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Category: Trail End State Historic Site

Tours - Trail End Historic Site

TRAIL END IS a great place to tour. Whether you are coming to the site for the first time or the fifty-first time, there is always something new to explore. Exhibits change on a regular basis, each one featuring an interesting aspect of social history during the first third of the 20th Century.

While all four floors of the mansion are open, not all areas on each floor are included in the tour. Visitors are asked to stay behind any of the rope or Plexiglas barriers, and to honor any other posted restrictions. We also ask that visitors refrain from touching the woodwork, fabrics or other artifacts (natural oils and salts on our hands can transfer to surfaces, resulting in their degradation). Food and drink are not allowed in the house, nor are flash cameras (video cameras, tablets and phone cameras are fine).

A modern elevator runs from the basement to the third floor, but be advised that it will not accommodate some full-sized adult wheelchairs.

The site brochure (available in Chinese, English, French, German & Spanish) contains floor plans for all four floors as well as information about the rooms, the family, and the general history of the house.

​Self-guided tours are the norm at Trail End. Guided tours (for groups of ten or more) are available on a limited basis and must be scheduled at least three weeks in advance.

Tours of the Carriage House Theater are not allowed at this time.

For more information on Trail End’s tour programs, please visit https://trailend.org/tours

Details

Category: Trail End State Historic Site

Description:
 

From its authentically furnished rooms to its finely manicured lawns, Trail End displays an elegantly different aspect of Wyoming's rich and colorful history.

Built in the Flemish Revival style, the 13,748 square foot mansion known as Trail End provides an intriguing glimpse into life during the period 1913 to 1933, primarily as seen through the eyes of the John B. Kendrick family.

​Exhibits and displays throughout the home – utilizing primarily original artifacts from the house and family – provide information on daily life, entertainment, interior design and changing technology as well as early twentieth century ranching on the Northern Plains.

History:

Trail End was the home of John B. Kendrick (1857-1933), former Wyoming Governor and United States Senator. Born in Texas, Kendrick was orphaned at an early age and raised by relatives until he went out on his own at age fifteen. He came to Wyoming Territory for the first time in 1879, as a trail rider on a cattle drive.

In 1891, at the age of thirty-four, Kendrick married a fellow Texan, eighteen-year-old Eula Wulfjen (1872-1961), in Greeley, Colorado. Their two children, Rosa-Maye (1897-1979) and Manville (1900-1992) were both born in Sheridan, but lived their early lives at the OW Ranch in southeastern Montana (sixty miles northeast of Sheridan).

Construction began on Trail End in 1908. After it was finished in 1913, the family had only a short time to enjoy their new home. John Kendrick was elected Governor of Wyoming in 1914 and the family moved to Cheyenne. Two years later, he was chosen to serve in the United States Senate; he and Eula moved to Washington DC. Until Kendrick's death in 1933, Trail End was used primarily as a summer home.

From 1933 to 1961, Eula Kendrick lived at Trail End with Manville and his family. After Eula's death, the others moved out and the house stood empty for seven years. In 1968, when it was about to be torn down, the Sheridan County Historical Society purchased Trail End. They opened the home to the public as a community museum. Ownership was transferred to the State of Wyoming in 1982.

Since that time, many changes have taken place at Trail End: most of the original furniture has been returned, water and sun damage has been repaired, and interpretive programs set in place. Today's visitors to Trail End will not only see the house looking the way it did when the family lived here, but will learn what daily life was like for not only the Kendricks, but the people who worked for and with them as well.

Details

Category: Trail End State Historic Site

Support - Trail End Historic Site

There are many different ways for you to support the Trail End State Historic Site. You can become a member of the Trail End Guilds; you can volunteer during a special event; you can be a tour guide; you can donate cash or artifacts; you can even polish silver or work in the gardens if that's what you enjoy!

Formed in 1983, the Trail End Guilds, Inc., is a support organization dedicated to the enhancement of the Trail End State Historic Site. Through its fundraising efforts, the Guilds have provided many extras to the site, including reproduction furnishings, flowers, trees, holiday decorations and exhibit pieces, plus a sound system, refrigerator and other support equipment.

The organization is registered as a 501(c)3 organization with the Internal Revenue Service.

Membership in the Trail End Guilds is very affordable, with dues starting as low as $10.00 a year. Meetings are usually held the second Tuesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. at the Trail End State Historic Site (contact the Guilds at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for current meeting schedule). Membership levels are as follows:

• Benefactor - $100 and up
• Sponsor - $50 to $99
• Supporting - $25 to $49
• Individual - $10 to $24

Every member receives a subscription to the Trail End Notes newsletter, plus voting privileges at the annual meeting and any other member benefits as they become available. For more information, visit the Trail End Guilds webpage, www.trailend.org.