We’ve previously seen a 1932 booklet describing 23 dude ranches and lodges in “Buffalo Bill country,” meaning in and around Cody, Wyoming. This one is from 1925 and includes 15 dude ranches and lodges, 10 of which are also in the 1931 edition. Most of the ranches are either on the North or South forks of the Shoshone River but a few are in the northern part of the Shoshone National Forest near (or over) the Montana border.
Click image to download a 9.6-MB PDF of this 40-page booklet.
The five ranches that are in today’s booklet but not the 1932 edition were probably put out of business by the Depression. Several ranches that managed to survive until 1932 didn’t make it much longer. At least four of the ranches or lodges described in this booklet still survive today: Pahaska Tepee, which was built by Buffalo Bill Cody in 1905; Absaroka Lodge, which was listed as LV Mountain Ranch in the 1931 booklet but is known as Absaroka Mountain Lodge today; Blackwater Creek Ranch, which was listed as Blackwater Lodge in the 1925 booklet; and Crossed Sabres Ranch, which was known as Holm Lodge in the booklet. All of these are on the North Fork of the Shoshoni, often called Wapiti Valley, which is the main entry into Yellowstone from Cody.
One ranch on the South Fork of the Shoshone, Majo, still exists but as a hobby ranch, not a dude ranch. Another, Camp Senia, has been preserved as a historic site but is neither a working ranch nor a dude ranch. There may still be a Wyoming ranch today called Sunlight, but it isn’t the same one listed in this booklet. However, the 7D Ranch is very close to what used to be the Sunlight Ranch. A few of the others may still exist but I couldn’t find any record of them.
The unsigned illustration on the front cover of this booklet makes it appear that some of the horseback riders are in danger of falling off a cliff. The steep terrain portrayed in this painting can be found in Cody Country but is not characteristic of most of trails in the area. However, if you enjoy this kind of scenery, I highly recommend Sunlight Basin and the Beartooth Highway.