82801 December/January 2019 by Outliers Creative

DECEMBER / JANUARY 2019

82801 Features

Health: Community Health Gets a Boost Sheridan County leaders continue to plan ahead with wellness at the forefront of their strategic considerations–right up there with economic development.

Culture: The City That Was

Money: Resolutions That Pay Off

Life: Young Man, Old Soul

Big Horn, the original center of the local population before Sheridan even existed, has no doubt changed throughout the years. Even with all the changes, much about it remains the same.

Financial resolutions for the New Year include budgeting, a plan to get out of debt, saving for retirement, etc. and sometimes, recovering from your holiday spending hangover.

Meet Sheridan’s youngest entrepreneur, Luke Knudson. He’s a 15-year-old teenager who has a passion for the past and an antiques shop on Main Street.

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Starting Small he new year is upon us. A time that’s coated with a fresh sheen of optimism and wrapped up with good cheer. The slate has been wiped clean and we can start anew–but are you setting yourself up for failure with your New Year’s resolutions? I get it! You’ve got goals and are fired up to make 2019 your best year yet, but your laundry list of resolutions will start to overwhelm you, and before you know it, you’ll be back to square one. Simplifying your resolutions may be the secret to being able to keep them. To get started, you could even go as far as foregoing a new list of resolutions and simply finishing a task that’s been on your to-do list for far longer than you’d care to admit. Tackling the things you’ve been avoiding will do wonders for your brain. Science says so! Completing a task triggers your brain to release dopamine (which we all know makes you feel good), and also motivates you to tackle the next thing on your list. Thanks, Mother Nature! To make this even easier for yourself, break down tasks into “micro tasks” to give yourself an extra boost to get that one thing done you’ve been avoiding, and to maintain the momentum you need to accomplish your seemingly impossible goal. Speaking of accomplishing seemingly impossible goals, this month, 82801 Life is thrilled to put the spotlight on Sheridan teen,

Luke Knudson, owner of The Old General Store Antiques. TJ sits down with Sheridan’s youngest entrepreneur to talk shop and pick the brain of the super savvy Sheridan High student. If you went a little overboard with your holiday spending this season and are dealing with

such as Ernest Hemingway’s favorite bar, The Last Chance Saloon. Then, Kevin provides an inside look at the upcoming transition facing the county commissioners as they prepare to swear in two new commissioner-elects. My hope for this issue is that as the busyness

the dreaded holiday spending hangover, be sure to check out “Resolutions That Pay Off,” where I offer up some tips on how to make a plan to get your bank account back into shape. As always, we dive into the culture and community happenings of 82801–this month by exploring the history of “Big Horn City,” home to many of Sheridan’s famous historical buildings

of the season fades, you’re able to find some time to get cozy with a cuppa in your favorite chair, and enjoy the content our team delights in creating for you each month. Best wishes and Happy New Year from all of us at 82801! By: Candice E. Schlautmann for 82801 DECEMBER / JANUARY 2019

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Resolutions That Pay Off The gifts have been exchanged, family has come and gone and now you are left with the task of consuming all those leftovers, and putting away your holiday decorations. For many Americans, despite completing these important post-holiday tasks, Christmas will be hanging around a lot longer than they’d like in the form of the dreaded Holiday Spending Hangover. My palms get all sweaty just thinking about it. Here’s a not so fun fact: In a financial literacy survey conducted by Standard & Poor’s, the U.S. tied for 14th globally, well below Canada and the United Kingdom. Then, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that while 65 percent of Americans give

themselves a holiday budget, only about a quarter of them will stick to it, with over 77 percent of people overspending. For many consumers, recovering from their holiday spending hangover is as simple as cutting back on eating out, reducing their grocery budget and perhaps pausing contributions to their savings accounts. For others who end up delaying bills or barely making minimum payments on credit cards, the holiday spending hangover is indicative of a much bigger problem. Sorry, Brenda, “hair of the dog” isn’t going to help you out here. As much as you may want to take an “if I can’t see it, it’s not there” approach to your

financial situation after the holidays and continue spending haphazardly, the new year is the perfect time to plan to get your bank account into shape and bulk up that savings account.

THE “B” WORD Budget. It’s not a bad word! Although being more restrictive will help get you from point A to point B much more quickly; oftentimes, it can be a recipe for disaster, and perhaps that is why so many people give up. The financial website “Workable Wealth” makes a great point: “Budgets are like diets: the more restrictive you are, the more likely you’ll rebel. An overly strict budget can be the very reason why DECEMBER / JANUARY 2019

you inhale an entire box of donuts when you happen upon them in the office, or completely blow way too much money on an impromptu shopping spree.”

KEEP IT SIMPLE A budget is a tool for you to make your money go to work for you, not to take away every shred of joy in your life! It’s as simple as recording three things. 1

INCOME

is much more painful than swiping your card. Consumers who use cash are far less likely to make impulsive purchases. What’s the easiest way to do this? Sure, it sounds old school, but for day-to-day spending consider the tried and true “envelope system.” Take a look at your budget and your spending: expense categories like transportation, food, entertainment, etc., and create an envelope for

EXPENSE CATEGORIES

BALANCE

the previous month’s record of $3.94 trillion by 3.3 percent at $3.95 trillion. Ouch. For many Americans, myself included, it can be painful to take a long hard look at the numbers, but laying it all out can be key to your success. You don’t have to be a spreadsheet master to get it done either! You can use tools like undebt.it—a free, mobile-friendly debt payoff calculator that generates an easy-to-follow payment plan, so you can finally eliminate your debt. Let me mention it again, it’s free!

SNOWBALL OR AVALANCHE? No, I’m not trying to name my next white, fluffy, Alaskan Husky puppy (hint, hint to my husband). These are actually specific methods you can use to pay off your debt. DEBT SNOWBALL:

Paying the lowest balance off first

Now, how many expense categories you have is up to you. You can be as general or as specific as you like, but the key is to have a “spending money” category with a reasonable amount allocated to it to help keep you on track with telling the rest of your money where to go.

GO CARDLESS Was your debit or credit card smoking from being swiped so much during your holiday shopping? That’s not too surprising because it’s just so easy to swipe your card (or nowadays, pay with your phone–which I admittedly find to be way too convenient). Multiple studies have found that people are more thoughtful with their spending when using cash instead of a card. Watching the money physically leave your wallet

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each. Withdraw cash in the amount you have budgeted for those categories and fill your envelopes each pay day. But, remember, when it’s gone, it’s gone – and don’t lose your envelope! Maybe you don’t need that daily breakfast burrito at the coffee shop after all. The goal with the budget and putting ourselves on a “cash diet” is to have our income exceed our expenses. If it doesn’t, tighten that belt and get to work on any debt payments to tip the scales in the right direction.

THE “D” WORD… (HINT, IT’S NOT DIET) More bad news: The Federal Reserve keeps tabs on consumer debt and reports that in September of 2018, U.S. consumers surpassed

If you need a quick win, the debt snowball is the way to go. Make additional payments on your smallest loan and paying it off quickly will give you the momentum you need keep pushing. Once that balance is paid off, apply the payment amount of that loan to the loan with the next lowest balance. The higher payment will help you pay that one off faster and your snowball grows as you pay off each debt, eventually wiping it out. DEBT AVALANCHE:

Pay the highest interest rate first

The method that makes the most sense numbers-wise is the debt avalanche. The debt that you pay off first is the one with the highest interest rate. When you’ve paid off the debt with the highest interest rate, move on to the debt with the next-highest interest rate. Fidelity Investments provides the following example. Paying only the minimum payment of $234 on a $10,000 credit card balance with an annual percentage rate of 16 percent will take five years and four months to pay off, and cost you nearly $5,000 interest. Conversely, if you could pay $300 a month on that debt, you’ll save almost $2,700 in interest and pay it off in three years and nine months.

Starting in January, with as little as just $20 a week, you could have over $1,000 saved up for Christmas 2019.

KEEP TRACK AND REWARD YOURSELF With tools like undebt.it (Yes, I use it, love it, and promise I am not being paid to say so!), tracking your progress is easy and rewarding. Seeing how much you’ve paid off is incredibly motivating. Set milestones and reward yourself (reasonably) when you reach them. Positively reinforcing this behavior will help you stick to your plan and get those debts paid off.

PUT YOUR SAVINGS ON AUTOPILOT Many people have retirement accounts through their employers. Essentially not having to do much other than sign up and choose your funds are what make them so successful. Before you even see it, the money is transferred into your retirement account. The saving is automatic, so why not apply this methodology to your regular savings or money market account? Set yourself up for success by establishing a recurring transfer from your checking to your savings or money market account before you’re tempted to spend it. Give yourself a reasonable goal. You could easily save $5,000 a year by transferring just $415 a month into savings. Next Christmas is an entire year away, but do yourself a favor and start saving today! By starting in January, with as little as just $20 a week, you could have over $1,000 saved up for Christmas 2019 holiday spending. Also, check with your bank or credit union to see if they offer a holiday club savings account. These “Christmas Clubs” are interest-bearing, shortterm accounts that don’t allow you to access the funds without penalty until a certain date closer to the end of the year. By restricting access and penalizing you for withdrawing early, a holiday club account is another way to keep you on track to have the funds on the ready for the holidays. With a combination of old school tactics like the cash envelope system and apps and technology like undebt.it and online banking (mixed with a little will power), you could be well on your way to healthier finances in 2019. By: Candice E. Schlautmann for 82801 DECEMBER / JANUARY 2019

DECEMBER / JANUARY 2019

Community Health GETS A BOOST n an era of chronic illnesses like hypertension and diabetes, you know what a treasure good health is. And good health means more than just exercise; it’s about overall wellbeing. On a global and national scale, mental health has revealed itself to be a key ingredient for safe, wellfunctioning communities and societies.

The good news is that leaders in Sheridan County continue to plan ahead with wellness at the forefront of their strategic considerations– right up there with economic development. Whether it’s large employers like the local school districts or Cloud Peak Energy who use wellness as an incentive in the workplace, wellness is getting its well-deserved spotlight in our community.

And the spotlight isn’t just about going to the gym.

HEALTHY BODIES, HEALTHY MINDS More local folks–and more local leaders–are talking about the importance of trails close to home. DECEMBER / JANUARY 2019

A lot of folks who work here use the trails to bike or hike with their families.

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where getting active – and healthy – can seem One of these leaders is Kelly Lieb, a incredibly daunting. And I’m not exaggerating Physician’s Assistant at Sheridan Memorial when I say their lives depend on it,” she explained. Hospital. Kelly grew up here and has called “Having to lose, say, sixty pounds– Wyoming home her entire life. it’s scary. And confidence is hard. For Kelly, the wellness of patients, Often patients who need it most as well as her own health, has end up feeling overwhelmed and always been important. But, she doing nothing if they don’t get the knows it takes work. support they need.” “My coworkers and I lead busy, stressful lives and so do many people in our community,” “I tell them to drive up to the she says. Before her twelve-hour Base parking lot and just take shift in the hospital’s Urgent Care a walk… No one is judging facility, you can often find Kelly you out there.” – Kelly Kelly Lieb, Physician Assistant walking or jogging near Big Horn with her two golden retrievers. “I tell them to drive up to the Base And as you might imagine, all three of them parking lot and just take a walk – it’s okay if they only are huge fans of Red Grade Trails. go for five minutes and then come back. And they do it,” Kelly says, continuing, “I always tell them, ‘No one is judging you out there.’ And it’s true. “Nowadays you have to take your kids These local trails make our community better, outside, somewhere accessible, to instill one step at a time. Plus, it’s making everyone an active lifestyle in them. Nobody wants their kids to become their patients appreciate that we have this open land to enjoy in the first place.” one day.” – Kelly Lieb, Physician Assistant “It’s pretty amazing the difference Red Grade Trails has made in my workplace,” she explained. “A lot of folks who work here use the trails to bike or hike with their families. Nowadays you have to take your kids outside–somewhere accessible–to instill an active lifestyle in them. Nobody wants their kids to be their patients one day.”

A PRESCRIPTION FOR GOOD HEALTH AND HAPPY TRAILS

Story by Sheridan Community Land Trust courtesy

of the Wyoming Community Foundation.

Sheridan Community Land Trust works to preserve our heritage of open spaces, healthy rivers and creeks, working ranches, wildlife habitat, and vibrant history, while expanding recreation opportunities to connect people with the places they love. LEARN MORE AT SHERIDANCLT.ORG.

As much as Kelly loves these trails, she loves sharing them even more. “Many of the patients I see during my shifts are people who have significant health challenges,

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Young Man, Old Soul uke Knudson isn’t like most 15-year-olds. For starters, he writes in cursive, just like his greatgrandmother. And like his great-grandmother, he also attended a one-room schoolhouse on the outskirts of rural Sheridan County. “I was taught in a one-room school in Arvada, Wyoming, where my great-grandmother was taught. Everything I learned was everything you would learn 80 years ago. I’ve never known print,” Knudson said. Despite being 15, Knudson is an old soul at heart, and, as one would expect, it carries over into

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his hobbies. While most of his peers are tossing around a football or claiming the garage for a weekend jam session, Knudson spends his free time in a Main Street storefront, a 2,000 square-foot warehouse full of history. Knudson might be the youngest entrepreneur in Sheridan. He officially opened his shop, the Old General Store, at age 13. Before that, he was selling antiques at a booth in Best Out West Antiques. Regardless of being a budding businessman, having a shop is merely a byproduct of Knudson’s true passion–history. Because of this, Knudson operates his business somewhat differently than most

entrepreneurs would. Knudson almost always keeps more things than he sells. Almost everything in the store is for sale, but Knudson has a stash of items just for himself. The stash is so big that it’s started to spill over into his warehouse. “It’s truly my passion, not just something I’m trying to flip as many retailers do,” Knudson said. In fact, his passion runs so deep that even preparing the storefront turned into a restoration project. Along with restoring the wood floors, Knudson also exposed the original 1921 brick walls and restored the ceilings to their original height. Other projects entailed recreating

the bathroom, repainting the store in its original colors, and shining up the woodwork. Like every item Knudson restores, the storefront also has a story to tell. “This was the red-light district of Sheridan—everything north of Grinnell Plaza was a house of ill repute or something at some time,” Knudson said. “And there were also a whole lot of opium smoking pipes we found lodged in the wall in the back room that kind of told about the building’s past, as well. So, they had a full-on gentleman’s club going in this building when it was built.” Knudson’s love affair with antiques started slowly and, like most collections, began with a single item. For Knudson, it was a metal candy box from the early 1900s. “I just was drawn to it,” he said of the box. “I liked the lithographs on it, which is an early form of painting on something before they had photography.” At the time, 4-year-old Knudson wasn’t sure what he was looking at. Background information on lithographs and turn-of-the-century art wouldn’t come to him until much later. “I just knew it was old and I liked it,” he said.

As Knudson grew older, he began collecting more and more items, mainly at yard sales and auctions. One day, he had finally amassed enough stuff that he needed to get rid of some of it to make room for more. “I figured I wanted to try to make a little bit of a business out of it,” Knudson said. “There were things I wanted to sell, and I consigned a few things to the auction house.” Everything that his business is today stems from a $100 investment that Knudson received when he was around 10 years old.

“I haven’t ever taken out a loan for anything,” he said. “I’ve paid for it all just from that $100 investment, just building on it, because I can’t take out a loan at my age.” That $100 has taken Knudson far. From civil war amputation kits to antique stoves, Knudson has a little bit of everything passing through his store. When customers walk in, they are greeted by clusters of antiques so diverse and lively, it appears as though the antiques have gathered for a soiree of past events. A jacket from the Great War sprawls across an old couch. A group of small clocks congregate on the back wall, their click only interrupted by the occasional clang of a clanky, old grandfather clock across the room. His collection is definitely worth well over $100. In fact, some of the items net more than $3,000 alone. While some of the items have come from far-away places, many are from Sheridan and the surrounding area. From local auctions to East Coast buying trips, Knudson has engaged in a variety of methods to obtain his merchandise. “Everything’s unique,” Knudson said. “I’ve never had anything in here that was identical to the previous.”

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a hobby—I’ve always been trying to expand upon it—but, as I’ve mentioned before, real estate has piqued my interest, and that’s probably where I’ll head with it,” the 15-year-old said. The work that Knudson does every day allows him to fight for preservation and share the history that he’s so passionate about. For that journey, the Old General Store is only the first step. By: T.J. Parks for 82801

If customers are looking for anything made after 1950, most likely they’ll be out of luck. “You won’t find anything modern in here,” Knudson said. “Well, the cash register’s new, but even the sales desk back there is from the Bank of Commerce from the 1930s.” His collection has something for everyone, from enthusiastic local historians to tourists looking to take home a piece of the authentic West, including music. Over the years, Knudson has collected thousands of songs from before 1950, copying new tracks to his computer every time he gets a record. “I actually had a radio station contact me to see if they could use the music,” Knudson said. “Nobody else has it.” Knudson enjoys the extra business he’s gotten over the years, but money isn’t the only thing that the store’s expansion has gained him. From becoming the treasurer for the Kendrick Mansion to advocating for the restoration of historic buildings around town, the store has given Knudson a respected voice on the issues he’s passionate about, particularly local history. “I think, as far as Sheridan goes, there’s still quite a bit of history here—more than other parts of Wyoming, definitely,” he said. Knudson doesn’t know how long he’ll continue running the shop, but his future plans will focus on his work to preserve history. He plans on pursuing a career in real estate after college, with a focus on restoring old houses. “This was always actually just a hobby of mine,” Knudson said. “It’s grown into more than

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Big Horn: The City That Was The unincorporated town of Big Horn, situated next to Little Goose Creek in the eastern foothills of the Bighorn Mountains, holds a special place in Sheridan County history. Before there was a Sheridan County, Big Horn City was the hub of activity for ranchers, outlaws, polo players, settlers, and other characters in the area.

ROAD TO MONTANA The Bozeman Trail, known as “The Bloody Bozeman,” was a spur of the Oregon Trail, connecting travelers south of the Platte River (at modern day Casper) with the gold fields of Virginia City, Montana. The trail earned its unfortunate nickname from 1864 to 1868, when approximately 3,500 people traveled it, with a roughly 1 in 100 chance of survival.

The Lakota, Arapaho, Shoshone, and Crow nations were the primary threat. Everyone, even the U.S. government, recognized the territory as a hunting ground under tribal sovereignty. Nevertheless, the army was unable to stop the flow of immigrants north. After the end of the Civil War, traffic along the Bozeman Trail increased significantly. The trail followed modern-day Prairie Dog Creek, as much as it can be said to have followed anything. In reality, it took as many different turns as there were expeditions. From season to season, the crossings and grades were renegotiated. In their struggle to protect the travelers, the Army came to rely on a shortcut. They crossed Little Goose Creek, where Big Horn is today, and continued north along the face of the Bighorns to Soldier Ridge near Sheridan. In 1868, the Lakota leader Red Cloud

negotiated the Treaty of Fort Laramie, and the closing of the Bozeman Trail and the forts that protected it. However, by 1876, the Army had reopened the trail.

A CITY IS BORN Oliver Perry “O.P.” Hanna, a colorful Buffalo hunter and all-around adventurer, first took note of the area where the “old Army cutoff ” crossed Little Goose Creek, while on a hunt in the winter of 1878-1879 along the frozen Tongue and Yellowstone rivers. The Rock Creek Stage Line had built a blacksmith shop at the crossing by the time Hanna returned with a plow. He chose his homestead along a nearby creek (now named Hanna Creek). By 1882, a number of others had joined Hanna as residents, and Big Horn City was officially established. DECEMBER / JANUARY 2019

John Sackett and Charles W. Skinner opened the area’s first mercantile and post office soon after. Hanna built the Oriental Hotel across from the Big Horn Mercantile and quickly began making a profit from weary travelers using the stageline between the Union Pacific Railroad and Yellowstone. At its peak, Big Horn City had nearly 1,000 residents and supported a college, a newspaper, a hotel, a brick factory, two churches, two saloons, a livery barn, and a mercantile. While every western town wants to claim association with famous outlaws, the James gang actually has credible historical links to Big Horn

The change was dramatic, but Big Horn never became a ghost town. It just lost the “City” and, if you ask some folks, that’s just fine. The town of Big Horn has been content to let the city of Sheridan take the lead over the years. Little Goose Creek still flows out of the Bighorns; sandbars come and go, but the character of the place is unchanged.

A HORSE FOR EVERY OCCASION In the 1890s, a particular type of immigrant from the

well as the display of impressive and readily available horses, led to a contract to supply mounts for use in the Boer War in South Africa. Further contracts followed throughout World War I. As purveyors of highly prized (and priced) polo ponies, and major suppliers for the British cavalry, the French, and others, the U.K. expatriates put Big Horn City at the center of the global horse market. Mechanization eventually made the war horse obsolete, but polo is as popular as ever. The Big Horn Equestrian Center and the Flying H Polo Club host matches all summer long. Many of the sport’s best players travel from around the world to play in Big Horn.

THE WILD WEST

City. Early settlers’ journals and personal anecdotes are littered with references to the James brothers. Local historians believe that, among other hideouts, the outlaws often used a dugout along Little Goose near where the population sign stands today. Two factors changed Big Horn City’s trajectory forever. First, in 1888, the brand-new town of Sheridan was chosen as the county seat. Second, in 1891, residents and business owners heard the news that the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad was being surveyed through Sheridan. By the time the railroad arrived in Sheridan in 1893, the majority of them were there to greet it.

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United Kingdom took an interest in Big Horn. Many of them were second or third-born sons of nobility who stood little chance of inheriting any land at home. Englishman Oliver H. Wallop, and two Scottish brothers named William and Malcolm Moncreiffe, settled near Big Horn City and began capturing, breeding, and training horses. Wallop and the Moncreiffes held Wyoming’s first polo matches and they weren’t picky about recruiting players for their teams. On the fields near the city, cowboys could be found playing right alongside the sons of earls and barons against the British cavalry. The relationships formed on those fields, as

It wasn’t just horses that brought people to Big Horn, it was an entire lifestyle. “Just about everybody who is anybody in England came here to hunt, fish, and ‘have adventures’ in the wild west,” historian Elsa Spear Byron told a Virginia newspaper in 1984. Americans with money were drawn to the polo culture and many of them invested in ranches made up of hundreds of smaller homesteads. These large ranches preserve the continuity of the landscape and are a legacy that benefits anyone who appreciates Sheridan County. The Bighorn Mountains were a favorite destination for Ernest Hemingway and his short story "Wine of Wyoming" was inspired by the Last Chance Saloon in Big Horn. Hemingway visited in 1929, during prohibition. Even Queen Elizabeth II took a private vacation to Big Horn in the 1980s, to visit Lady Jean Porchester, known locally as Jeannie Wallop (the granddaughter of Oliver H. Wallop).

A COLORFUL CHARACTER The uses of some of the buildings may have changed, but the overall appearance of downtown Big Horn is remarkably similar to when it first sprung up in 1882. • For over 100 years, the Mercantile operated as a grocery store, post office, and eventually gas station. More recently, it has housed a few different eateries and is currently a brick-oven pizzeria. • The blacksmith shop at the crossing of Little Goose Creek is home to the Bozeman Trail

Museum, full of fascinating odds and ends from local history. • The old storage barn for the Mercantile has been completely refurbished into “The Barn in Big Horn,” a luxury event venue. • The Bozeman Trail Inn has served as a bar and restaurant under different names over the years. Until recently, it was The Big Horn Smokehouse, but will soon reopen as The Livery Stable. • The Last Chance Saloon is still exactly the same. Many other buildings around Big Horn are preserved, maintaining the timeless nature of the place. The original Moncreiffe ranch house is the home of The Brinton Museum, which mixes elements of old and new. The house and • Percentage of population with a bachelor's degree or higher above state average. Things do change in Big Horn; they always have. For example, a Big Horn resident is much more likely to work in arts, entertainment, and recreation than agriculture these days. Also, between 2000 and 2010, the population of Big Horn nearly doubled. With the 2020 census around the corner, it seems likely that it has grown even more. Big Horn has weathered such changes before. Whatever happens, it can only add color to the character of the place. By: Kevin M. Knapp for 82801

surrounding grounds are kept in peak nineteenth century condition while, in the hill behind them, lies the fully modern, Forrest E. Mars Jr. Building. The facility is three stories, yet it is built into the hillside and has the highest structural rammed earth wall in North America at 51-feet. Census data reveals that Big Horn has some qualities that are unique for Wyoming. Viewed in a historical context, these rankings make sense: • Foreign-born population percentage significantly above state average. • Length of stay since moving in above state average. • House age above state average. • Number of college students significantly above state average. DECEMBER / JANUARY 2019