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National Register of Historic Places


UXU Ranch

Near Wapiti, Wyoming

Date Added to Register

Saturday, May 24, 2003

Smithsonian Number

48PA2391

Read all about it

The UXU Ranch is an historic dude ranch occupying lands leased from the Shoshone National Forest along U.S. Highway 14-16-20 in Park County, Wyoming. The 18 buildings and structures (10 buildings and one structure of which are contributing to its significance) are laid out in typical rustic dude ranch style: a centrally-located grand lodge surrounded by guest cabins and support buildings. The buildings evolved over a period of years from the late 1800s through the 1930s. The ranch was originally a sawmill, in operation by at least 1898. It was known as the Freeman Sawmill by May of 1927. In February 1929 Bronson Case ''Bob'' Rumsey secured the first permit from the Shoshone National Forest for the UXU to operate as a dude ranch. The only two buildings on the site at this time were the old sawmill headquarters and the original main lodge. The rest of the dude ranch was made up of small tent cabins. Many of the guest cabins and the current grand lodge were built during the late 1920s and 1930s from lumber processed on the site. The UXU Ranch remains one of the most intact examples of historic dude ranches along the Yellowstone Highway (U.S. Highway 14-16-20) within the Shoshone National Forest. During its period of significance between 1929 and 1950, it reflected the growing mobility and affluence of the American public, in its quest for new recreational opportunities and experiences.

Department of State Parks & Cultural Resources