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NewsSCLT Explore History Features Big Goose Creek

SCLT Explore History Features Big Goose Creek

September 11, 2025

News – Sheridan Media

Carrie Edinger, Director of Museum at the Bighorns, was the speaker at the Tuesday, September 9, Sheridan Community Land Trust Explore History program held at the Hub on Smith.

Kevin Knapp, SCLT History Program Manager, introduced Edinger, the previous history manager at the land trust, and talked about the collaboration between the SCLT and the Museum at the Big Horns.

Knapp added that for those who recently attended the Big Goose Walking tours held in August, this program would enrich the presentation that he did on those tours.

Edinger’s presentation was about the Artifacts of the Big Goose Creek Walking Tour. Many of the photos and artifacts will be on display in the Museum at the Bighorns, now located on Main Street in the former Woolworth’s building.

She had several old photos to illustrate her presentation. Two events she talked about were the 1923 and the 1962 floods, before the town re-routed the creek to help to control the flood waters.

One photo was of the flooded downtown area.

Some of these wooden blocks are in the museum collection.

There was also a photo of the sign which used to be at Crook’s Fountain, which stands on the corner of Dow and W. Alger streets, near the YMCA. Edinger talked about the rock fountain which was first dedicated to flour proprietress, Mrs. Margaret Weltner. The fountain was built in 1938, as a dedication for her work helping the city to prevent floods from Big Goose Creek. Later it became known as Crook’s fountain, as he was camped in this area in 1876. The sign is now a part of the Museum Collection.

Edinger also had photos of the old flour mill in Sheridan, that used Big Goose Creek to power the mill. The first flour mill in Sheridan was Sifted Snow Flour, which was in a wooden structure, but in 1915, it burned down and was replaced with a brick structure. One item in the museum collection is a flour sack dress.

The Mandel Cabin, which is now at Whitney Common’s Park, was another feature of the talk. The cabin has been moved several times around Sheridan. It was at first a cabin, later a post office, and then a bank. At one point it was torn down and moved to the Trail End Site near Kendrick Mansion, and then it was moved again to it’s current location.

Sheridan Beer was another site on the walking tour, and it was a going concern in Sheridan for many years. There were photos of several of the items that are in the museum collection.