The Brinton Museum, Big Horn, Wyoming

Located 2 miles southwest of Big Horn, Wyoming and 15 minutes from Sheridan, Wyoming is The Brinton Museum located on the Quarter Circle Ranch, formerly known as the Bradford Brinton Memorial Museum. This 620-acre ranch was built in 1893 by William Moncreiffe, a Scottish immigrant and businessman. In 1923, Bradford Brinton, a machinery manufacturer, purchased the ranch and expanded it to include additional outbuildings. Brinton was an avid art collector, especially pieces of Native American Art and artifacts. Born in Ilinois, Britton received a degree from Yale and went into the family business, becoming the Vice President of the Great Detour Plow Company which merged with J.I.Case Threshing Machines.

After Brinton’s death, his sister Helen Brinton used it as a summer house until 1960, when she turned the ranch and her brother’s collections over to Northern Trust of Chicago who administered it as the Bradford Brinton Museum. This property opened in 1961 to the public. The buildings including his home, The Brinton Ranch Museum, include original furnishings, sculptures, paintings and historical documents. Guided tours are available May thru September.

The museum today includes the historic Brinton Ranch House built in 1892, the well-kept grounds, gardens and outbuildings such as a carriage barn, saddle barn, milk house, Little Goose Creek Lodge, and a traditional leather workshop.

In 2015, a 24,000 square foot Brinton Museum was constructed, consisting of four galleries with local artists and one permanent collection of some of the most significant American Indian Art and Western Collections west of the Rocky Mountains. Nestled into the hillside, this environmentally-conscious three-floor building houses cost sixteen million to build and holds one of the most significant and extensive Western and American Indian Art collections in the Rocky Mountain West. Donated by Forrest E. Mars, Jr., one of the heirs of the candy-bar company, the building includes a store and dining on the top floor with extensive views of the Bighorn Mountains.

The Bighorn Mountains are a backdrop to The Brinton Museum with breathtaking 180-degree views for miles. This spiritual mountain range have been the muse of treasured American artists for years, from Remington to Borein to Gollings, and the setting for rich cultural traditions integral to the American Indian tribes inhabiting this region. From the Brinton Bistro rooftop patio restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining, visitors stand in awe completely captured by their beauty.

Many iconic artists are on display at The Brinton Museum such as Edward Borein, Frederic Remington, Charles Russell, Winold Reiss as well as Bodmer, Moran, John Mix Stanley, Hans Kleiber collection and archives.

The grounds of the Quarter Circle A Ranch are designated an Important Bird Area by the Audubon Society and are open for bird watching and exploring the property on designated nature trails.