In the Footsteps of the Outlaws

I've kind of always been fascinated by Old West outlaws, such as Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch, who pillaged and roamed the western states like pirates of the prairies. So it was super fun, this past week, to visit a place they had been.

We took a short research trip, for my next Love Inspired Historical western, up to Buffalo, Wyoming. Located about 45 miles north of "Hole in the Wall" country, a popular hideout for outlaws, Buffalo offered these men all the amenities of a growing town, which including The Occidental Hotel.

The hotel still provides lodging for guests today, and that's where we stayed! And boy, did it feel like we'd stepped back in time. Not only seeing the gorgeous antiques that filled every room but walking across the creaky, wooden floors and listening to the wind rattle the old windows.

We also drove farther north to visit Sheridan and got a breath-taking view of the Big Horn mountain country. This beautiful, historic ranch was built near the Big Horn foothills back in 1892. And it certainly got my writer brain spinning at what western tale I could set there!

Though we weren't gone long, it was a trip worth making and a great reminder of why I love history, the West, and combining the two into stories.