Wyoming is so closely identified with ranching that it is often known as "the Cowboy State." The prosperity associated with the cattle industry drew wealthy investors to Wyoming Territory in the 1870s and early 1880s. They stocked the range with thousands of cows and made considerable fortunes until the harsh winter of 1886-1887, when the cattle market collapsed. Many of those early ranchers left Wyoming, which opened the door for the establishment of what would become a huge sheep business. During the 1890s and the early decades of the 20th century, the various Homestead Acts drew others to Wyoming in search of a brighter future. As most of Wyoming's land was suited for grazing, not farming, smaller ranches began to play a more important role in the state's growth. Wyoming's Historic Ranches provides a rare glimpse of the cattle baron ranches as well as the more modest operations that are tucked away along remote valleys and streams, not visible to the average visitor or resident of the state.

Judith Sandoval brings an eye for striking detail and a feeling for the effects of time and habitation to her photographic tour of 450 ranches in sixteen counties in Wyoming. She discovered a dazzling variety of architectural styles in old ranchhouses, bunkhouses, barns, and even chicken coops. Taking in the whole ranching scene, she photographed corrals, machinery, irrigation works, and structures of stone built by German and Scottish immigrants and of logs by Scandinavians. She interviewed hundreds of people who have made their mark on the land, including many descendants of the builders. Some families have operated the same spread for five generations. Historic Ranches of Wyoming takes in such famous working ranches as the Wyoming Hereford Ranch, Careyhurst, the Palette Ranch, the Pitchfork Ranch, and John Kendrick's LX Bar. Among the dude ranches featured are the Seven-D, Eaton's in the Bar BC, and Valley Dude Ranch. In 1986 the Nicolaysen Art Museum in Casper, Wyoming, is mounting a major touring exhibit of Sandoval's photographs. Historic Ranches of Wyoming contains most of the photographs in the exhibition. The book includes an essay by T. A. Larson on the history of ranching in Wyoming and one by Robert Roripaugh about growing up on a ranch near Lander, Wyoming.

Wyoming is so closely identified with ranching that it is often known as the Cowboy State. The prosperity associated with the cattle industry drew wealthy investors to Wyoming Territory in the 1870s and early 1880s. They stocked the range with thousands of cows and made considerable fortunes until the harsh winter of 18861887, when the cattle market collapsed. Many of those early ranchers left Wyoming, which opened the door for the establishment of what would become a huge sheep business. During the 1890s and the early decades of the 20th century, the various Homestead Acts drew others to Wyoming in search of a brighter future. As most of Wyomings land was suited for grazing, not farming, smaller ranches began to play a more important role in the states growth. Wyomings Historic Ranches provides a rare glimpse of the cattle baron ranches as well as the more modest operations that are tucked away along remote valleys and streams, not visible to the average visitor or resident of the state.

A collage of characters shaped the west of the nineteenth century. Large and powerful cattlemen, backed by eastern and European investors, flooded the prairie with herds often numbering 50-80 thousand head. They had visions of doubling or tripling their money quickly while their cattle grazed on the free grass of the open range. Others, like Martin Gothberg wisely invested in the future of the young frontier. Starting with a humble 160-acre homestead in 1885, he continued to expand and develop a modest ranch that eventually included tens of thousands of acres of deeded land. Gothberg’s story parallels the history of open range cattle ranches, cowboys, roundups, homesteaders, rustlers, sheep men and range wars. It does not end there. As the Second Industrial Revolution escalated in the late 1800s, so did the demand for petroleum products. What began with a demand for beef to feed the hungry cities of the eastern United States fostered the demand for wool to clothe them and graduated into a demand for oil to warm them in winter and fuel the mechanized age of the twentieth century. All were a critical part of shaping American history. Through the lens of this family saga—a part of the history of the West comes to life in the hands of this storyteller and historian.

The history of homesteading and Euro-American settlement in Wyoming's Upper Green River Valley.

Dude ranches were the West's first destination vacation. In the early 20th century, they lured East Coast elites and their families out to the unspoiled wilderness and ranching country of the Rocky Mountains. In order to get to the dude ranches, tourists, who were often looking for an escape from their city lives, had to travel long journeys via trains, stages, wagons, and horseback. Wyoming was home to two dude ranch firsts. Howard, Willis, and Alden Eaton were pioneers in the business, and their Eatons' Ranch continues today. Larry Larom, another dude ranch trailblazer, became the first president of the Dude Ranchers' Association. His tireless work, vision, and leadership secured the future of dude ranching in the West. Working successfully with the railroad and the government, Larom set the stage for important cooperation between ranchers and diverse agencies, ensuring the preservation of the natural environment. Echoes of his wisdom are still felt today.