Things to See and Do in the Dayton, Wyoming Area

Dayton Area

Located in the Dayton City Park adjacent to Foothills Campground the Bell Tower was used to alert firefighters. Hoses were hung in the tower to dry. During WW II steps were added to the outside of the tower for plane watchers during the invasion scare after the Pearl Harbor attack. Today the Bell Tower serves as a storage place for equipment and a reminder of how fires used to be fought

Tongue River Canyon

Where the Tongue River winds through a spectacular canyon before it flows on to the campground. Follow a well-kept gravel road for 4 miles from Dayton into the Tongue River Canyon. The road ends at a parking area. You can follow a hiking path along the river or take the footbridge across the river and follow a different path to the Tongue River Cave

Dayton Area Battlefields

Connor Battle Field Site
Site of the attack by troops commanded by Gen. P.E.Conner on the Arapaho village of chief Black Bear in 1865. The battlefield is five miles east of Dayton on Hwy 14 in the Ranchester City Park.

Sawyer Battlefield Site
Site of battle between Col. James A. Sawyer and Arapaho Indians. There is an information marker on US. Hwy 14 between Dayton and Ranchester describing the fight.

Sheridan and Bighorn

Bradford Brinton Memorial (Bighorn)
Twenty room ranch house containing western art,rare books, and antique furnishings.

Bozeman Trail Museum (Bighorn)
Blacksmith shop with historic items of interest

Trail End Historic Center (Sheridan)
Victorian mansion built in 1908 for John B. Kendrick, Wyoming cattleman, Governor and Senator. The mansion is maintained as a state historical museum containing art, military and pioneer relics, and Indian artifacts. The carriage house has been converted into a theater. The Trail End website has their schedule.

Sheridan County Fulmer Library (Sheridan)
Contains the Wyoming Collection art display

Sheridan Inn
Built in 1893 by Buffalo Bill across from the original RR depot. Listed in Ripley's Believe It or Not as "the house of 69 gables."

King's Saddlery Museum(Sheridan)
Located in downtown Sheridan in the King Ropes building. King Ropes is the cowboy's favorite source of lassos and other tack. The museum contains old saddles, carriages, and tools of the cowboy trade.

The Big Horns, a scenic mountain range with fantastic rock formations, rises within 5 miles of Dayton. Some of the wildlife found in the Big Horns are elk, bear, deer, and moose. There are accessible streams and lakes for fishing and beautiful mountain trails for hiking and mountain climbing. Hang gliders take off from Sand Turn during the summer and there is sledding, skiing, and snowmobiling for winter fun.

The Big Horns are not as crowded during the summer so it is possible to see the wildlife in a natural setting instead of surrounded by crowds of photographers.

The Big Horns Page gives a brief tour of the impressive scenery of this mountain range.

Within 50 Miles

Fort Phil Kearney
Outpost on the Bozeman trail located in the middle of Indian hunting grounds. Located 20 miles S. of Sheridan near the sites of Fetterman and Wagon Box Battles. The Indian_Wars_Battlefields page has more information. The Fort Phil Kearney website has detailed information about the fort.

Custer Battlefield
Site of the Battle of Little Bighorn and Reno-Benteen Battlefields. It located 50 miles north of Dayton on Interstate 90. There is museum and National Cemetery at the site. See the Indian_Wars_Battlefields page for more information on the causes and results of the battle. The Little Bighorn site has information on times and programs

Crow Indian Reservation
Begins at WY-MT border. Lodge Grass was once the early summer hunting grounds of the Crow Indians. The Crow Fair and Rodeo Celebration is held each August at Crow Agency

Tongue River Reservoir
Boating, fishing, swimming Located just outside the WY border near Decker MT