Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Northeast Wyoming is a vast swath of diverse terrain, from rocky peaks and meadows
blanketed by wildflowers to river-carved canyons and wide-open spaces; from Sheridan,
a classic Western town timeless in its appeal, to the Powder River Basin, which includes
working-class towns Gillette and Buffalo. Long a prime buffalo hunting territory for Native
Americans, the area has seen great conflict between Indians and encroaching settlers. Today
that relationship is dynamic and evident throughout much of the region, even at Devils
Tower, where climbers are making strides toward working in cooperation with the Native
Americans who consider the feature sacred.
The economy here is based almost entirely on natural resources: coal and coal-bed meth-
ane, livestock production, and tourism in these vast and beautiful places. There are tiny
museums in towns like Sheridan and Big Horn, among many others, that celebrate a way
of life that seems in no danger of disappearing, with the relative vastness and remote feel
of the region. Although towns like Gillette are growing as quickly as trains can haul coal,
there are plenty of places where time stands still in northeast Wyoming. From horseback
riding and fishing to hiking and rock climbing, the region has no shortage of recreational
opportunities.
Stretching from the eastern flank of the Big Horn Mountains east to the Black Hills and
bordered on the south by the North Platte River, the Powder River Basin was prime hunt-
ing territory for a number of different Native American groups. Among the early inhab-
itants were the Crow Indians, who were ultimately driven north by the Sioux, likely in
the mid-1800s. Arapaho and Cheyenne moved in and allied with the Sioux against miners
heading hurriedly to the gold fields in Montana and the military who had come to protect
