These photos from my summer travels capture that thrilling experience—where grit, precision, and heritage come together. And for those of us lucky enough to live in Crook County, Wyoming, rodeo isn’t just an event; it’s a part of life, woven deeply into our community.
For a perspective of just how much driving, I roughly traveled 40,000 miles throughout the western region of the United States to attend 70+ professional rodeo events from April 1 to September 30. I can easily say I’ve gotten to see some beautiful country, unique places, and met hundreds of strangers, however, nothing compares to the road home and the thankful feelings of the road back to Devils Tower Country. I know I’m coming back to a place where hard work is valued, strangers don’t stay strangers for long, and clear blue skies can be seen for miles and miles.
Throughout my travels I’ve been fortunate to get to share with rodeo fans, fellow competitors, and even a few strangers in gas station parking lots how special Devils Tower Country truly is. It never fails that the question of where I call home is brought up in conversation and it didn’t take me long to discover this summer how fortunate I am that my roots run deep in this county. I have yet to find another place with the familiar feelings of community, the fresh air to clear the mind, and a large number of attractions for anyone and everyone to enjoy.
Grab a friend and join the Ski-Joring fun as a cowboy on a galloping horse or the skier being pulled down Sundance's Main Street through an obstacle course complete with snow jumps. Make a costume and be creative with a barstool and an old pair of skis and you can enter the wild and wooly Downhill Barstool Races.
If you've been dreaming of fresh powder, gleaming snow and the purr of a snowmobile motor this is the season and this is the place.
Crook County has fresh abundant natural snow and prime snowmobiling spots for you to explore. If you are new to snowmobiling this area you might want to enlist the help of a local guide or outfitter.
My great-grandfather settled in the shadows of Devils Tower, near Hulett, Wyoming, in the early 1900s and established a successful ranching operation running Hereford cattle. Our family has a deep history in Crook County, and I’m proud of those roots that have been my foundation. Growing up, I learned to appreciate the rural lifestyle. As I got older, I realized how special the place I call home is, but like many, I was eager to explore all that the world had to offer. Now as I’ve traveled much of the U.S., I’ve found that there is no place else in the world like Devils Tower Country. I love that I call this unique part of the world my home.
Old Stoney as the building is affectionately called is an appropriate location for the historical museum as it has its own chapter in the history of Sundance. Erected in 1923, the building represents the Progressive era when Wyoming committed to several initiatives to improve the quality of education within the state.
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