Weston County

Tucked in the northeast corner of Wyoming against the Black Hills is Weston County. The county has served as a gateway, byway, and way of life and living. In the beginning, it was home to dinosaurs and volcanoes. Nomadic Indians then wandered through, leaving signs of their passing, and the great Sioux Indian Nations held this land dear. Finally, the area was seen as a place to settle, since the mineral-rich land and rolling grasslands provided an economic backdrop for people to stay and build a home for their families. Today, Weston County people are as diverse as this magnificent land of rugged timber that flows into sagebrush and short-grass prairies.

Shelly Ritthaler is a writer, historian, rancher, and grandmother living on the western edge of the county. Ritthaler is an award-winning author and enjoys family, sharing her time with the ranch, and working on sage grouse habitat preservation and wildlife management. Mike Jording is a physician by trade and an amateur Wyoming historian in his spare time. He has served as the Wyoming State Historical Society president and has received awards for his dedicated work dealing with Wyoming history.