Trail End
400 Clarendon Avenue in Sheridan (307) 674-4589

The Building at Trail End
Located on 3.5 acres of groomed grounds, Trail End is an example of Flemish Revival architecture, one of the few found in the western United States.

There are three main floors plus a basement, an attic, four balconies and four porches.

Materials used on the outside include Kansas brick, Indiana limestone, Missouri roofing tile and Wyoming granite. Both the mansion and the Carriage House (located to the west of the mansion) were designed by architect Glenn Charles McAlister of Billings, Montana.

Trail End took five years to finish, but not all that time was spent actually building. Workers were idle for over a year due to the combined effects of labor unrest in the eastern furniture mills and low prices in the midwestern cattle markets. During the delay in construction, the Kendricks lived in the Carriage House, completed in 1910.

Instead of relying on the taste and judgement of strangers, John and Eula Kendrick acted as their own general contractors. They then employed designers and consultants from all over the United States to help them put together the home they envisioned. The wall paneling, cabinets, stairs and other carved pieces were custom made for the house, using the newest automated equipment. All of the woodwork was machine-tooled in Michigan and shipped to Sheridan via railroad.

Like most large homes of the period, Trail End contained many labor saving devices: intercom, built-in stationary vacuum, laundry chute, dumbwaiter and elevator. Although never used, there was also an emergency fire suppression system with fire hoses located on each floor.

Very few structural changes have been made at Trail End. You will see, however, several rooms that were redecorated over the years by the family. The alterations have not been removed because they are part of the history of the house.

The Kendricks and Trail End
Trail End was the home of John Benjamin Kendrick, former Wyoming Governor and United States Senator. Born in Texas in 1857, Kendrick was orphaned at an early age and raised by relatives until he went out on his own at age fifteen. In 1879, Kendrick came to Wyoming territory for the first time, as a trail rider on a cattle drive.

John Kendrick married 17 year old Eula Wulfjen in 1891. For the next 18 years, they lived on the OW Ranch in southeastern Montana. This property was the start of what later became the Kendrick Cattle Company, a 200,000 acre collection of cattle ranches in northern Wyoming and southern Montana.

While at the OW Ranch, the family’s size doubled. Rosa Maye (1897-1979) and Manville (1900-1992) were both born in Sheridan, but lived their early lives at the ranch.

Construction began on Trail End in 1908. After it was finished in 1913, the family had only a short time to enjoy their new home. John Kendrick was elected Governor of Wyoming in 1914 and the family moved to Cheyenne. Two years later he was chosen to serve in the United States Senate, an office he held until his death in 1933. During that time, Trail End was used primarily as a summer home.

From 1933 to 1961, Eula Kendrick lived at Trail End with her son and his family. After her death, the others moved out and the house stood empty for seven years.

In 1968, when it was about to be torn down, Trail End was purchased by the Sheridan County Historical Society. They opened the home to the public as a community museum. Ownership was transferred to the State of Wyoming in 1982.

On a tour of the house you will find special features in every room.

Foyer: Hand-painted ceiling panels; dark mission oak woodwork; custom designed chandelier and wall sconces; elevator.

Drawing Room: French silk damask wall coverings; piano-finish mahogany beams and panels; Italian marble fireplace; 1922 portraits of John and Eula Kendrick; peonies painted by Paul de Longpres; hand- made Kurdistan rug.

Cloak Room: Intercom; coat closets.

Library: Quarter-sawn golden oak panels and bookcases; gothic style chandelier; stained glass windows; 1917 Declaration of War against Germany; Sharp reproduc- tion over fireplace.

Powder Room: Porcelain double pedestal sink with German silver fixtures.

Dining Room: Hand-painted ceiling and wall panels; piano-finish mahogany woodwork; Italian marble fireplace with carved mantle.

Vault: Walk-in combination safe.

Butler’s Pantry: Glass-front cabinets; German silver sink; dumb waiter; laundry chute; icebox.

Kitchen: “Hospital White” porcelain tile walls, ceramic tile floor, marble trim; original wood/coal cookstove (later replaced by gas); porcelain sink; built-in spice cabinet and storage bins.

Back Hallway: Intercom; fusebox; fire hose; annunciator; stairs to basement; stairs to second and third floor (closed: please use main staircase).

Second Floor Hallway: Replication of original wallpaper; stained glass windows; hand-painted canvas ceilings.

Manville’s Bedroom: Navajo-motif wall stenciling; red fir trim.
Master Bedroom: Balcony overlooking rose garden; intercom.

Rosa Maye’s Bedroom: Hand-tinted wall panels; custom designed light fixtures.

Maid’s Closet: Hoses and nozzles for built-in stationary vacuum system; fusebox.

Guest Wing: Three bedrooms, each with private bath (closed to public; they’re currently used as staff offices).

Ballroom: Tiffany-styled chandeliers with verdigris finish; maple dance floor; Georgia pine ceiling beams; horsehair cushions; rotating lead glass windows for ventilation; musician’s loft.

Staff Quarters: Three bedrooms (each with sink and closets); pine wood trim; intercom; laundry chute; dumbwaiter; communal bathroom.

Attic: Musician’s loft; storage area; pulley for dumbwaiter (closed to public).

Basement: Contains laundry room with three porcelain sinks, fireplace, stationary vacuum cleaner motor, vault; furnace room with boilers for steam heating system; coal bin; chauffeur’s bedroom; storage facilities; public restrooms.

The Grounds
The Carriage House
Finished in 1910, it served as the Kendricks home during the construction of mansion. It was built to house carriages and horses, but never used for that purpose. By the time the family was ready to move out of their make-shift home, they were driving Cadillacs instead of buggies. It was converted to a theater and is currently the home of the Sheridan Civic Theater Guild. Phone 672-9886 for ticket information.

The Mandel Cabin was built in 1879 by George Mandel and purchased in 1882 by Sheridan founder John Loucks. It served as the area’s first post office, store, school, law office, and bank. In 1976, the cabin was reconstructed from original logs and moved to Trail End State Historic Site. It is the property of the Colonial Dames of America.

Also found on the grounds are a sunken rose garden, an English sundial, an apple orchard, a circular back driveway with original clothesline/drying yard, a lawn tennis court, and a wide variety of trees and bushes, both native and exotic.

Reprinted from Wyoming State Parks and Historic Sites brochure.