The Trail End State Historic Site in Sheridan will open Saturday, March first, 2008, for its twenty-sixth visitation season. Hours are 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. daily, seven days a week. Summer hours of 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. begin June 1st and continue through the end of August.
The historic house museum, located at 400 Clarendon Avenue, examines life in Sheridan during the years 1913 to 1933, mostly through the eyes of its original owners, the John B. Kendrick family.
New at Trail End this year is a whole-house exhibit entitled "Youngsters to be Proud Of: The Changing Nature of Childhood As Seen Through Three Generations of Kendrick Family Children." According to Trail End Site Superintendent Cynde Georgen, the exhibit looks at an aspect of life we all experience, from infancy to the teenage years. " Our exhibits examine not only the fun things of childhood – toys, books, food and clothing – but some of the more serious aspects as well, including illness, adoption and single-parents families."
In researching the exhibit, Trail End staff discovered some interesting facts about childhood in the early part of the 20th Century. "One of the most fascinating things about this project was discovering that families weren’t always as child-focused as they are today. Between 1900 and 1930, it was nothing for parents to hire a nanny and take off for a two or three month vacation, leaving the children at home. The Kendricks did this several times, as did their Sheridan neighbors. We also found some interesting statistics. Prior to 1940, for example, census records indicated that, nationally, ten percent of American children didn’t live with either parent. They either lived with some other family members, acquaintances or even complete strangers. And before the mid-1920s, nearly one-third of the country’s youth lived in single-parent homes. If his wife died in childbirth, many a man found himself raising his children alone. As for women, they were sometimes abandoned when their husbands went out in search of work – and never returned! It wasn’t until the 1920s that the traditional middle-class nuclear family – father as breadwinner, mother as homemaker and children going to school – came into being."
"Youngsters to be Proud Of" features a number of early 20th Century dolls, toys, books and articles of clothing, plus illustrations and quotes from period magazines and local newspapers. Site Curator Sharie Mooney notes that nearly all the items on exhibit come from the Trail End collection. One notable exception is a large dollhouse, which is on loan from the Wyoming State Museum in Cheyenne. "It was donated to the State Museum by a collector who bought it at an auction a few years ago. It’s a Victorian-style dollhouse, fully furnished with everything from tables and chairs to rugs and plumbing." The dollhouse is on exhibit in the third floor, alongside a new hands-on discovery box. Mooney says the discovery box is filled with "touchable items that kids and their parents can explore. We usually preach ‘Don’t Touch’ in a historic house museum, so this is a chance to pet the woodwork, feel the marble, and touch the normally untouchable."
"Youngsters to be Proud Of: The Changing Nature of Childhood" will be on display at Trail End throughout the 2008 season, which continues through Sunday, December 14th.
The Trail End State Historic Site is just minutes from the historic Main Street District, Kendrick Park, the Sheridan County Rodeo grounds, and the Historic Sheridan Inn. Admission fees are family friendly: $2.00 for adults ($1.00 for Wyoming residents), with children seventeen and under admitted free (must be accompanied by an adult). The site is nearly one hundred percent handicapped accessible. Trail End is a component of the Division of State Parks & Historic Sites, Wyoming Department of Parks and Cultural Resources. For more information, phone Trail End at 307-674-4589.
