Saturday, September 29, 2007
Connor Battlefield State Historic Park, Ranchester, WY - Aug 27-28
This pretty site surrounded on three sides by the Tongue River commemorates the Aug. 29, 1865 battle here, one of many held along the Bozeman Trail in an effort to protect the ever-encroaching gold-seeking settlers from the current inhabitants of the land. It has a pretty park with dry RV parking and tent camping. It was a quiet and inexpensive ($9/night) place to explore the nearby areas.
We started with Sheridan. This town of fewer than 20,000 still retains a western flavor in its historic Main Street, with the added pleasure of a number of bronze statues scattered throughout. There is also Trail End State Historic Site, an authentically furnished Flemish Revival mansion built in 1913 which we viewed from the outside but did not tour, and a city park with a "sprayground" -- a fountain that sprays randomly in which kids of all ages can play.
On the way home we drove through Ranchester to Dayton to see the historic bell tower (used for fire alerts) built in either 1907 or 1909, depending on which sign you believe. We continued on to the Tongue River Rec Area, a drop-dead-gorgeous area that permits camping, although we would never take our rig on the narrow rocky road that winds in to the Rec Area for several miles.
# posted by Doug and Willie @ 1:26 PM 
