Welcome to the "88"
One of Wyomings most historic ranches...
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The 88 Ranch has been in our family since 1878 and is located along the famous Bozeman Trail in east central Wyoming. It has been said that the 88 Ranch is the oldest ranch north of the Platte River in Wyoming Territory.
From the 1870's through the 1880's the Bozeman Trail was heavily traveled. At that time, the Henry family ran a stage stop, a relay station for the Patrick Brothers Stage Line, kept horses for stage changes and ran a roadhouse to feed and bed weary travelers.
The 1880's were busy years for the Henry's. Stages stopped for meals and fresh horses, wagon trains stopped to rest, water and fill out their supplies. Through the years, the stage stop brought many noted visitors to the "88". One of the best remembered visitor's was Owen Wister, author of "The Virginian". Owen spent a week with the Henry's and it was said that Mike Henry, known as "Judge Henry" by his friends, was the prototype of the judge in Wister's book. Owen used the experiences he aquired at the ranch for several scenes in the book.
The Henry's also had some rather colorful neighbours. George Pike, a well known gambler and horse thief, lived on nearby Bear Creek. George however, was a good neighbour and visited often with the Henry family. The most interesting thing about George Pike was his death. The story goes that George died of a heart attack after winning a large hand in a poker game in a local saloon
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