| (1) Fort Fetterman - 1867 - 1882.
Most common embarkation point on the Bozeman Trail. (2) Teapot Rock - Prominent landmark feature located near the
infamous Teapot Dome Naval oil reserve. Opened in 1917, a government scandal developed and
in 1929 some officials were convicted and jailed.
(3) Portuguese Houses - 1834 - 1839. A Fortified
trading post was built by free trapper Antonio Montero when the area was still in the
control of the friendly Crow Tribe.
(4) Powder River Crossing - In use since
prehistoric times, one of the few places where it was safe to cross this treacherous
river.
(5) Fort Reno - 1865 - 1868 Served as the first
of 3 forts along the Bozeman Trail and a major supply depot for the area.
(6) Townsend Wagon train fight site - 1864
(7) KayCee Ranch -1892 Nick Ray and Nate
Champion killed by hired Texas gunmen brought in by big ranchers
(8) Hole-in-the-wall - A natural notch in the
high red wall paralleling the Big Horn Mountains. It was an easily defensible access to
the valley between the wall and the mountains
(9) Outlaw cave - One of several in limestone
canyon walls used for thousands of years by ancient people for shelter, then as defendable
hideouts for those on the run in the 1890's.
(10) Dull Knife Battle site - Nov. 5, 1876 - A
fierce fight took place between US army troops and Chief Dull Knife's people here.
(11) T.A. Ranch - April, 1892 Hired invading
gunfighters were trapped and laid siege to by enraged towns people and homesteaders.
(12) Fort McKinney. Est. 1878 was actually
relocated from a spot on the Powder River called, at onetime, Cantonment Reno. (Near
previously abandoned Fort Reno) The town of Buffalo soon grew up near the Fort and today
hosts the Historic Occidental Hotel and the excellent Jim Gatchel Museum.
(13) Fort Phil Kearney - July 1866 - 1868. Was
under nearly constant siege by the Indians from the day it was laid out.
(14) Fetterman fight site -Dec 22, 1866. Locally
know as Massacre Hill, Fetterman and his command of 81 were wiped out in an elaborate
ambush by combined forces of Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapahoe.
(15) Wagon Box fight site, Aug 2, 1867, Soldiers
and civilians equipped with a newer type of rifle than was available to Lt. Fetterman's
men, held off and killed hundreds of encircling Indians. ( Many of the same Indians who
massacred Fetterman's command)
(16) Shurly battle site, Nov. 5, 1867. Attacked
by Indians while an escorted wagon train was crossing Prairie Dog Creek, soldiers and
civilians fought off attempts by the hostiles to steal a cannon they were transporting. Lt
Shurly was wounded, then managed to shoot his attacker in the stomach and marshal his men
to form defenses. They were assisted eventually by another detachment traveling on
the military cut off who heard the rescued cannon being fired.
(17) Sheridan - Named for General Philip
Sheridan of Civil War fame contains the area of General Crook's summer camp of 1876 after
his standoff with the Sioux at the Battle of the Rosebud. Also hosts the Mansion of cattle
king John B. Kendrick, the Historic Sheridan Inn, Kings Saddlery and cowboy museum, and
the Sheridan County Historical Society Museum. Also in the area is the Bradford Brinton
Ranch, Eatons Dude Ranch, Hutsons saddlery and museum near Story and the town of Big Horn
and its rustic museum. The main Bozeman Trail crossed Big Goose creek at this point.
(18) Conner Battlefield - Aug 29, 1865. At
present day Ranchester, Conner's unit successfully attacked and destroyed a large village
of Northern Arapahoe.
(19) Sawyer fight - Aug 31, 1865. Colonel James
A. Sawyer in charge of 100 men, in the process of improving the Bozeman Road, was attacked
by Arapahoe Indians who laid siege to the wagon train for nearly 2 weeks. The Indians
finally gave up most likely because Conner's earlier attack left them short of ammunition
and horses.
(20) Tie Hack Operations - "Tie Hacks"
were timber men who chopped out hand hewn railroad cross-ties in the Big Horn Mountains
from the 1890's until the mid 1920's.
(21) Bald Mountain City- Short lived gold mining
camp in the Big Horn Mountains.
(22) Sibley fight - July, 1876. Sibley and his
patrol were chased off the prairie and up into the Big Horns where they made a stand
against an encircling band of Sioux. They escaped on foot in the night leaving horses and
equipment behind.
(23) Crook's Tongue River skirmish - June 9,
1876. In camp at the confluence of Tongue River and Prairie Dog Creek, the command came
under harassing fire from Sioux warriors across the river on a high bluff. The Indians
were driven off with no casualties.
(24) Fort C.F. Smith - 1866 - 1868, the 3rd in
the string of 3 forts along the Bozeman Trail.
(25) Hayfield fight -Aug 1, 1867. One day before
the Wagon box fight, hay cutters and their soldier guards were forced to fight off
attacking Indians from behind hastily contrived breastworks.
(26) Battle of the Big Horn -June 25, 1876. The
infamous Custer massacre is probably the most widely known and researched battle site of
all of the Indian wars.
(27) Battle of the Rosebud - June 17, 1876. The
same Indians who fought Custer 8 days later, fought a nearly day-long battle to a draw
with General Crooks command and confederated Shoshone and Crow warriors. Crook retired to
the present-day site of the City of Sheridan to lick his wounds and await reinforcements
and supplies. It was estimated that some 60,000 bullets were fired during the battle!
(28) Buffalo Bill's cabin. Originally built for
his daughter and used as a hunting camp, the cabin was saved from ruin by rancher Ellen
Cotton who moved it from Hanging woman Creek to her ranch on 4-mile Creek, where it was
restored to original condition.
(29) Battle of the Butte. Dec. 1877. General
Nelson Miles pursued and fought Indians suspected of the Custer massacre during a winter
campaign at this significant place. The escaping Indians left behind much of their winter
supplies and soon met up with the survivors of the Dull Knife battle who were also
starving by this time. The Sioux finally gave up and went back to their reservations and
for the most part, the great Indian wars were over.
(30) O.W. Ranch - Formerly one of the many ranch
headquarters established by cattle king, John B. Kendrick, the ranch is presently a fully
functioning cattle ranch, with many of the original buildings fully restored to circa
1880.
(31) Quietus Post Office - Crumbling remnant of
the community center during homestead days.
(32) Battle of Powder River - Mar. 17, 1876.
Col. J. J. Reynolds attacked an Indian camp he assumed were Sioux, but it is widely
believed that they were Northern Cheyenne under Chief Two moons. The Northern
Cheyenne were allegedly inclined to be neutral until the attack and were then convinced to
join forces with the Sioux much to the sorrow of Custer and his command.
(33) L.X. Bar ranch. Once the supreme
headquarters of the Kendrick cattle empire, the extensive complex of native stone
structures were in constant peril of being washed away by the capriciousness of the muddy
Powder River. Built in the 1890's, the main house was last occupied in the late 1940's.
The buildings now stand vacant and are showing the signs of neglect.
(34) Passiac Town site. Built in the 1890's to
serve the homesteaders, the town boasted an apothecary (drug store), Post Office, Livery,
and general merchandise store. Mail was still being delivered from and to the post office
by members of the Edmonds family as late as 1946. The town is now in ruins.
(35) Arvada - est. 1893 Once a rail shipping
point, coal and water supply for the steam locomotives, the town now still boasts a Post
Office, Saloon and Cafe, School, and scattered residences.
(36) Buffalo Soldier camp - A troop of black
cavalry was stationed here in 1892 to protect the railhead while a bridge over Powder
River was being constructed.
(37) Suggs Town site and Arvada cemetery - est.
1892. The town burned to the ground in 1893 during gunfight which pitted insulted Buffalo
Soldiers against surly town-folk.
(38) Fortification Creek - Derived it' name from
very old rifle pits found along the Powder River by early homesteader. Artifacts found at
the site suggest the besieged were armed with late 1700 or early 1800 muzzle loading
weapons. (39) Black Diamond historic mine trail. Mining town locations
of Acme, Monarch, Kleenburn, Kooi, Dietz, Model, Star, and Hotchkiss.
(40) Bates Battle on No Wood Creek 1874 “Wyoming’s bloodiest 4th of
July” |
