Swan Land and Cattle Company Headquarters facts for kids
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Swan Land and Cattle Company Headquarters
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Swan Land & Cattle Company
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 Location in Wyoming
Location in the United States
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| Location | E side of Chugwater, Chugwater, Wyoming |
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| Area | 60 acres (24 ha) |
| Built | 1884 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000760 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | July 19, 1964 |
The Swan Land and Cattle Company Headquarters is a special historic ranch located in Chugwater, Wyoming. It was once the main office for one of the biggest ranching companies in the United States! This company, started in Scotland in 1883, managed over one million acres of land. That's a huge area, bigger than some small countries! Today, the ranch is much smaller, but its old headquarters buildings are so important that they were named a National Historic Landmark in 1964.
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Exploring the Historic Ranch Buildings
The Swan Land and Cattle Company Headquarters complex is found on the south side of Chugwater. You can find it where Happy Hollow Road meets Lone Tree Road, also known as Wyoming Highway 313.
There are four main buildings still standing today. They are lined up in a row along Happy Hollow Road. This road used to be a path for stagecoaches long ago! All the buildings are made of wood and have one story.
- The General Store: This building is at the north end. It was built in 1913. It has extra roof sections on its sides, making it look wider.
- The Manager's House: South of the store is where the ranch manager used to live. This house is quite old, built in 1876. It has some fancy wooden decorations called "Stick style."
- The Office Building: Further south, you'll find the office. This is where all the paperwork and planning happened. It was built in 1918.
- The Barn: The last building is a barn, also built around 1876. Barns are important for keeping animals and equipment safe.
Around the property, you can see tall cottonwood trees. The company planted these trees way back in 1888. They add a lot of beauty to the historic site.
The Story of the Swan Company
The Swan Company was started in 1883 by a group of investors from Scotland. They put in a lot of money, about $3 million, to get the company going. This was a huge amount of money back then!
How Big Was the Ranch?
At its largest, around 1887-1888, the Swan Company was enormous. They owned or controlled over one million acres of land. This land stretched across eastern Wyoming and into western Nebraska. Imagine a ranch so big it covered parts of two states!
They also had a massive number of animals. At their peak, they had more than 113,000 cattle. That's a lot of cows!
From Cattle to Sheep
In 1904, the company made a big change. They decided to switch from raising cattle to raising sheep. This was a major business decision. By 1911, they had an incredible 112,000 sheep.
The Ranch Today
Over time, the Swan Company began to sell off its land. This started in 1945. By 1964, when the headquarters were named a National Historic Landmark, the company managed only about 5,400 acres. Even though it's much smaller now, the headquarters remain an important reminder of a huge part of American ranching history.
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