Sheridan

 

city (1990 pop. 13,900), seat of Sheridan co., N Wyo., on Goose Creek E of the Bighorn Mts., in a mineral, livestock, and irrigated farm region; inc. 1884. It is a regional trade and market hub. Dairy products, feeds, rope, lumber, saddles, and irrigation supplies are among its manufactures. Sheridan is also a tourist center and the headquarters for Bighorn National Forest. A rodeo and a Native American celebration are held annually, and a historical museum is in the city. The Sheridan Inn (1893) is a national historic landmark. Nearby are a reproduction of Fort Phil Kearny (a post in the 1860s); and the Brinton Memorial Ranch, which commemorates Western art and culture.

Sheridan, Wyoming
Location of Sheridan, Wyoming
Coordinates: 44°47′48″N 106°57′32″W / 44.79667, -106.95889
Country	United States
State	Wyoming
County	Sheridan
Area
- City	sq mi (km²)
- Land	sq mi ( km²)
- Water	sq mi ( km²)
Elevation	ft ( m)
Population (2000)
- City
- Density	/sq mi (/km²)
Time zone	Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
- Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code	82801
Area code(s)	307
FIPS code	56-698452
GNIS feature ID	15942513

Sheridan is a city in Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 15,804 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Sheridan County⁶.

Geography and Climate

Sheridan is located at 44°47′48″N, 106°57′32″W (44.796720, -106.958970)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.0 km² (8.5 mi²). 22.0 km² (8.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.24%) is water.

Monthly Normal and Record High and Low Temperatures
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Rec High °F	70	76	80	87	95	105	107	106	103	92	81	72
Norm High °F	33	39	48.2	57.5	66.4	76.4	85.2	84.9	73.1	59.8	43.4	34.4
Norm Low °F	9.7	14.9	22.5	30.4	38.6	46.8	52.4	51.5	41	30.3	18.5	10.4
Rec Low °F	-35	-32	-23	-2	13	27	35	32	6	-9	-25	-37
Precip (in)	0.77	0.57	1	1.77	2.41	2.02	1.11	0.8	1.38	1.41	0.8	0.68
Source: USTravelWeather.com [1]

Economy

Like most western towns, Sheridan's early industries included cattle ranching, logging, coal mining, railroading, agriculture, and small factories including a flour mill, brewery, and sugarbeet refinery. Residents today find employment in many fields including nearby coal mines, education, coal bed methane extraction, health care, retailing, banking, law firms; city, county, and state government; real estate sales, hospitality, lumber, railroad, dude ranching, National Forest, home construction, and a large number of small businesses, farming, and ranching.

Education

Sheridan is served by Sheridan County School District #2. There are six elementary, two junior (or middle) schools, and two high schools. In addition the district supports home schooling as well as alternative education programs at Mackenzie High School and the Wright Place Middle School. Private and parochial schools are operated by Normative Services, Holy Name Parish (Holy Name School), and several religion-based organizations. The Northern Wyoming Community College District offers post-secondary education with Sheridan College.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 15,804 people, 7,005 households, and 4,062 families residing in the city. The population density was 718.7/km² (1,862.4/mi²). There were 7,413 housing units at an average density of 337.1/km² (873.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.93% White, 0.22% African American, 0.97% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.20% Pacific Islander, 0.85% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.64% of the population. 24.0% were of German, 12.5% English, 10.3% Irish, 7.6% United States or American, 5.9% Norwegian and 5.3% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 7,005 households out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.0% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.0% were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 26.3% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,420, and the median income for a family was $40,106. Males had a median income of $30,829 versus $19,783 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,500. About 8.6% of families and 11.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.1% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communications

The Sheridan Press is the local newspaper. Regionally, there are The Billings Gazette and The Casper Star Tribune. For broadcast radio there are the five+ stations of Sheridan Media and two public radio stations: KSUW a Wyoming Public Radio station and KEMC, via translator from Montana State University - Billings in Billings, Montana. Telecommunications companies include Qwest, the ILEC, based in Denver, Colorado, Advanced Communications Technology, the CLEC based in Sheridan, and Bresnan Communications, of Purchase, New York.

Sheridan in Fiction

Sheridan is mentioned (rather briefly) in Douglas Adams' final work, The Salmon of Doubt. It is, in the book, a place where scientists think an asteroid will strike. Whether or not the asteroid actually does will never be known; Adams died before he finished the book.

Several scenes of the 2006 film Flicka were filmed on location in Sheridan and in the film K-PAX, Sheridan is the first stickpin location on a map of cattle slaughter companies. Many movies have been filmed in the area including Wild Horses and Endangered Species.

Tourism

As Sheridan was ranked number one by the True West Magazine in 2006 for the top western towns and then ranked sixth in the January/February 2007 issue,^[1] it is a vacation destination as well as a travel stop due to its proximity to Interstate 90 and U.S. Route 14.

There are ten places in and near to Sheridan that are on the National Register of Historic Places including:

• Trail End State Historic Site - 400 Clarendon Avenue - A mansion finished in 1913 that was the home of John Benjamin Kendrick (1857-1933). Kendrick was a rancher who served as governor of Wyoming before being elected to three terms as a United States senator. Trail End is now a state-operated museum and is known locally as the Kendrick Mansion. Most of the contents of the museum are original to the Kendrick family.
• Sheridan County Court House - corner of South Main and Burkett Streets.
• Fort Mackenzie - 1898 Fort Road - Currently a hospital administered by the Veterans Administration.
• The historic Sheridan Inn - 856 Broadway Street - An inn opened in 1893 with a rich history of notable guests.
• Sheridan Main Street Historic District-Main St. from Burkitt to Mandel Sts.
• Sheridan Railroad Historic District-201-841 Broadway, 508-955 N. Gould
• Sheridan Flouring Mills, Inc.-2161 Coffeen Ave.. The prominent smokestack is a United States Geological Survey map reference station.

There are several museums in Sheridan including The Sheridan county Museum and King's Saddlery Museum whose exhibits cover Western leather work (especially saddles) and Western history.^[2]

The City of Sheridan maintains nine parks including Kendrick Park at corner of Badger and Beaver Streets which includes children's play area, an ice cream shop, a swimming pool, and an elk and buffalo conservatory.

Every summer in the second week of July, Sheridan hosts the Sheridan, Wyoming Rodeo. During Rodeo Week, events include a parade, the "Sneakers and Spurs" run, a rubber duck race on Big Goose creek in Kendrick Park, a carnival at the fairgrounds, and a golf tournament at the country club. A polo game is held on the last day of Rodeo Week.

Notable current and former residents

• Brad Anderson, CEO Best Buy
• Jim Benepe, won 1988 Beatrice Western Open
• Buffalo Bill Cody, who auditioned talent for his Wild West Show off the front porch of the Sheridan Inn
• Bruce Hoffman, former Sheridan College (Wyoming) basketball coach who has the most wins for a coach in junior college basketball history
• Robyn Johnson, Miss Wyoming USA 2007
• Melody Kekich, 2006 Women's Professional Rodeo Association Team Roping Rookie of the Year
• Rod Kekich, 1976 National Finals Rodeo Steer Wrestler
• John B. Kendrick, Governor of Wyoming (1915-1917) and U.S. Senator (1917-1933)
• Britta Lund, Miss Wyoming Teen USA 1991
• Esther McLeod, Miss Wyoming 1949
• Mary Orr, Miss Wyoming 1961
• Romaine Patterson, Sirius Satellite Radio talk show host, activist
• Elizabeth Swarthout, Miss Wyoming USA 1970

Notable visitors

• Queen Elizabeth II - October 1984
• Garth Brooks - sang at the Wyo Theater in 1991 and 2001
• Calamity Jane - frontierswomen who stayed at the Sheridan Inn
• Dick Cheney - Vice President under President George W. Bush
• Pam Dawber- co-star of movie Wild Horses
• Joe DiMaggio - fished in the Big Horn Mountains
• Tommy Lee Jones - actor came to play polo outside of Sheridan, Wyoming
• Bobby Knight - famous Texas Tech and, formerly, Indiana University men's basketball coach visited on several occasions for golfing and fishing
• In 1986, MTV ran a contest in which the grand prize was for the world premiere of Prince's movie Under The Cherry Moon, including an appearance by Prince himself, to be held in the winner's hometown. The winner was a Sheridan resident. The town's small size and rural setting made for interesting logistic issues that organizers of the event had to face. One of the most glaring issues was the fact that Sheridan had no limousines anywhere in town at the time; organizers resorted to using school buses to ferry celebrity guests to the premiere.
• Dan Quayle - former Vice President, under President George H. W. Bush
• Kenny Rogers - star of movie Wild Horses
• Elliot Sadler - a Nascar driver that came to be in the Sheridan Wyo Rodeo Parade
• William Howard Taft - 27th President, who stayed at the Sheridan Inn
• Luke Wilson - actor

Local history

• Georgen, Cynde A. One cowboy's dream: John B. Kendrick, his family, home, and ranching empire. 2nd edition, revised. Virginia Beach, Virginia: The Donning Company Publishers, 2004. ISBN 1-57864-239-6
• Sheridan, Wyoming, and area historical sites : easy reading c2004 by Charles W. Popovich
• Our Wyoming heritage : as seen through the eyes of the young c1990 by the Sagebrush scholars of Sagebrush Elementary School, Sheridan, Wyoming. (ISBN 0932707203)

External links

• City of Sheridan, WY Homepage
• Fort Mackenzie
• Sheridan County Chamber of Commerce
• Sheridan Travel and Tourism
• The Sheridan Press
• Trail End State Historic Site (Kendrick Mansion)
• Sheridan County School District #2.
• Sheridan College

References

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