Historical Tours
Explore the History of Sheridan Country
From the Bozeman Trail and frontier battlefields to ranches, coal camps, mountain roads, and places most visitors never notice, Mike's tours are built around the stories that interest you most.
Every tour is different. These experiences are starting points, not fixed itineraries.
Tour Experience
Battlefields & the Bozeman Trail
See the ground. Understand the movement. Put the history back into the landscape.
Many visitors come to the Sheridan area specifically to understand the events, routes, forts, and landscapes connected to the Bozeman Trail and the military conflicts of the northern Plains. This is some of the most historically significant country in the American West — and most of it looks, at first glance, like open grassland.
Mike helps visitors understand why forts were located where they were, how creeks, rivers, ridges, and crossings shaped travel, how military movements followed the terrain, and why the distances between locations matter. He helps you picture the country before modern roads and development changed it.
Possible destinations — not every tour includes all of these.
Tour Experience
Sheridan Country & Local History
The stories are closer than you think.
You don't need to commit to a long-distance battlefield tour to enjoy Mike's knowledge of this region. Some of the most interesting history in northern Wyoming is right here — in Sheridan itself, along Big Goose Creek, in the coal camps and ranch communities that shaped the area, and in the places that have largely disappeared from the map.
This kind of tour works especially well for visitors with only a few hours, people interested in Sheridan itself, returning visitors, locals, and anyone curious about ranching, mining, or community history. Mike knows where the old roads ran, where the communities were, and what happened there.
Possible subjects — tours are shaped around your interests.
Tour Experience
Powder River & Outlaw Country
Some of the most interesting stories in Wyoming happened far from the places most visitors stop.
Powder River country is the less-traveled side of Wyoming history — and one of the most compelling. The Johnson County Cattle War, Hole-in-the-Wall country, Reynolds Battlefield, remote homesteads, and the communities that rose and fell along the historic railheads tell a story that most visitors never encounter.
Mike knows these back roads and overlooked locations. For visitors interested in the broader sweep of central and northern Wyoming history — beyond the well-marked battlefield sites — this is where the conversation gets interesting.
Possible areas — routes depend on interests and available time.
Tour Experience
Bighorn Mountains & Scenic History
The road between the stops is part of the story.
Mike's tours are not limited to battlefields. The Bighorn Mountains, the Cloud Peak Scenic Skyway, historic ranch routes, and the mountain roads that connected communities across the region are part of the same story — and Mike uses the drive itself to tell it.
His knowledge includes landscape, geography, wildlife, communities, and history. Whether you're crossing a mountain pass or looking out over the Bighorn Basin, Mike can explain what you're looking at and why it matters.
Possible destinations — shaped around your interests and available time.
Something Else in Mind?
Have Something Else in Mind?
Many of Mike's best tours begin with a phone conversation. Visitors may have a specific battle they want to understand, a family-history connection to the region, a ranch or community they want to locate, an interest in mining or military history, or simply a half-day available and a general curiosity about the country.
Mike's knowledge of northern Wyoming and southeastern Montana goes far beyond any single itinerary. Tell him what you're curious about. He can often build a route around it.
A Day in the Field
What Might a Full Day Look Like?
This is an example only. Actual routes vary based on your interests, available time, and conditions.
A full-day tour might begin east of Sheridan, where Mike helps visitors understand the local geography — river and creek channels, historic routes, and the relationship of the forts to the surrounding terrain. From there, a day might continue toward Fetterman Battlefield, Wagon Box Fight, and Fort Phil Kearny, with Mike explaining the connections between each location.
Depending on time and interests, the route might extend to Bozeman Trail locations, Prairie Dog Creek, Rosebud Battlefield, and Little Bighorn. If time allows, the return trip may include additional Sheridan County history — Dayton, Ranchester, historic coal camps, or other local sites.
A full-day tour can be a long day. Mike often shares historical context while traveling between stops, so the drive itself becomes part of the experience.
Shorter Experiences
Only Have a Few Hours?
Mike can help build a shorter experience around the time you have available. Possible focus areas include Sheridan-area history, Fort Phil Kearny and Fetterman, Ranchester and Dayton, local ranch and mining history, or a specific interest you'd like to explore.
How the Tours Work
Practical Details
Flexible Itinerary
Tours are shaped around visitor interests, available time, and conditions. No fixed script.
Your Vehicle
Visitors often use their own vehicle. Mike prefers this arrangement when practical.
Step-On Guide
For larger groups, Mike may join a vehicle supplied or rented by the group.
Multiple Vehicles
Mike may use radios when groups travel in a caravan so everyone can hear.
Half-Day or Full-Day
Tour length depends on destination, interests, and how long you want to spend at each stop.
Mike's Guiding Approach
The Landscape Is Part of the History
"Picture this country before the roads and buildings were here."
Mike does not simply identify what happened at a site. He helps visitors understand the terrain, travel routes, distances, water sources, creek crossings, fort locations, and community development — and how geography influenced the decisions and events that shaped this region.
That kind of understanding comes from a lifetime of living and working in this country, decades of serious historical study, and more than 25 years of guiding visitors through it. It's the difference between visiting a battlefield and truly understanding one.
Ready to Plan Your Tour?
Call Mike and tell him what interests you. He'll help you figure out the best way to see this country.