Page "Big Horn, Wyoming" Paragraph 3

Founded in 1882, Big Horn caught the eye of well-to-do cattle and sheep ranchers who established operations along the base of the Big Horn Mountains in the 1890s.

These included the sheep-breeding Moncreiffe brothers ( from Clan Moncreiffe of the Scottish Highlands ), Oliver Wallop ( a member of the English Nobility ), Goelet Gallatin ( a descendant of Albert Gallatin US Treasury Secretary under Thomas Jefferson ), and Bradford Brinton ( a businessman from Chicago ).

These residents of higher means were a minority among other residents who were owners or tenants on small ranches and farms.

This trend has continued to the present day, with a number of distinguished but low-profile executives mixing with ranchers and upper-middle class residents, many of whom work in Sheridan, Wyoming.

Land prices have risen dramatically in recent years, resulting in the subdivision of pastures that once served dairy farms and mid-size ranches.

The large ranches along the base of the mountains have remained intact and largely undeveloped due to the foresight of residents who have established conservation easements on their properties.