Buffalo Bill’s Historic Sheridan Inn

Whenever Buffalo Bill slept at his own Sheridan Inn in the late 1800s, his lights were powered by a threshing machine engine burning dirty coal. Today, if you stay there your lights will be powered by clean, green solar energy.

The Sheridan Inn has produced many firsts for the City of Sheridan. It installed the first indoor electricity in 1893, operated the first telephone service (from the Inn to a drugstore downtown!) and now it’s the first solar-powered hotel in town.

The Sheridan Historical Center, the non-profit organization that owns the Inn, raised $6M for renovations to make it a Green Historic Landmark. The Bella Energy 10 kilowatt solar system produces 100% of the Inn’s electrical needs and a geothermal energy borefield produces all its heat and hot water, both paid for by a USDA grant.

The Inn opened in 1893, welcoming folks arriving by train, including high-profile citizens such as Ernest Hemmingway and President Hoover. Buffalo Bill Cody was part owner and lived at the Inn whenever he took a break from his traveling Wild West Shows, often holding auditions from its massive front porch.

The Sheridan Inn was said by many to be the finest hotel between Chicago and San Francisco. It catered to big game hunting parties, locals who needed a place to stay while their homes were being built, and area ranchers spending weekends at the Inn. Some even kept their good clothes at the Inn for the next fancy party. Early prices were $1.00/day for a room, 25¢ for breakfast and 50¢ for lunch or dinner.

In 1893, a whistle blew at midnight signaling “lights out” for the 200 coal-powered lights.

After renovations, the Sheridan Inn will be open for business again offering 24 “mini-museum” rooms for overnight stays, all lit by solar power.

Sheridan Inn photo credit: Buffalo Bill Cody Sites