The Mitchells.

That's our bus driver, Billy Vaughn, striking up a conversation with one of the group.

Jim and Verla Mae Weaver at lunch.

Lots of good conversation!

Our speaker was Pam Thompson, President of the Crook County Historical Society and one of the "movers and shakers" with the Aladdin Homemakers (of which she is also president) that mobilized to get the tipple preserved and restored to its present condition.

Pam provided an excellent overview of not only the tipple operation -- but the history of Aladdin and the surrounding region. A native of Spearfish, she and her family now call the Aladdin area home.

The following inscription is on this sign in Aladdin's Centennial Park.

ALADDIN, WYOMING 1890-1990

Several towns sprang up as a result of the coal mining in the area, but Aladdin is the only one to survive. Coal is no longer being mined, but ranching, logging, and tourism have replaced it as the basis of the local economy.

--Donated by Diana Roth

We headed west a few miles to this marker on the south side of Highway 14. It commemorates Custer's 1874 expedition. It was the "first official government expedition to the Black Hills, which the Sioux Indians claimed as their territory." More than 1,000 men were on the expedition, including engineers, geologists and miners. The discovery of gold transformed the region, opening northeast Wyoming to settlement, despite resistance from the Native Americans. Although the Sioux defeated General Custer at the Little Bighorn in June of 1876, they surrendered to General Terry the following October. The sign also notes that "In 1877, the United States officially confiscated the Black Hills lands from the Sioux, an action of which the legality is still being disputed in courts."

The Crook County Museum and Art Gallery is on the lower level of the County Courthouse, located on the main drag of Sundance -- 309 Cleveland Street. It's open year-round from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. During the summer, they're open on Saturdays, too.