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Programs - Trail End Historic Site

As an historic house museum filled with original objects and sitting on its original grounds, Trail End can't help but serve as a learning laboratory for students of all ages. While the site's educational focus has traditionally been on history for elementary and junior high students, recent efforts have broadened that focus to include science and nature as well as language arts and music for older students and adults - actually, anyone interested in Trail End!

Trail End staff have developed a number of educational programs, some based on history; others ... not so much:

TechnoPast Like a chocolate-vanilla swirl ice cream cone, this program combines history with technology to create a tasty treat for students in grades nine through twelve.

Junior Curators Part of Kids eXtreme, this program for kids grades six through eight lets them go beyond the plexiglass doors and into the collections to let them actually TOUCH the STUFF!

Junior Curator at work

Trail End Trackers This program gets kids interested in birdwatching.

Home Is Where the History Is With readings, exercises, activities and even a quiz or two, this classroom-based program teaches about more than just Trail End; it gets kids motivated to explore their own lives and neighborhoods.

The Living Laboratory The Living Laboratory is a collection of site-based and hands-on science activities custom-designed to introduce local teachers and students (third through eighth grades) to the wealth of learning opportunities available on the grounds at Trail End. Each of these lessons meets the most recent Wyoming State Standards for Science and Social Studies and is designed to be teacher-led. Copies are available in all Sheridan County elementary and junior high schools, and at Trail End for homeschool students. 

With an Eye to the Past This fledgling program contains a small variety of in-class presentations and little projects for people of all ages, from word games to tree identification. When it grows up, we hope it will contain a LARGE variety of in-class presentations and little projects for people of all ages!

For more information on Trail End’s educational programs, visit https://trailend.org/education-%26-research

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

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.