Excursion Study Guide

  HISTORICITY

Trail End is the early-1900s estate of John Benjamin Kendrick, former governor of Wyoming and U.S. senator. Born in Texas in 1857, Kendrick was orphaned at an early age and raised by relatives until age 15. He first came to Wyoming Territory in 1879 as a penniless cowboy on a cattle drive. Kendrick was hired by Charles Wulfjen, whose daughter, Eula, he would marry in 1891. For the next 18 years, John and Eula lived on the OW Ranch in southeastern Montana. Here the couple started the Kendrick Cattle Company, a 210,000-acre conglomerate of cattle ranches extending into northern Wyoming. Two children were born to the Kendricks, daughter Rosa-Maye and son Manville.

Construction on Trail End began in 1908 and was completed five years later, hampered by the combined effects of labor squabbles in the eastern furniture factories and low cattle prices in the midwestern markets. Building materials were shipped to Sheridan via railroad from several different states. When finished, the three-story mansion (plus basement) boasted a library, ballroom with musicians' loft, guest wing and staff quarters of three bedrooms each, walk-in vault, and 12 full or partial bathrooms, all amidst peerless woodwork, beautiful marble trimmings, original rugs, and custom light fixtures. The Kendricks would live in their new house only two years, after which it was used primarily as a summer home because John was elected governor of Wyoming and moved his family to Cheyenne. Two years later, Wyoming voters sent Kendrick to the U.S. Senate, a position he held until he died in 1933.

After her husband's death, Eula, along with Manville and his family, returned to Sheridan to live at Trail End. When she passed away in 1961, the house was completely vacated and remained empty for several years. In 1968, as it was about to be razed, Trail End was purchased by the Sheridan County Historical Society. The estate became property of the State of Wyoming in 1982.

Early photographs of Trail End's lot show a barren hill. Landscaping began in 1911. Rather than create formal gardens and intricate hedge arrangements, plans called for informal groupings of trees and shrubs with paths winding through the 3.8 acres of grounds. According to story, Kendrick wanted at least one of every tree native to Wyoming planted at Trail End. Additional trees and shrubs were imported via railroad from tree farms and nurseries in the eastern states. An underground watering system was installed to keep the grounds green and lush (water was pumped up the hill from a nearby creek). Also present is a lawn tennis court, used often by the Kendrick children. Due to the Kendricks' move to Cheyenne, some projects were never finished. The estate was to be surrounded by a brick wall with cast iron fencing, but work stopped after the concrete footings were poured. Stone steps leading to a pergola and sunken pool were planned for the south side of the grounds. The sundial, imported from England, was installed in 1928.

Positioned on the property's northwest quadrant is the Carriage House. It served as home for the Kendricks during the mansion's construction years. The Carriage House originally functioned as a combination garage and stables for buggies and horses. Later, automobiles were sheltered there, starting with two 1912 Cadillacs. In 1979, the building was leased to the Sheridan Civic Theatre Guild and converted into an 88-seat community theater.

Trail End is located at the corner of Clarendon Avenue and Victoria Street overlooking old Sheridan. Most of the furnishings, lights, draperies, rugs, and personal items are original. The mansion and grounds are administered by the Division of State Parks & Historic Sites within the Wyoming Department of Parks & Cultural Resources. The estate is open to the public from April 1 through December 14, with limited hours of operation during the spring and fall. Trail End is completely closed on selected holidays. The most liberal visiting hours—9:00 am to 6:00 pm daily—are in place June through August. Tours for walk-ins are self-directed; guided tours can be pre-arranged.

  DATA

This activity highlights the second day of the Little Bighorn Battlefield excursion. Since students will be doing a good amount of walking, comfortable footwear is important. It is absolutely imperative that students pay close attention to appropriate guidelines for visitors to Trail End. Don't touch—the mansion contains many items (certainly the woodwork) sensitive to oils, dust particles, and other harmful residue on human hands. No food or drink—including gum, candy, and water. Completion of this study guide is optional. Students who answer all questions correctly will receive 25 general bonus points. Please click here for an extensive description of Trail End.

  QUESTIONS

  1. When finished, Trail End included all of the following amenities except a/an:
    1. elevator
    2. walk-in combination safe
    3. intercom system
    4. skylight

  2. Displayed on the fireplace mantle in the first floor library is John Kendrick's collection of:
    1. whiskey bottles
    2. donkeys
    3. foreign coins and currency
    4. snow globes

  3. What special piece can be found in the Trail End library?
    1. chair used by former Senator Henry Clay
    2. world globe transported abroad by Daniel Webster when he served as Secretary of State
    3. photograph of Meriwether Lewis and Sacagawea navigating a canoe on the Missouri River
    4. cigar box once belonging to President Ulysses S. Grant

  4. Among the many luminaries featured in the photo gallery on the second floor is __________ of Wyoming, who in 1924 was elected the nation's first female governor.
    1. Jeanette Rankin
    2. Miriam A. "Ma" Ferguson
    3. Nancy Kassebaum
    4. Nellie Davis Tayloe Ross

  5. All of the following building supplies for Trail End were shipped to Sheridan via railroad except:
    1. plumbing and bathroom fixtures from Indiana
    2. woodwork from Michigan
    3. brick from Kansas
    4. roofing tiles from Missouri

  6. How many people could be accommodated in the Trail End dining room with a fully-extended table?
    1. 12
    2. 18
    3. 24
    4. 1,848

  7. The draperies and pillows adorning the third floor are finished in material called "repp," which is:
    1. smooth, shimmery cloth used in many grand ballrooms in New York City
    2. wool fabric somewhat similar to corduroy
    3. refined hemp
    4. heavy-textured cotton manufactured exclusively by the Levi Strauss Company of San Francisco

  8. The third floor of the Kendrick Mansion was referred to by all of the following names except:
    1. "assembly room"
    2. "ballroom"
    3. "attic playroom"
    4. "upper maple room"

  9. What necessitated the structural reinforcement bars in one of the third story dormers?
    1. damage resulting from cannon fire launched by Sheridan citizens angry at new policy implemented by John Kendrick soon after he was elected governor in 1914
    2. vibrations resonating from loud music played in the musicians' loft during an especially festive New Year's party
    3. stress caused by a large water-soaked American flag hanging from a pole protruding outward from the dormer
    4. young son Manville and his friends stomping in that area when they pretended to be marching soldiers on parade

  10. The employee least likely to occupy the staff quarters located on third floor would have been the:
    1. cook
    2. housekeeper
    3. maid
    4. chauffeur

  11. All of the following woods were used extensively in Trail End except:
    1. teak
    2. mahogany
    3. oak
    4. maple

  12. Eula Kendrick often named the family's automobiles. One of the cars was named:
    1. "Gold Dust"
    2. "Midnight"
    3. "Silver Ghost"
    4. "Freckles"

  13. The tree/shrub growing most abundantly on the east grounds facing the mansion is:
    1. ponderosa pine (tree)
    2. caragena (shrub)
    3. silver poplar (tree)
    4. chokecherry (shrub)

  14. The Kendrick ranch, located on Hanging Woman Creek in southeastern Montana, was named the:
    1. Circle K
    2. E Bar U
    3. OW
    4. LX Triangle

  15. Over the years, the Carriage House has functioned as all of the following except:
    1. the Kendricks' home during construction of their mansion
    2. Pony Express station and temporary post office for Sheridan County
    3. combination stables and garage for buggies and horses
    4. Sheridan community theater

  16. The last of John Kendrick's family/relatives to live at Trail End was:
    1. father-in-law Charles
    2. wife Eula
    3. daughter Rosa
    4. son Manville

  17. Of the following streets, all located a short distance southwest of the Kendrick mansion, the one that runs closest to the estate is:
    1. Lynx
    2. Elk
    3. Beaver
    4. Fox