SCLT Soldier Creek Walking Trail Tour

On Tuesday, July 11, over 20 people joined the Hub on Smith and Sheridan Community Land Trust for a two-mile hike on the Soldier Ridge Trail west of Sheridan. The weather was sunny and warm for the trek.

Chris Vrba, Director of Marketing at SCLT, and Kevin Knapp, the new SCLT History Program Manager, along with Lisa Wells and Amanda Munford, Fun and Wellness Coordinators at the Hub, shared some of the history of the trail and the area at six stops along the hike.

Munford spoke first, talking about why the Indians in the area called it the ‘greasy grass.’

She talked about the ranchers that owned the land, and the conservation of this area today.

History topics covered included the Plains Indian Tribes, the Sibley Scouts, the Bozeman Trail, stagecoaches, mail routes and ranching.

Lisa Wells talked about the Indians who once lived in this region.

At the next stop, Kevin Knapp talked about the Bozeman Trail, which was a major gold seeker road during the early 1800s.

Chris Vrba encouraged the group to look at the Bighorn Mountains and imagine a fast-paced, three-day game of cat and mouse across steep, rocky terrain. In 1876, General George Crook was tasked with rounding up the free roaming Lakota and their allies and relocating them to the reservations assigned by the US Government.

The Sibley scouts beat a hasty retreat to escape the war party leaving food and rations behind in their haste.

The group arrived at the Audubon trail sign about a mile up the trail, and Wells talked about stagecoaches and mail stages that once ran along the Soldier Creek Road, before the group headed back down the trail.

Vrba also reminded the audience about WYO Gives Day on June 12, where money is raised for non-profits in Wyoming, and the Hub and SCLT receive donations from this program. He encouraged everyone to go to the website and donate any amount.

There will be a repeat of this hike leaving from the Tongue River Valley Community Center in Dayton on Tuesday, July 25. Participants can meet the group at the trailhead at 9 a.m. or at TRVCC in Dayton at 8:30 a.m. to ride the bus. Go the SCLT website for more information.