Ranchester in Sheridan County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)
Stagecoach Roads in Sheridan County
Bingham Post Office and Stage Station
Bingham Post Office and stage station on the Rock Creek stage line was located from 1879 to 1885 at Benjamin F. Smith’s ranch on the north side of the Tongue River, where the stage road crossed. The site is in a field west of the ranch buildings, about a half mile southeast of this sign. The ranch was one of twenty-three stage stations, eighteen to twenty miles apart, on the Rock Creek to Montana stage road. The stations consisted of stables and houses for the employees on the route, and nine of them, including Bingham, also served as post offices.
Bingham Post Office was named for John T. Bingham, superintendent from 1879 to 1882 of the northern half of the stage line (from Powder River, Wyoming, to Junction, Montana). A bridge was built here in the early 1880s that was washed out in 1884. B.F. Smith died about the same time, and Frank Mock took over the stage station and post office. In 1885 the post office was moved two and a half miles southeast to Frank McGrath’s Keystone Ranch on Wolf Creek, retaining the name Bingham until 1894. After the post office was moved, the Rock Creek line adopted a new route on the south side of the Tongue River to Dayton, where a bridge had been built.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Places. In addition, it is included in the Postal Mail and Philately series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1879.
Location. 44° 53.78′ N, 107° 13.818′ W. Marker is in Ranchester, Wyoming, in Sheridan County. Marker is on Dayton Street (U.S. 14) west of Halfway Lane (County Route 71), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ranchester WY 82839, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Tongue River Crossing (a few steps from this marker); Bozeman Trail (a few steps from this marker); First Woman Mayor in Wyoming (approx. 2.2 miles away); Dayton Community Hall (approx. 2.2 miles away); Ranchester (approx. 3.2 miles away); Connor Battlefield State Historic Site (approx. 3.3 miles away); The Battle of Tongue River (approx. 3.4 miles away); Connor Battlefield (approx. 3.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ranchester.
More about this marker. An area map showing the location of the marker appears on the left. An image of a stage coach at the Bingham station is at the bottom of the marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on July 27, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 489 times since then and 55 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 27, 2015, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.