SCLT Explore History Features Big Goose Natural Area

On Wednesday, March 17, at the Tongue River Valley Community Center in Dayton, SCLT Explore History Program for March highlighted the History of the Big Goose Natural Area. Led by SCLT History Program Manager Kevin Knapp, the power point presentation provided an in-depth look at the Natural Area’s layered past.

Knapp also introduced his new history assistant, Kaitlin Shaw, who was helping with the program and will be helping at the welcome center at the Big Goose Natural Area.

He started the talk with what the area is, it is 118 acres that SCLT purchased from the Scott Foundation. This is part of the land where NSI (Normative Services) was located on. There they have the SCLT headquarters and the welcome center.

One thing they do at the area is have an unleased dog park, which is popular with dog owner. There is also signage about the history of the area along the walking paths.

The first residents were the Native American’s, and some artifacts have been found on the property.

During an archeology survey with a cultural resource analyst, one artifact they found was a late archaic arrowhead, a bi face projectile point.

On the hill above the headquarters there is a stone circle and there are several ideas about what it might be. Some feel it may have been a circle for NSI students to use for meditation or therapy, and another idea was that it might have been used for early aviation navigation.

Knapp said that most of navigational aids in Wyoming were arrows, but circles like the one on the SCLT property were often used in Colorado and Utah.

During the 1860s and 70s, General Crook and his army camped around much of the area before and after the battle of the Rosebud and the Custer Battle.

After the Indian Wars, the land was opened up to homesteaders. There is a barn on the property, which was a ‘mail order barn’ from Sears Roebuck, which were a popular, faster way for a landowner to construct a barn.

He also talked about mining, which was a big part of the economy of Sheridan County.

Concept Drawing about how the Streetcar will look.

Although not a part of the natural area, but very much a part of Sheridan’s History, is Streetcar #115,

Other owners of the property included KN Gardens, which was owned an operated by several Japanese businessmen, who grew award-winning vegetables, including immense size cabbages.

Normative Services, Inc. or NSI, used the property for several years as an alternative school, which closed in 2021.

Through its Explore History series, SCLT works to connect the community with the cultural landscapes that shape Sheridan County — strengthening stewardship by understanding the stories beneath our feet.

For more information, visit sheridanclt.org/events.