The Brinton Museum

The Brinton Museum sits on a 620-acre working ranch in Big Horn, about 12 miles south of Sheridan, and is one of the best small art museums in the American West. The collection spans Western painting, Native American art and artefacts, and historical photographs — anchored by works from Remington and Russell but extending across multiple traditions.

The ranch setting is part of the appeal. The original 1892 ranch house remains, and new gallery buildings were added thoughtfully to house the larger collection without overwhelming the landscape. The grounds include walking trails across the prairie and along Little Goose Creek. Plan at least two hours; the combination of art, history, and landscape rewards a slow visit.

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A story
Bradford Brinton was a wealthy Illinois businessman who bought the Quarter Circle A Ranch in Big Horn as a gentleman's retreat in 1923. He spent the following decades collecting Western and Native American art with discriminating taste — his collection includes work by Frederic Remington and Charles Russell, assembled when they were undervalued. His heirs turned the ranch into a museum, keeping the art where he hung it, in a working ranch house.