About Trail End

"The purpose of the Trail End State Historic Site is to interpret this architecturally significant historic house and its related properties in context with the regional and social history of the early twentieth century. Emphasis is placed on the period of occupancy by the John B. Kendrick family, primarily 1913-1933."

Mission Statement

Trail End State Historic Site

2007

About Trail End

Site Management

Trail End is managed by the Wyoming State Parks & Historic Sites Division of the Wyoming Department of State Parks & Cultural Resources. On-site personnel include the Historic Program Manager (Site Superintendent), Cultural Resource Specialist (Curator), Trades Technician (Maintenance & Groundskeeper), plus several seasonal fee collectors.

Visiting the Site

The Trail End State Historic Site is open to the public daily from March 1st through December 14th. Hours vary depending on the season. Self-guided tours are the norm, but if you'd like to schedule a guided tour (for groups of 8 or more), please contact us at least two weeks in advance.

Special Event Scheduling

If you would like to schedule a wedding, surprise party or other special event on the Trail End Grounds, be sure and visit our "Event Guidelines" page for all the do's and don'ts, whys and wherefores!

Trail End's Facilities

Trail End consists of three main components: the 1913 mansion, the 1910 carriage house and 3.8 acres of grounds. All are handicapped accessible to one degree or another. This website was created to help both the casual browser and the historic house connoisseur more fully appreciate the home, its contents, its occupants, and its surroundings.

Kendrick Family History

Trail End was home to the John B. Kendrick family. One of Wyoming's most successful rancher/politicians, Kendrick was a self-educated Texan who began his career as a penniless cowboy and ended it as a United States Senator. In between, he was a rancher, banker, land developer, entrepreneur and Wyoming Governor. His wife, Eula Wulfjen Kendrick, was also from Texas. Along with their children, Manville and Rosa-Maye, John and Eula led colorful lives, both in Wyoming and our nation's capital.

The Trail End Guilds

Since 1983, the Guilds have been the primary friends group supporting the Trail End State Historic Site. As a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization, the Guilds accept donations on behalf of the site and in turn host a variety of special events. They also sell site-related books, postcards, note cards and art prints.

Educational Resources

Trail End's comprehensive educational resource manual, Home Is Where the History Is, is geared toward grades three through seven. It includes pre- and post-visit readings, vocabulary, activities, exercises, class projects, and testing materials. Over fifty illustrations and historic photographs accompany the student materials, along with site visit information and additional background materials for both teachers and students.

Research Articles

Trail End Notes, the quarterly newsletter for and about volunteers and friends of the Trail End State Historic Site, serves to keep everyone informed about special events, volunteer opportunities and accomplishments, loans and donations, recent research, etc. Selected articles from Trail End Notes are reprinted here, including the popular "Letters From" series.

Exhibits

Since 1996, Trail End has featured a series of temporary exhibits which, by focusing on the local community, take global events and show how they impacted the everyday lives of small town Americans. Each exhibit has adhered to the site's mission statement and has worked in harmony with the museum's existing room displays, thereby interpreting topical themes within the context of the historic house setting. The textual components of these exhibits are contained on this website, accompanied by select images.

Research Collections

Trail End is the repository for several archival and photographic collections, as well as a considerable library of museum and historic-house related books and documents. Primary areas of research include Trail End, the Kendrick-Wulfjen-Cumming families, the Kendrick and Converse cattle companies, early Twentieth Century Sheridan County history, Wyoming history and Western history.

Links & Resources

Need to know more about the Kendrick Family? Sheridan? Wyoming? Western History? Historic House Museums? Early Twentieth Century America? Connect to a whole world full of knowledge by visiting one or more of these internet sites.