Planned by Civil War veteran John D. Loucks and named for Loucks's Union commander, Sheridan lies in the heart of the "last, best hunting grounds" of the Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Crow, where some of the bloodiest battles of the Indian Wars were fought. The community clings tenaciously to its Western roots, celebrating its past in events such as Buffalo Bill Days and the Sheridan-WYO Rodeo and commemorating the birthday of the Sheridan Inn where Bill Cody auditioned acts for his Wild West Show. Ranching, along with energy development and the railroad, remain vital facets of the community's identity.
Coauthors Pat Blair and Dana Prater approach Sheridan history from two unique vantage points. Blair was a reporter at the Sheridan Press for more than 11 years before becoming a freelance writer, covering the community's recent and past history. As director and curator of the Sheridan County Historical Society Museum, Prater has focused on the area's early years, scanning over 4,000 photographs for the Sheridan County Memory Book Project in order to preserve images held in private collections. This volume showcases a number of those images, thereby revealing the varied past that makes Sheridan unique.