There are hotels that give you a place to sleep, and then there are hotels that give you a story. The Historic Occidental Hotel in Buffalo, Wyoming — just a short, scenic drive south of Sheridan along I-90 — falls squarely into the second category, and it is the kind of place that makes you slow down, look around, and feel genuinely grateful you made the trip.
Built in 1880, the Occidental has hosted presidents, outlaws, cattle barons, and writers. Teddy Roosevelt signed the guest register. Calamity Jane reportedly caused a scene in the saloon. Owen Wister, who wrote The Virginian — arguably the novel that defined the American West — drew direct inspiration from his stays here. When you walk through the front door, you are not walking into a replica or a theme park. You are walking into the actual room where all of that happened.
The restoration of the Occidental is nothing short of remarkable. Owner Dawn Wexo spent years bringing the building back from near ruin, and the result is a place that feels both beautifully preserved and genuinely welcoming. The period antiques, pressed-tin ceilings, and dark wood bar are authentic — not reproductions — and the attention to detail is extraordinary. Victorian wallpaper, original photographs, and oil paintings line the walls, telling the story of the town and the era without a single interpretive placard feeling forced or museum-stiff.
The saloon is the heart of the place, and it deserves its own paragraph. Belly up to the bar on a Friday or Saturday evening and you are likely to find live music, a cold Wyoming beer, and the kind of easy conversation that only happens in rooms with a century and a half of good stories soaked into the floorboards. The bartenders know their history and are happy to share it. Order a whiskey, ask about the bullet holes in the back bar, and settle in.
Guest rooms are decorated in authentic period style — think brass beds, claw-foot tubs, and genuine antique furnishings — but with modern plumbing and comfortable mattresses. If you are making a weekend of your Sheridan trip, staying the night here is an experience that no chain hotel anywhere can compete with.
The Occidental sits right on Main Street in Buffalo, roughly 34 miles south of Sheridan. It is an easy and beautiful drive through open ranch country, and pairing it with a morning in Sheridan and an afternoon in Buffalo makes for one of the finest Wyoming day trips imaginable. The hotel is open year-round, and the restaurant serves solid, satisfying comfort food that more than holds its own.
If you have ever romanticized the American West — the real one, not the Hollywood version — the Occidental Hotel is where that romance becomes something you can actually touch. Go soon, and go hungry for history.
