor grooming trails. Six members of theclub are trained to do the trail groom-ing.

“We try to groom once a week,depending on snow condi-

tions,” Schwamb explained.“If you get a lot of snow,

it is a lot of work. Foran average weekend, if

you got 6 inches ofsnow that week

you are probablylooking at 10

man-hoursto getevery-

thingin

good condition. It is a second job.” “When we groom we usually try to

go up at least two people at a time soone person isn’t up there alone,” hecontinued. “The grooming machinesaren’t like snow machines, they are big-ger and heavier. When you get oneburied, it gets to be a lot of work to getone unstuck. There have been timesI’ve been stuck and not sure I could getit out. Even if you aren’t right together,if you get stuck and don’t show up at acertain time, the other guy will go lookfor you and help get you out.”

The trails at Sibley Lake and Cutlerare nine and four miles respectively, buteach trail needs repeated passes to prop-erly pack the snow. Therefore, it oftentakes 70 miles of travel over the trails toget them in usable condition.

Schwamb estimated that thereare 125 members of the clubwho pay

41 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

Robert Nickens pushes hisway up the Prune Creek Loop

on cross country skis at theSibley Lake Ski Trails area in

the Bighorn Mountains.| photo by Justin Sheely

By Christina Schmidt

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 42

$15 per year in dues. However, somemembers pay extra and all the moneyraised is funneled back into mainte-nance activities.

The group operates under a volunteeragreement with the U.S. Forest Serviceto maintain the trails. The group volun-teers member time and equipment,while the Forest Service pays for fuelexpenses for the equipment. The ForestService also pays for and installs thetrailhead signs.

“Our responsibility is to acquire andmaintain the equipment to maintain thetrails,” Schwamb said. “Last year wespent close to $8,000 between mainte-nance and another machine. This year ithas been pretty good, nothing toomajor has gone wrong!”

Cheri Jones, a Forest Service recre-ation staff member, said the service theclub provides is hugely beneficial to theForest Service and the skiing public.

“I am amazed at what they do forus,” Jones said. “It is incredible to havethat energy level and involvement andcommitment. The forest I came frombefore this, we paid big bucks to havejust eight miles of trails groomed.”

“They just keep going and seem to

be successful in getting new membersand the more members they get themore they can spread that work out,”she added. “They are always coming upwith ideas to make things better andnew projects.”

One of the group’s ideas was to cre-ate separate trails for dogs to accom-pany their owners. Dogs are notallowed on the trails around Sibley Lakeduring the winter until maintenanceceases in the spring.

However, the group came up withthe idea for the ski trails near CutlerHill, which do allow dogs. In fact, thetrails carry names such as the CanineClimb, Mutt Meadows and Fido’s Fair-way. While the trails at Sibley arepacked and then have tracks set inthem, the Cutler trails are just packedwith no tracks set.

The volunteer nature of the club en-sures that access to the trails is free tothe public. Schwamb noted that manyother ski areas are often operated bygovernment entities or businesses thatcharge a daily or season pass fee tocover maintenance costs.

Schwamb said the group has seensome recent increases in membership,

particularly after Antelope Butte SkiArea closed, but noted that he thinksthe increased interest is mainly relatedto new converts to the sport.

“It is a good way to get out and youaren’t slogging through the deep snowlike you would going through thetrees,” he said. “You have nice packedtrails to go on that makes it easier andthe weather in the Sibley and Cutlerarea can be really good. It lies in apocket and is kind of protected. A lot oftimes it is nicer up there than it is downhere.”

Members of the club receive weeklyemail notifications of trail conditionsand weather reports. Schwamb encour-ages anyone interested in joining orsupporting the group to contact themthrough their website at www.black-mountainnordic.com.

“They are an amazing source of ex-pertise and assistance and support,”Jones said. “I don’t know if the publicappreciates it enough. There is a lot ofwork that goes into that.

“It is hard to even quantify the valuethat they provide to us. We appreciate ittremendously, more than words can ex-press.”

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SHOWS MUST GO ON!

As fall and winter settle in, skiersthrill at the thought of standing above ahill covered in powder, ready for therush of the run.

Likewise, theater lovers stand on thecusp of a new season of shows, waitingfor everyone to push over the edge andenjoy the rush of lights, costumes, ac-tion.

With the WYO Theater, the CarriageHouse Theater, Sheridan College, Tan-dem Productions, Sheridan HighSchool and other area school produc-tions, locals and visitors alike will havedozens of shows, of all varieties, toenjoy this year.

Earlier this sea-son, threelocal di-rec-

tors gathered to talk theater – particu-larly community theater – and whySheridan is a place where arts thrive.

Erin Butler is the marketing and de-velopment associate at the WYO The-ater and will be directing this year’sWYO Theater Gala production of“Cabaret.”

Matt Davis is the director of Habitatfor Humanity. He is directing two offour Civic Theatre Guild productions atthe Carriage House: “God of Carnage”and “Forever Plaid.”

Aaron Odom works as a financial aidcounselor at Sheridan College. He will

direct “12 Angry Jurors,” anadaptation of “12 Angry

Men,” at Sheridan HighSchool this fall.

The Sheridan Press:What makes Sheridana theater-friendlytown?

Davis: A lot ofpeople spend a lotof time for the per-forming arts in thiscommunity. It’s alla volunteer work-force, from thedirectors, to thecast members, tothe people whoare on boards.It’s somethingthat people arereally passionateabout, and Ithink that isprobably thebottom line ofwhy it happens.

The SheridanPress: As anactor and direc-

tor, how does it feel to be able to per-form in a town that is supportive andnot dead to the arts?

Odom: You always want to pick ashow that will be not only well-at-tended but well-appreciated. Having atown like Sheridan where a lot of peo-ple are cultivated in the fact that theyexpect a certain level of quality from us,and they get it, it’s almost a safety net,that you are supported by getting up onthat stage instead of being constantlyjudged.

It’s almost like a birthright to being aSheridan resident; you have to appreci-ate the arts.

Davis: We don’t compete againsteach other. We help each other out. Icould see in some places it may be acompetition, where here everybodywants the end product to be the ab-solute best show possible, and everyonechips in to make it happen that way.

The Sheridan Press: Are there anydownsides to having such a supportivecommunity for theater arts?

Odom: You get seven shows withinhalf of a season, and people are goingto start to get really picky about whatthey go to, which is unfortunate be-cause we’re all doing it for everybody.You can go spend $10 and go see a 3-Dmovie, then three months later you’llhave that 3-D DVD, and you’ll be ableto watch it any time you want, butyou’re making an investment for theaterone time, and it’s never going to be thesame way any time you see it.

The Sheridan Press: Let’s talk aboutthe idea that this is all volunteer labor.You all have full-time jobs, and youhave your families, so what makes youdo it?

Butler: Just believing in, as cheesy asit sounds, the art of it. There’s some-

43 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

By Hannah Wiest

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 44

thing that each play or musical has to say, and to be able tomake that come to life is really rewarding.

Whether you’re portraying a particular time in history, orjust a moment, everything has its specific experiences. It’s funto discover those things and learn about who those peoplemight have been, and in turn the audience, hopefully, will dis-cover something about themselves by watching it, or think ofsomething they hadn’t thought of before, or come away with afeeling that they hadn’t gotten from something else.

It’s kind of altering, and that’s why it’s sort of addicting in away.

The Sheridan Press: What makes you step into the role ofbeing a director? Why take on that responsibility?

Odom: A couple of my favorite quotes about theater are:“Theater should be used as a weapon in the right hands” and“Theater is generally an attack on the status quo.”

There’s a reason that plays are done, and it’s not simply forescapism, to get out of your life and just enjoy things. That el-ement is certainly there, but there has to be something thatyou’re actually trying to convey to the audience.

Butler: Clearly we’re not the first group of people to do this.There’s so many people who have paved the way for us, madeit a popular thing to do. It’s easier almost. People are alreadyexcited about it, which is great.

The Sheridan Press: What does it take to put together a sea-son of theater?

Davis: It’s pretty stressful. You have to come up with theplays, you have to come up with the directors, you have tocome up with the cast, you have to build the set, you have tohave all these pieces in place for quality shows. It’s super diffi-cult, but it’s twice as rewarding.

Another cool thing about community theater is the cast.You’ll have a doctor in the cast, you’ll have a lawyer, you’llhave a priest, you’ll have a rancher. You’ll have the most eclec-tic, crazy group of people that would never, ever, ever meetanywhere except in a community theater play. It is so awesometo see this strange group of people, this motley crew, become afamily and put on this production.

These plays are a direct reflection of what Sheridan is, right?I mean it’s completely Sheridan, all the people in it, everythingis Sheridan. That’s a big thing to be proud of in your commu-nity.

For more information on Sheridan’s upcoming theater season:

- Civic Theatre Guild: www.sheridanstage.com, 672-9886

- WYO Theater: www.wyotheater.com, 672-9084

- Tandem Productions: 307-672-7491

- Sheridan College: www.sheridan.edu, 307-674-6446

- Sheridan County School District 2:www.scsd2.com

- Sheridan County School District 1: www.sheridan.k12.wy.us/

Page 48: 2013 fall destination

Hitting the snow covered trails

For the winter sports enthusiast wish-ing to avoid the drone of a snowmobilemotor, the Bighorn Mountains offer sixcross-country ski areas.

“These trails have yet to be discov-ered by most Nordic skiers and offerplenty of solitude,” according to a re-lease from the Bighorn National Forest.

Trails can be accessed from U.S.Highway 14 coming from Sheridan andfrom U.S. Highway 16 coming fromBuffalo. Willow Park and Pole Creek, inparticular, offer great cross-country ski-ing opportunities. Trails are open De-cember through May.

From the Bighorn National Forest:Near Buffalo• Pole Creek Nordic Ski Trail -

#557 Seven different loops tosatisfy any ski level. Nearly 11miles of groomedtrails. Light use.Trail begins andends at theparking areaon Forest Serv-ice Road 457.

• PoleCreek X-CountrySite - Thearea pro-vides op-

portunitesfor cross-coun-

try skiers and snow-shoers to explore loops,

hills, ridges and forested areas through-out the winter. From Buffalo takeHighway 16 west about 17 miles.Turn right on to FSR 456.

• Willow Park Nordic SkiTrail - #556 Offering13 miles ofgroomedtrails and avarietyof

skilllevels.

Skiers can ex-perience loops,

hills, ridges and won-derful scenery Trail begins

and ends at Willow Park.Antelope Butte Nordic Ski Trail -

#559 The trail is divided into four loops— providing for a variety of skill levels.The trail winds through lodgepole pineforests and breaks into large open parksoffering the skier excellent scenic views.

Lo-cated about

40 miles eastof Greybull on

Higway 14, the trailsystem begins and ends

at the ski area parking lot,off of FSR 244.

Near Sheridan:Cutler Hill Nordic Ski Trail -

#552 Cross-country ski with your dogon gentle slopes, spur trails and ameadow loop. From Dayton, takeHighway 14 west 19 miles. Parking lotis on the north side of the road. This isa popular trail for Sheridan residents.

Sibley Lake Nordic Ski Trail - #558Some loops provide for skate/ski op-portunities, snowshoers are also wel-come. These trails are track set forclassic skiing therefore dogs are not al-lowed. (no dogs allowed on ski trails)Directions: Trail begins at Sibley LakeParking and ends at Sibley Lake Park-ing.

45 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

By Brad Estes

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 46

DOWNHILL SKIINGDownhill skiing opportunities can be

found just a short drive from Sheridan.The closest ski destination is Mead-

owlark Ski Lodge. It offers a triple chairlift, a double chair lift, a beginner liftand 20 runs. Find Meadowlark SkiLodge 45 miles west of Buffalo and 20miles east of Ten Sleep. Call for opendates and times: 307-267-2609.

The other ski area near Sheridan hasbeen closed since 2004, but a nonprofitgroup has been formed and is hopingto re-open the Antelope Butte Ski Area.Located 59 miles west of Sheridan and35 miles east of Greybull, the runs canstill be used by skiers eager to walk backto the top of the hill.

ICE FISHINGWhen it comes to ice fishing, staying

warm might test your patience, but theactivity is definitely worth a try forthose willing to brave it.

Sibley Lake and Lake DeSmet pro-vide easy access from Sheridan for icefishers. With a wide array of well-keptsecrets and some longer drives, thereare plenty of opportunities to try thepopular winter activity in the area.

When it comes to treading on ice,safety is always important.

“Ice conditions often fluctuate

throughout the winter months as waterlevels in lakes and reservoirs change,and freezing and thawing weather pat-terns come and go and can contributeto unstable ice conditions,” accordingto the Wyoming Game and Fish De-partment.

Four inches of clear ice is usually safefor fishing, according to the WGFD,and they recommend that ice bechecked every 100 to 150 feet.

Ice on rivers, in particular, can provedangerous as moving water underneath

can change conditions quickly. For thisreason, the state recommends that an-glers stay off rivers.

Other recommendations from theWGFD include not driving ATVs or ve-hicles on the ice and always fishing witha buddy. Always bring a floatation de-vice and an ice pick in case you fall in.

Be sure to get your fishing licenseand stamp before heading out on anyfishing adventure.

A local skier spends the day near Cutler Hill in the Bighorn Mountains | Sheridan Press file photo

By Brad Estes

By Brad Estes

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47 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

The Bear Lodge Resort is your jump-ing off point for snowmobiling in theBighorn Mountains. With rental andtour opportunities, the lodge is locatedat Burgess Junction.

“We have 193 miles of well-markedand groomed trails, an additional 22miles of ungroomed trails and thou-sands of acres of unbroken powdermeadows,” according to the BearLodge website.

The Wyoming Department of StateParks, the Bighorn National Forest andlocal snowmobiling clubs work cooper-atively to maintain the area’s trail sys-tem.

Riding seasons span November toApril with elevations varying from7,500 feet to 10,000 feet. Wyominglaw requires that snowmobiles have aresident or nonresident user fee decalon the machine,accordingto theBighornNa-tionalFor-est.

For those unfamiliar with the area atour guide is recommended.

A full list of rules and safety tips canbe found in the Northern WyomingSnowmobiles Trail Map or by visitingthe Bear Lodge website at bearlodgere-sort.com. Also, a list of the many trailscan be found under the recreation/win-ter sports section of the Bighorn Na-toinal Forest website.

SNOWMOBILING By Brad Estes

Lee Hart heads out to start his pokerride from Bear Lodge.

| photo by Justin Sheely

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 48

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One of Sheridan's most beloved win-ter events is set for Nov. 29, as always,the day after Thanksgiving.

The Christmas Stroll was developedmany years ago in an effort to bringBlack Friday shoppers to downtownSheridan. It is a community event tokick off the holiday shopping season.

Friends, family and neighbors gatherdowntown to take photographs withSanta and Mrs. Claus, enjoy free rideson the trolley, a hay wagon and minia-ture train.

Hot drinks and food are also availableon Grinnell Plaza, the centerpiece of

Sheridan's downtown. Live music also typically highlight's

the annual event.In conjunction with the Christmas

Stroll, the Sheridan County Chamber ofCommerce organizes a "stroll button"design competition.

The contest opens in April and endsin May. Children in first through sixthgrades submit their button design tothe Chamber and are asked to basetheir design on the year's theme.

This year's Christmas Stroll theme is"Home for the Holidays."

The design is used on buttons distrib-

uted and sold throughout the holidayshopping season. If your numbermatches the number hanging in partici-pating businesses' you win a prizeworth at least $50.

Registration slips are also available inbusinesses to enter your button numberinto weekly drawings for $100 inChamber Bucks. All of the button num-bers gathered from registration slips arethen entered in a grand prize drawingon Dec. 31 for $1,000 Chamber Bucks.

This year's Christmas Stroll buttondesign winner will be announced to-ward the October.

The Koltiska Pumpkin Patch will beopen through Oct. 13. It is located westof Sheridan at 120 Cat Creek Road and isowned and operated by Vicki and GaryKoltiska.

Pumpkins are $6 apiece and theKoltiskas provide a short hay ride out othe field for picking.

CHRISTMAS STROLL

KOLTISKA PUMPKIN PATCHSheridan Press file photos

Sheridan Press file photos

from staff reports

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49 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

A family gatheringThe Sheridan County Community

Holiday Dinner has become a heavilyattended holiday tradition in the areaand organizers have said volunteers arewhat make the event.

And they do.In past years, more than 150 people

volunteered for the event, helping be-fore, during and after the actual feast.

In past years, the Sheridan County 4-H Club has helped pack food bags thatwere distributed during the event.

Another organization that helps outbefore the big day is the WyomingGirls’ School. For several years, studentsat the school have helped pull the meatfrom the turkeys prepared for the meal.

Sheridan County Chamber of Com-merce Ambassadors have also volun-teered at the event since its inception in1991.

“When we started the dinner, we re-ally didn’t have a signature event thatthe ambassadors did every year and thatthey could consistently fundraise for,”one dinner organizer Debi Isakson said.“So they took this on as what they feltwas a community event where theycould get out and be visible while work-

ing for the community.“They know what they are doing,

and they do it year after year,” Isaksonsaid, adding that the ambassadors dishout the food each year.

Other groups that make the eventpossible are local Girl Scout troups thathelp families carry their plates to tables,local church organizations who help setup and tear down all of the tables andchairs used at the dinner and businesseswho come out to help any way theycan.

“And this wouldn’t be possible with-out the Holiday Inn,” Isakson said,noting that the event has been held atthe local hotel every year. “They are theonly venue that could handle this kindof event with all of the food prepara-tion. They order it, prepare it and usetheir employees to help oversee the vol-unteers.”

“It has been wonderful to work withthem and they don’t charge us apenny.”

On average, more than 50 turkeys,70 pounds of green beans, 20 gallons ofgravy, 60 pounds of cranberries and1,200 cups of ice cream are made ready

for hungry Sheridanites.But it is notjust organizations who help out at theevent.

“We have a lot of individuals whowant to volunteer as well,” Isakson said.

One year, according to Isakson, afamily arrived with their children to vol-unteer because they wanted their kidsto see what the event was all about.

“So we’ve had volunteers as young as9, 8, 7 years old, and as old as 70,”Isakson said.

Adding to the tradition of commu-nity and holiday spirit, the HolidayBrass Band and the Craft Brothers haveperformed at every Sheridan CountyCommunity Holiday Dinner.

Mr. and Mrs. Claus, played by JudyTaylor Dave Youngren, are always onhand to greet attendees.

While the Sheridan County Commu-nity Holiday Dinner is free, organizersask that attendees get tickets in ad-vance. Check the Sheridan CountyChamber of Commerce website for lo-cations where tickets are available. Thedinner includes turkey and all the trim-mings and will be held from 4-7 p.m. atthe Sheridan Holiday Inn Dec. 8.

Above: Madelyn Katschke of Sheridan receives some green beans to go with her dinner during the annual Community Holiday Dinner at theSheridan Holiday Inn. Below: Dylan Jacob of Sheridan has a drink with his mother, Brittany, as they wait to see Santa Claus during the

annual Community Holiday Dinner. Right: Tess Bateman of Sheridan eats a cucumber the annual Community Holiday Dinner. | Sheridan Press file photos

from staff reports

Page 53: 2013 fall destination

D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 50

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DOWNTOWN SheridanHistoric downtown Sheridan allows visitors to

shop in delightful boutiques and enjoy the archi-tecture of the old West. Sheridan's Main Street ishome to 46 buildings on the National Registryof Historic Places, giving shoppers a wonderfulmix of old and new.

One address, 224 S. Main St. is home to theSheridan County Courthouse, built in 1905and on the National Registry, the courthousewas built for around $55,000. In 1913, a smallbuilding was built on the southwest side of theproperty and used as the county jail, there is anunderground tunnel that connects the court-house and former jail.

At 42 N. Main St., the WYO Theater wasoriginally named the Lotus and opened in 1923.The theater was one of six theaters located inSheridan. The name was changed two WYO in1941.

Sheridan's original town hall and fire station islocated at 112 N. Main St. The large archwayswere used to bring the horse and fire wagons

through. The building now houses the BeaverCreek Saloon.

The former home of The Sheridan Press news-paper can be found at 234-250 N. Main St. Thebuilding was constructed in 1910.

A landmark of Sheridan, the Mint Bar, openedin 1907 at 151 N. Main St. and still operatestoday. The bar was remodeled in the late 1940sin the same rustic charm that visitors can stillenjoy.

In 1908, Stevens and Fryberger moved theirdry goods store to 35 N. Main St. The name ofthe store was "The New York Store," easilyidentified by the engraving at the top of thebuilding.

For more information aboutSheridan's historic downtown,see www.sheridan-wyoming.org.

from staff reports

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51 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

A new breath of life for the Sheridan InnOnce deemed the finest hotel be-

tween Chicago and San Francisco, theSheridan Inn opened its doors May 27,1893. Today, visitors may relax in rock-ing chairs on the same porch fromwhich William "Buffalo Bill" Cody,once the inn's owner, frequently con-ducted auditions for his Wild WestShows on the front lawn, offering thevisiting train passengers a taste of theWest from their windows.

As one of the first Western hotelswith running water and electricity, theSheridan Inn quickly became a favoritestop for passersby. Notably among thehotel's guests was Ernest hemingway,who labored over "A Farewell to Arms"in the late 1920s.

However, as passenger trains grewless popular and cars became the pre-ferred mode of transportation , theinn's business began to dwindle. By1965, it was bankrupt. The inn wasgiven new hope when Neltje, a local ab-stract artist and philanthropist, began acampaign to save the historic buildingin 1967.

After almost 50 tumultuous years ofopening and closings, the Sheridan Innwas reopened in 1990 by the SheridanHeritage Center, Inc., a nonprofit cor-

poration that owns the inn today and isrenovating the hotel's rooms.

In 2008, the nonprofit board decidedto borrow $1.8 million from WyomingBank and Trust in Cheyenne, as part ofwhat was believed to be a final push tofinish the renovation of the Inn. Theloan was to be paid off through the is-suance of revenue bonds.

But, the downtown in the economyleft the nonprofit with $7,000 permonth loan payments, short of themoney to finish the Inn and facing on-going operational and maintenancecosts.

The ultimate goal was to completethe renovations of the upstairs rooms inorder to generate additional revenueand make the Inn self-sufficient.

As of this spring, that goal had notbeen reached, the bank gained owner-ship of the property and had placed iton the real estate market.

This fall, a Tulsa-based man withSheridan roots has entered into a con-tract to purchase the Inn with plans tofinish its remodel and open it onceagain as operational inn.

Bob Townsend said the closing datefor he and his wife, Dana, is set for lateOctober.

“I think that only makes sense to goahead and finish that out,” Townsendsaid of his plans for the historic build-ing. “Those 22 rooms — ideally you’dhave more — but those rooms are whatwill make it viable.

“Anyone who has looked at thebuilding and is willing to finish it withthe business model the Heritage Centerstarted, knows that you won’t make ahuge profit,” he continued. “But youcan make money and you can keep itrunning in the black.”

Townsend continued by saying thatthe business model set by the SHC is agood one that should be self-sustainingwhen completed.

Changes to the building’s plans willbe few. Townsend said he hopes to up-date the lobby to appeal more to guestswho plan to stay at the Inn, but plansno major aesthetic overhauls.

“People need that common space tosit around the fire, socialize and we’dlike to give them space to do that,” hesaid of his plans for the lobby area.

Other upgrades to the building willlikely include completion of the Inn’sbasement for use as conference spaceand a fitness center for guests.

from staff reports

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 52

Sheridan County MuseumThe Sheridan County Museum gives

visitors a local perspective on the his-tory of the American West. It presents avariety of exhibits that investigate his-tory, culture, agriculture and the inge-nuity of Sheridan County inhabitants.

The Sheridan County Museum isopen from 1-5 p.m. daily in May, 10a.m. to 6 p.m. June 1 through Aug. 31,and 1-5 p.m. daily Sept. 1-Dec. 24. Themuseum gift shop is open Tuesdaythrough Thursday 1-5 p.m.

The museum is located at 850 SibleyCircle in Sheridan, just off Interstate90, exit 23.

Admission fees are $4 for adults, $3

for seniors (60 years and older) and $2for students. Children 12 years old andyounger get in free of charge, as do vet-erans and active military members.

The Sheridan County Museum isowned and operated by the SheridanCounty Historical Society. The purposeof the museum collections is to furtherthe appreciation and understanding ofthe prehistory, social and cultural his-tory of Sheridan County.

In 2007, the museum began offeringa free program for children, theJunior Curator program.To participate,

all kids have to do is pick up a museumguide and activity book at the admis-sion desk. The book is full of activitiesthat children can do while exploring themuseum.

Children who participate in the pro-gram become Sheridan County Mu-seum Junior Curators and receive apatch or a bookmark.

For more information about theSheridan County Museum and new ex-

hibits, visit sheridancountyhis-tory.com or call the

museum at 307-675-1150.

from staff reports

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Bighorn MOUNTAIN LODGESSnowmobilers have long known the

attraction of the snow in the BighornMountains and lodges in the mountainsas well as the local economy as well arereaping the benefits.

Rick Young, who owns Bear Lodge,Elk View Lodge and Arrowhead Lodgeestimates that those three lodges bringin $4 million of revenue per year. InDecember, January and February theybrought in $2 million worth of businessand in February and March, he said thelodges were filled to capacity.

Young and his wife, Roberta have

owned Bear Lodge since 1993, Arrow-head since 2008 and Elk View Inn since2010. He said since their first daysowning just one lodge, their revenuehas increased greatly, expanding to em-ploy 65-70 people. All three are locatednear U.S. Highway 14.

“I think we have multiplied our im-pact four fold.” Young said.

In the wintertime snowmobilers arelooking not only for a place to stay andbuy food, they are also purchasing de-cals, which are required to ride on trailsin Wyoming. Young said this year he

has sold 32,000 decals for $25 each.While wintertime is the busiest time

for those three lodges, summer and fallcan also bring in its share of business.Hunters tracking big game often stay atthe lodges, although Young said hunt-ing season hasn’t been as busy as in pre-vious years.

“The deer population is dropping alittle,” he said. “We had a wait list six orseven years ago. Now we are probably50 to 60 percent occupied. It has lev-eled off a little bit.”

Summer brings bus tours, weddings,

6 7 2 - 0 3 6 1 • 7 2 7 E . B r u n d a g e L a n e 6 7 2 - 0 3 6 1 • 7 2 7 E . B r u n d a g e L a n e 6 7 2 - 0 3 6 1 • 7 2 7 E . B r u n d a g e L a n e

Open 7 Days Open 7 Days A Week! A Week!

Conveniently located Conveniently located Conveniently located at Coffeen & at Coffeen & at Coffeen & Brundage Lane Brundage Lane Brundage Lane Our staff is here Our staff is here Our staff is here

to help you! to help you! to help you!

Elk View Lodge | The Sheridan Press file photo

from staff reports

Arrowhead Lodge Bar | courtesy photo

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D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N 54

family reunions and of course motorcy-clists who are headed to the SturgisMotorcycle Rally.

Those three lodges are not the onlyones nearby that bring in visitors.

The Paradise Guest Ranch is 16 milesfrom Buffalo and is owned by Clay andLeah Miller.

According to Clay Miller, the busi-ness employs 45-48 people and gueststypically stay for a week.

Clay Miller said that his businesshosts about 60 guests per week andruns at capacity during the summermonths. He added that his business re-lies heavily on air service. He said themajority of his customers come from allover the country and the majority ofthem fly into Sheridan and the remain-der fly into Gillette, Casper or Denver.

Corey Hulse took over as manager atWyoming High Country Lodge 30miles west of Lovell in August. He esti-mates that between Dec. 1 and March13 they have 670 guests with another1,000 stopping through for food orgas.

He said the majority of visitors comefrom Minnesota, South Dakota andIowa.

“They call themselves flatlanders,”Hulse said about the snowmobilers vis-iting their lodge. “During snowmobileseason they ride on the plains and theydon’t have the hills or the environmentof the Bighorns.”

He estimates that the average personspends between $1,000 and $1,500 ontheir stays, which includes fuel, lodgingand food.

Their staff is simply Hulse and hiswife, who not only do cleaning, butmaintenance as well as cooking.

There are plans for the lodge to pos-sibly expand as they have received a per-mit from the United States ForestService to allow RV and tent camping.

“We will wait and see how this yeargoes,” Hulse said.

Meanwhile visitors will continue tospend time in the majestic mountainswhether it be snowmobiling, hiking,horseback riding or cross country ski-ing.

“One of our biggest roles is to bringpeople to the Bighorns,” Hulse said.

Kyle Reid, left, of Williston, N.D., and Cain Hanson, of Fremont, Mich., fuel up their snowmobile rentals at Bear Lodge Resort be-fore hitting the trails again in the Bighorn Mountains. | Sheridan Press file photo

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55 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

The Brinton Museum Bradford Brinton Memorial and Mu-

seum gives visitors a glimpse into theheart of a 1920s and '30s gentleman'sworking ranch.

Located in Big Horn, the musemserves as home to a vast collection of artby Charles M. Russell, Frederic Rem-ington, Edward Borein, Frank TenneyJohnson, Hans Kleiber, Bill Gollingsand others.

Records indicate that the ranch wasfirst homesteaded by Mr. and Mrs.Richard F. Clark in 1882. The Clarks'dugout home was on the site of what isnow the ranch foreman's house.

William Moncreiffe of Scotland pur-chased the homestead in 1892. He builtthe amin ranch house in 1892-3 and es-tablished the Quarter Circle A Ranch.

Moncrieffe sold the main house andone remaining section of land to Brad-

ford Brinton in 1923.Brinton continued to operate the

Quarter Circle A as a gentlemen'sworking ranch and summer home and aplace to keep the bulk of hide art col-lection. He purchased an additional2,200 acres to the east and added newbuildings (the horse barn and LittleCreek Lodge).

The main house was renovated andenlarged by Bradford Brinton in 1927-8. The work was done by Prentice Sen-ger whom Brinton had met at Yale.

Upon his death in 1932, the ranchpassed to his sister, Helen Brinton.When she died in 1960, the ranch wasopened to the public as a memorial toWestern art and history through HelenBrinton's will.

Most of the downstairs rooms in themain house are open to the public.

Visitors are welcome to take in Brin-ton's extensive collection of art and his-toric documents, such as letters fromAbraham Lincoln and George Washing-ton.

The Bradford Brinton Memorial andMuseum is listed on the National Reg-ister of Historic Places.

The museum is open this fall Tuesdaythrough Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5p.m. and Sundays noon to 5 p.m.Those hours will run through Oct. 31.For additional information on off-sea-son hours and exhibits, visit www.bb-mandm.org.

Admission is $4 for adults and $3 forseniors (62 and older) and students (13and older with a valid ID).

Children 12 year old and younger,school groups, military and museummembers get in free.

Birdie Real Bird of the Crow Tribe speaks abouttraditional beading and her vast work at The Brinton Museum.| Sheridan Press file photo

from staff reports

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Sheridan ice rinkWhile the snow tends to quiet the hustle and bustle of life in Sheridan

throughout the winter, at least one location awakens with the cold to be-come a flurry of activity.

Sheridan Ice, LLC, located at the corner of Sheridan Avenue and EastBrundage Street, is the local ice rink home to open skates, hockeyleagues, skating lessons and curling matches.

Open recreational skating times are some of Sheridan Ice's most popu-lar programs. The free open skates are typically held in the afternoonsthroughout the week and again in the evenings on Fridays and Saturdays.

Skate rentals are free due to the support Sheridan Ice receives from avariety of community sponsors.

Several hockey leagues are also available to those willing to don thepads and helmet and step in front of a whizzing puck.

Adult leagues typically run from November to March.Hockey season for Mini-Mites (ages 5-6 years old) and Mites (ages 7-

8) typically run from November through February. Leagues are alsoopen for grades four-six and seven through nine during that same timeframe.

Registration for hockey leagues are held in late October and early No-vember.

Skating lessons and figure skating lessons and competitions are alsoavailable for children of varying ages.

For more information on hockey leagues and skating lessons, or forcomplete schedules of open skates for the 2013-2014 season visitwww.sheridanice.org.

from staff reports

Sheridan Press file photo

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If small town America is somethingyou desire, Clearmont is the place foryou.

According to the 2000 Census,Clearmont had a population of 115. It'snot the booming population that in-spires travelers to stop in though, it'sthe history.

Clearmont sits on what used to be amajor route to Yellowstone Nationalpark and the Black Hills, Highway 14-16. Since travel flows easier along theinterstate, Clearmont has seen a de-crease in activity.

Still, its historical markers are enoughto make the weary traveler stop andstretch their legs.

The old jail was built in 1922 for$827 and is available for visitors to

check out. The jail is currently listed onthe National Registry of HistoricPlaces.

Just off Main Street sits the Arvada-Clearmont High School. Next to it isthe Old Rock School, which is a oneroom schoolhouse that offers a glimpseat days past. Although not in use any-more, the building was refurbished inrecent years.

Visitors to Clearmont can enjoy pic-nicking in the town's park, which is alsolocated on Main Street.

World War II enthusiasts will be in-terested to know that Clearmont oncehoused a German prisoner of war camp.Prisoners were allowed to work in thefields growing and harvesting beets.

Clearmont was founded in 1892 as a

railroad town servicing the Burlington-Missouri Railroad (currently known asthe Burlington Sante Fe Railroad).When railroad officials arrived the townsite was moved 1.5 miles and renamedto Clearmont.

Aside from being a major railhead,Clearmont also served as a major pointon rancher's trails servicing livestockfrom Buffalo, Crazy Woman and be-yond.

As is true with many midwest towns,Clearmont also has a heavy agriculturalinfluence as is indicated by the concreteelevator built by the Leiter estate andwas later used by the Best Out WestFlouring Mills.

Arvada/Clearmont

Dayton

CORNER GROCERY

Groceries • Meat • Produce • Sporting Goods Gas • Diesel • Propane • Hunting & Fishing Licenses

4TH AND MAIN ST. DAYTON, WY 82836

BEER, WINE & LIQUOR NOW SELLING

Nestled at the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains, Daytonis home to the first rodeo in Wyoming, the first female mayorand the famous artist Hans Kleiber.

Dayton was founded in 1882. Its name is derived from oneof the founding members, Joe Dayton Thorne. The firstmayor of the town was Cornelius "Nea" H. Ketchum. HisSuccessor Susan Wissler has the distinction of being the firstfemale mayor in Wyoming — possibly in the United States.

Dayton was incorporated in 1906 and saw some growth asmining and agriculture took its hold on the area.

German born Hans Kleiber came to the Dayton area inservice of the U.S. Forest Service as a ranger. He soon gaveup his career to capture the beauty of nature in art. Mostlyself taught, Kleiber became known as the Etcher Laureate ofthe Bighorns for his amazing depictions of wildlife, Dayton,historical figures and life on the prairie.

Kleiber's cabin studio is open for tourists and sits just a fewhundred feet from its original location. It's a must see foranyone passing through Dayton.

After checking our the Kleiber studio, travelers can stretchtheir legs at Scott Bicentennial Park. The park features volley-ball pits, picnic areas, biking/walking/running trails and agreat view of the Tongue River.

Hikers and outdoor enthusiasts can use Dayton as a stop-ping point before heading off into Tongue River Canyon orinto the mountains for a day on the trails.

from staff reports

from staff reports

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Big HornLocated on the eastern slopes of the

Bighorn Mountains alongside LittleGoose Creek, Big Horn has more thandoubled in size since 2000.

The population of Big Horn in 2000was only 190. Now, according to the2010 census, the small town has grownto 490 residents.

This is by no means the largest thetown has ever been. At one time, BigHorn had as many as 1,000 residents.The city had a college, a brick factory,saloons, churches, a hotel, a livery barnand a mercantile.

The town saw a massive downsizingwhen it lost the bid to be the county

seat to neighboring Sheridan. Morepeople left when it learned that threerailroads were surveying Sheridan —the Chicago, Burlington and QuincyRailroad. When the railroads arrived in1893, Big Horn quickly became a satel-lite community of Sheridan.

Big Horn was founded in 1882 bywealthy cattle and sheep ranchers. Someof the early settlers include sheep-breeding Moncrieffe brothers, Englishnoblemen, Oliver Wallop, Goelet Gal-latin and Bradford Brinton.

The trend of those with higher meanscontinues today as many distinguished,but low profile executives call Big Horn

home. Some work in nearby Sheridan.Big Horn boasts two polo clubs —

Big Horn Polo and Flyiing H PoloClub — that offer a more laid back at-mosphere compared to their easternand European counterparts.

In May the Big Horn EquestrianCenter has been known to host the alarge soccer tournament.

In 1984 Queen Elizabeth II stayed inBig Horn while visiting her friends,Lord and Lady Carnarvon, at Mr. andMrs. Wallop's Canyon Ranch. Theevent brought national media to BigHorn, all interested in recording thecisit of royalty to a small, western town.

RanchesterHistory and prehistory come alive in

the first stop off of U.S. Highway 14 onthe scenic trip to Yellowstone NationalPark.

Ranchester is located just north ofSheridan along the Tongue River .

This unique town has much to offertravelers on the way into the BighornMountains. Situated just miles from theBighorn National Forest, Ranchester ishome to the Connor Battlefield StateHistoric Site, Tyrannosaurus Rex Mu-seum, Rotary Park and beautiful moun-tain views.

In 1865, Gen. Patrick Connor led the

Powder River Expedition into battlewith Chief Black Bear and Arapahotribe. This fight was the only major en-counter that the Powder River Expedi-tion was involved in. It ended inConnor's troops being forced out ofthe area.

The park also rovides playgroundequipment for children and a monu-ment in honor of the site. A visit toConnor Battlefield allows travelers achance to walk in the footsteps of Con-nor and Black Bear.

Feed your brain at the T-Rex Mu-seum on Main Street. This museum

transports you back to the time of di-nosaurs. Learn about the prehistorictimeline and natural history of the area.

Rotary Park offers visitors a place torelax and enjoy paved walking trails,fishing, for children 14 years old andyounger as well as picnic facilities.

In the summer months, the commu-nity of Ranchester hosts a festival to cel-ebrate the town's history and heritage.Visit the Sheridan County Chamber ofCommerce website for more informa-tion,www.sheridanwyomingchamber.org.

StoryNestled in the thick pines, shady and

cool in the summer, Story can be a get-away destination from Sheridan's sum-mer heat.

Story, an unincorporated community20 minutes south of Sheridan, sits onthe banks of Piney Creek, according toWyoming Travel and Tourism. Storywas first platted by a horse trader, Mar-shal Wolf, who was going to name thetown after himself but was dismayed tofind that Wolf, Wyo., already existed.

The town was instead named afterCharles B. Story, a rancher who was in-strumental in getting a post office es-tablished — the first building in what

had until then been a town made up ofonly tent structures.

Today, Story acts as a gateway toATV and other trails, and features thenewly-renovated Story Fish Hatchery.With $2.6 million in funding from theWyoming Legislature, the hatchery cel-ebrated a grand reopening in Septem-ber of 2011.

The remodeling included improve-ments in water delivery systems, fishrearing areas and egg incubation facili-ties. Many features were designedspecifically to house the additionalbrood stocks and for spawning activitiesand egg incubation.

The hatchery is open daily year roundfrom 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Each year, the community celebratesthe end of summer with Story Days.

In addition, each year the SheridanWoman's Club offers a dinner for thecommunity. This year's event is set forOct. 5. The event always features aThanksgiving-like meal — includingturkey and all of the fixings — as well ashomemade pies. Lines typically stretchoutside the Story Woman's Club andinto the tree-lined streets.

For more information about theStory community, visit http://story-wyoming.org.

from staff reports

from staff reports

from staff reports

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Wyoming Information Center

Looking for information on local hotels, restaurants and en-tertainment?

Visit the Wyoming Information Center located on the eastside of the Interstate 90 Fifth Street exit.

The center offers friendly specialists to aide with any travelneeds, 24-hour public restrooms inside the building, a kioskwhere you can check out the area's different points of interest,a children's playground, a mini-museum and a picnic area withpanoramic views of Sheridan and the Bighorn Mountains.

The information center and museum are owned by the stateand operated by the Sheridan County Chamber of Commerceand Sheridan Travel and Tourism.

The information center is equipped with a flatscreen televi-sion, computers with Internet service and wireless access.

Parking at the facility is ample and able to accomodate vehi-cles of all sizes. There is also an RV waste disposal site for theconvenience of travelers.

The Chamber of Commerce and information center can becontacted at 307-672-2485 or through sheridanwyomingcham-ber.org.

STT can be contacted at 307-673-7120 orsheridanwyoming.org.

Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays from mid-Octoberthrough mid-May.

What you will find at the center:• 24-hour public restrooms• One-on-one assistance from travel specialists• Information kiosk• Brochures on area's points of interest• Dog-walking area• Picnic area• RV waste disposal site• Parking• Panoramic view of the Bighorn Mountains• Wyoming Game and Fish regional offices nearby

59 D E S T I N AT I O N S H E R I D A N

from staff reports

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