The Sheridan Community Land Trust (SCLT) recently received a grant from theNextFifty Initiative for itsExplore History program that caters to older adults.
Explore History is a collaborative effort undertaken with theHub on Smith, formerly known as the Sheridan Senior Center. The focus of the program is to engage older adults with educational opportunities as well as to improve overall health and well-being through shared experiences.
“What makes the Explore History program so unique and such a fantastic opportunity for people here in Sheridan County is [having] a place to be able to come together and be able to remember, share fellowship, share stories and really be able to tell their stories from living the history that occurred in our region,” said Chris Vrba, Director of Marketing and Development with SCLT. “We will lose the stories of our past if they’re not preserved today.”
This marks the second year that NextFifty has helped provide financial assistance to the Explore History program. Previous events have covered several aspects of local history, including theheydays of the coal mining towns of Acme, Kleenburn, and Monarch, in addition to theTongue River Tie Flume, which was used to float railroad ties from the Big Horn mountains down to the plains to be used by the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad (CB&Q).
The popularity of the program led it to be expanded to theTongue River Valley Community Center in Dayton. Since February, events have been held on the third Tuesday of each month at 10:30 while Sheridan-based events are held every second Tuesday of the month at 10:30.
“The program can be a presentation, a tour, [and] we’ve gone on theBlack Diamond Trail driving tour,” said Carrie Edinger, Historical Program Manager and Events Coordinator with SCLT.
The summer schedule is still a work in progress, though some of the planned events include partnering withTrail End State Historic Site in June and touching on the history of theSheridan WYO Rodeo in July. Edinger said that additional exploration of the Black Diamond Trail and a field trip to Trail End for those in the Tongue River Valley is also set to take place in June.
