The TA Ranch was the setting for the Johnson County War of 1892. This event gives Johnson County a tangible historical anchor: in museums, ranches, and historic sites, you can encounter the history of the American West from different perspectives. Discover cultural history here through guided tours, collections, and places—from a tour that follows the story of a conflict to objects that tell the story of a life.
Explore History
The TA Ranch National Historic District offers a self-guided tour about the lives of Western settlers in the 19th century. The Hoofprints of the Past Museum preserves the history of Kaycee and the American West in historic buildings in downtown Kaycee and through guided tours. Its Johnson County War Tour follows the route taken by the invaders in 1892 and stops at the Tisdale and Jones assassination sites. The museum also takes visitors to the historic sites of Hole in the Wall, where outlaws such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid hid from the law.
Fort Phil Kearny also brings history to life on the landscape: visitors can pass through reconstructed stockade walls to reach the original site and explore its expansive grounds. At the Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum, gifts tell the story of Jim Gatchell; they include firearms, medical bags, bows and arrows, and clothing. Founded in 1880, the Historic Occidental Hotel & Saloon offers tours of its Old West-style hotel and saloon. In Kaycee, the “Good Ride Cowboy” monument in Chris LeDoux Park honors world champion bareback rider and country musician Chris LeDoux.
Mountain Meadow Wool offers another way to discover the West: on a self-guided tour, you can see how raw wool is washed, dried, carded, spun, and hand-dyed. The tour is subject to the store’s opening hours; check the current hours before your visit.
River, Canyon, and Wildlife
A red canyon wall is visible in the Middle Fork Powder River area, which also offers good hunting and fishing opportunities. The Middle Fork runs through the Outlaw Cave Campground for a 12-mile stretch considered a high-quality trout fishery. The campground area’s landscape is defined by red rock walls and deep canyons. There are two caves and a corral there that outlaws used to store their loot. The Bud Love Wildlife Habitat Management Area covers 7,900 acres and serves as important winter habitat for big game.
Trails and Practical Guidance
For trips in the Middle Fork Powder River region, the Bureau of Land Management recommends vehicles with high ground clearance and four-wheel drive. From Kaycee, drive southwest on Wyoming Highway 190, following the Middle Fork upstream toward the Hole-in-the-Wall area. This gives you a sense of the direction of travel without associating the route with a specific driving time.
The Clear Creek Trail System includes more than 20 miles of mostly interconnected trails. The Wetland Trail is just over a mile long, runs west of downtown Kaycee along Clear Creek, and offers opportunities for bird and wildlife watching. This gives you both an extensive, mostly interconnected trail network and a single trail with a specific wildlife-watching focus. The Hole-in-the-Wall Trail is 3 miles long, begins on state land, and ends on Bureau of Land Management land; be mindful of private property boundaries when accessing it. Climbing is possible in Crazy Woman Canyon, and there are fishing spots along Joe’s Trail.
Discover more destinations: Buffalo, Weston County, Big Horn, Crook County, Laramie, Niobrara County, Park, Fremont County
For the main travel overview: Wyoming.
