Hoofprints of the Past Museum

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Small Group Tours

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The Museum offers several different small group tour options:

Outlaw Country: Explore the beautiful and historic Barnum/Hole in the Wall region where famous outlaws fought the law and hid from the law at the turn of the 20th century. Your knowledgeable museum guide will show you the historic sites along the way to the Hole in the Wall Valley and point out other cultural and geographic points of interest.

Johnson County War Tour: Whether you are curious or knowledgeable about this historic range war in 1892 this tour offers you the chance to visit the key sites where it took place and experience the beautiful countryside of Johnson County at the same time. Your knowledgeable museum guide will provide as much background or as little as you want about the event and point out the historical sites along the way to the historic TA Ranch.

Bozeman Trail & Fort Reno Tour: The Bozeman Trail, established in 1863, overlaid previous Indian, trader, and exploration routes, but the increased flow of emigrants along the trail through the recently claimed ground of the Sioux provoked Indian attacks on the settlers. In response, the U.S Military constructed a series of forts along the trail to protect travelers, such as Fort Reno, but conflict along the trail only escalated, culminating in the final battles of the Plains Indian Wars. Your knowledgeable guide will take you through this volatile period in Western history, pointing out the Bozeman Trail, various battles along the trail, and the site of Fort Reno.

Private Museum Tour: This tour will provide a fascinating overview of local western history, from the Native Americans through the Outlaw Period while showcasing some of the museum’s most priceless artifacts. Tour will be guided by the museum curator beginning at 9:00 at the museum and ending at approximately 10:00 a.m. Tour must be scheduled two weeks in advance and price is $50 per person (minimum of 2 persons required). For large group rates, please contact the museum.

Small Group tour Details:

  • Tour dates should be scheduled at least 2 weeks in advance by contacting the museum at 307-738-2381 or Laurel at 307-251-0981. Certain dates may not be available depending on guide schedule. Last minute additions to the schedule will be considered but to secure a date it is best to schedule well in advance.
  • Scheduled tours begin at 9:00 am at the Hoofprints of the Past Museum in Kaycee, Wyoming with a return to Kaycee at 12:00 noon.
  • Tour Price: $100 per person with a two person or $200 minimum. Transportation will be provided by tour attendee(s) and must be an all-wheel drive vehicle.

Bozeman Trail Tour

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The Bozeman Trail passed through the Powder River area east of Kaycee for only a short time, but this area was the stage where early explorers, travelers, trappers, the US military, the Indian Wars, and even missionaries played their part in Western expansion. The fascinating and little known history of these people and events will shared by knowledgeable local historians as you travel by bus eastward from Kaycee through the Powder River Country. The tour will be held on September 16, 2023.

Some of the famous sites and events explored on this guided historical tour include:

  • 1836 Portuguese Fort of Antonio Montero, trapper
  • German Lutheran Mission Station where missionaries attempted to minister to natives
  • The Bozeman Trail
  • The Townsend Wagon Train Fight along the Bozeman Trail
  • US Military Cantonment Reno and Fort Reno sites
  • Cattle Baron Moreton Frewen’s “Castle” site at 76 Ranch Headquarters
  • Notable Homestead Sites and Community Sites

Tour Cost is $95 per person, which includes lunch at Fort Reno, and begins in Kaycee at 9:00 AM. Registration is required in advance and space is limited on the bus, so sign up early.

Overlooking the Townsend Wagon Train Fight in beautiful Powder River Country East of Kaycee.

The Johnson County War tour fills early, and space is limited so we recommend registering as soon as possible in 2023. 2023’s tour date will be posted in January 2023.  If you would like to be notified of the opening of tour registration, please complete a Tour Notification Form

Please note: Dogs are not allowed on the tour for any reason.

Hole in the Wall Tour

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Our annual Hole in the Wall Tour on June 10th 2023 traces the steps of the Outlaw Era from the sympathy towards rustlers and outlaws that resulted from the Johnson County War through the famous Hole in the Wall Fight.

The tour begins in Kaycee at the KC Fight site, then the site where the Hole in the Wall gang hid from the posse after the Wilcox Train Robbery. It then follows the Old Barnum Road to the location where Kid Curry of the Hole in the Wall gang shot Sheriff Deane before traveling into the famous Hole in the Wall Valley. Here the numerous stories of fact regarding local outlaws are related by knowledgeable authors and local historians. Site stops include overlook of the Hall Cabin where Champion was first ambushed, the entire valley, the homestead site of Alex Ghent, horse trader and friend of the outlaws, the real Hole in the Wall site, where a picnic lunch is enjoyed, before finally traveling to the Hole in the Wall Gap on the Red Wall.

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Hole in the Wall Valley

The tour is an important fundraiser for the museum, and costs $105 per person. This includes continental breakfast, a nice lunch, and a day in the famous Hole in the Wall country. Even if you are not a history buff, you will experience beautiful scenery and a unique day that few have the opportunity to share. If you would like to know more about the tour, please contact the museum at 307-738-2381 or email info@hoofprintsofthepast.org

The 2023 tour will be available for purchase in January 2023. If you would like to receive notification of the scheduled 2023 date, please complete the following form:  Tour Notification Form

Please note: Dogs are not allowed on the tour for any reason. A kennel service may be available in Kaycee but requires advance scheduling. 

Johnson County War Tour

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The Johnson County War tour on August 12, 2023 allows attendees to travel by bus the approximate route of the “Invaders” in their fateful attack on the “Rustlers” in April 1892, learning about the war and stopping at various sites of historical significance along the way.

Stops include the KC Cabin Fight site, where Nate Champion made a heroic stand against overwhelming odds, Plunkett’s Horse Ranch where the Invaders changed horses, the Smith homestead site where a near ambush of the Invaders almost occurred, the historic 28 Ranch where Invaders rested their horses, and the TA Ranch where the final battle occurred. The tour will also stop at the assassination sites of John. A. Tisdale and Ranger Jones, whose murders occurred in the months leading up to the war, foreshadowing the events of 1892.

The historical guides narrating the journey are John W. Davis and Brock Hanson. Davis is a lawyer and author of “Wyoming Range War” which relates the Johnson County War from a legal vantage using a large number of public documents from the period. Brock Hanson is a 4th generation local historian whose family lived through the war and documented the historic events with interviews of the various people involved in the war.

The tour will be held on August 12, 2023 beginning in Kaycee at 9:00 AM (with an AM check-in time of 8:30 AM) and ends at approximately 4:00 PM. Lunch is included the ticket price of $100, which must be purchased in advance due to limited space on the bus.

The Hoofprints of the Past Museum is a 501(3)c non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and sharing Kaycee and Johnson County history.

The 2023 Tour will be available for registration in January 2023. If you would like to be notified of the opening of tour registration, please complete the Tour Notification Form

Please note: Dogs are not allowed on the tour for any reason.