The Swan Land and Cattle Company Headquarters are a historic ranch headquarters complex on

Wyoming Highway 313 Wyoming Highway 313 (WYO 313) is a Wyoming State Road located in southeastern Platte County and southwestern Goshen County that provides travel between Chugwater and Interstate 25 to US 85 south of Hawk Springs. Route description Wy ...

in Chugwater, Wyoming. Organized in 1883 in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, the Swan Company was one of the largest ranching operations in the nation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, managing more than one million acres of land. Now a much smaller operation, its former headquarters complex was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1964. and

Description and history

The Swan Land and Cattle Company Headquarters complex is located on the south side of Chugwater, at the junction of Happy Hollow Road and Lone Tree Road (Wyoming Highway 313). The four surviving buildings are arrayed in a north-south line along Happy Hollow Road, a former stagecoach route. All are single-story frame structures finished in wooden clapboards. The general store, at the northern end, has flanking shed-roof sections and was built in 1913. To its south is the former manager's residence, built in 1876 and featuring some finely crafted Stick style decoration. To its south are the utilitarian office building and a barn, the former built in 1918 and the latter c. 1876. The property is adorned by mature cottonwoods planted by the company in 1888. The Swan Company was founded in 1883 by Scottish investors with an initial capital investment of $3 million. At its peak in 1887-88, the company had more than 113,000 head of cattle and controlled more than one million acres of rangeland across eastern Wyoming and western

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the sout ...

. In 1904, it converted its business from cattle to sheep, peaking in 1911 with 112,000 head. The company began liquidating its holdings in 1945, and it managed just when this property was designated a

in 1964.

References

External links

Swan Land and Cattle Company Headquarters National Historic Landmark
at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
Swan Land & Cattle Company, State Route 313, Chugwater, Platte, WY
at the

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

(HABS)
Swan Land & Cattle Company, Main Office, State Route 313, Chugwater, Platte, WY
at HABS
Swan Land & Cattle Company, Barn, State Route 313, Chugwater, Platte, WY
at HABS
Swan Land & Cattle Company, Manager's House, State Route 313, Chugwater, Platte, WY
at HABS
Swan Land & Cattle Company, Mercantile Store, State Route 313, Chugwater, Platte, WY
at HABS {{DEFAULTSORT:Swan Land And Cattle Company Headquarters National Historic Landmarks in Wyoming Buildings and structures in Platte County, Wyoming Agriculture in Wyoming Cattle companies of the United States Ranches on the National Register of Historic Places in Wyoming Historic American Buildings Survey in Wyoming National Register of Historic Places in Platte County, Wyoming

Description and history

See also

References

External links