The Wind River Indian Reservation

Wyoming’s Wind River Country is home to the seventh largest Indian reservation in the country. Encompassing more than 2.2 million acres, the Wind River Indian Reservation is home to the Eastern Shoshone and the Northern Arapaho tribes. Visitors to the area can go to powwows and museums to learn more about the local culture, or can recreate on thousands of acres of vast, unspoiled reservation lands (with a special permit).

Explore the Wind River Indian Reservation with this narrated tour put together by students at Fort Washakie School.  You’ll be guided through ten points of interest where you learn the history, culture and importance of place to the people of the Wind River Indian Reservation.

Listen here or download the app.  Wind River Indian Reservation

Fort Washakie is the oldest community on the reservation.  Originally called Fort Brown, the name was changed in 1878 to honor Chief Washakie, who negotiated the treaty establishing the reservation. The legendary Buffalo Soldiers-the name given to U.S. Cavalrymen of African descent-were stationed at Fort Washakie in the late 1800s. Today many of the original military buildings can be seen in the Fort Washakie Historic District.

Fort Washakie is home to the Shoshone Tribal Cultural Center and the cemeteries where both Chief Washakie and Lewis and Clark’s Shoshone guide, Sacajawea, are buried. You will also find a number of trading posts and gift stores that specialize in locally made Indian artwork, including hand-tanned leather goods, beadwork, and drums. Learn more about the Eastern Shoshone people here.

Ethete and St. Stephens are the centers of Arapaho culture on the reservation. The Heritage Center at St. Stephens and the Arapaho Cultural Museum in Ethete both provide insight into the tribe and its traditions. You can also buy local Native American crafts and beadwork at the St. Stephens Art Center. Learn more about the Northern Arapaho people here.

Powwows offer one of the best ways to learn about life on the Wind River Reservation. Open to the public, these gatherings occur throughout the summer. Powwows are dance contests and celebrations. Tribal members go to meet friends, dance, catch up on the news and honor the past. Each of the reservation communities host powwows.

Explore the Wind River Reservation on this driving tour.

Nine Things to do on the Wind River Indian Reservation

This page is also available in German.

Businesses

789 Smoke Shop & Casino

10369 Hwy 789
Riverton, WY

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Bugling Winds Outfitting

8223 Hwy 26
Crowheart, WY

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Cee nokuu Cafe, Wind River Casino

180 Red Wolf Place
Riverton, WY

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Deka-Guy Hee, Shoshone Rose Casino

5690 Hwy 287
Lander, WY

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Dickinson Park Public Campground

HWY 287
Lander,

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Eastern Shoshone Powwow Grounds

10 Old Wind River Highway
Fort Washakie, WY

Eastern Shoshone Tribal Cultural Center

90 Ethete Rd.
Ft. Washakie, WY

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Eastern Shoshone Tribe Buffalo Tours

#14 North Fork Road
Fort Washakie, WY

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Ethete Powwow Grounds

Ethete Road & Wy Hwy 132
Ethete, WY

Frank B. Wise Building

3 Ethete Road
Fort Washakie, WY

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Gallery of the Wind & Museum

14631 US Hwy 287
Ft. Washakie, WY

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Grizzley Rock Ranch

177 Burris Lenore Rd
Crowheart, WY

Indian Ridge Outfitter


Crowheart, WY

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Legacy Outfitters


Fort Washakie, WY

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Little Wind Casino

693 Blue Sky Hwy
Ethete, WY

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Morning Star, Little Wind Casino

800 Blue Sky Hwy
Ethete, WY

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Northern Arapaho Experience Culture Room

10269 Hwy 789
Riverton, WY

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Northern Arapaho Powwow Grounds

Left Hand Ditch Road and Sharp Nose Road Intersection
Arapaho, WY

Paintbrush Grill, Little Wind C-Store

693 Blue Sky Hwy
Ethete, WY

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Red Willow Restaurant, Wind River Hotel & Casino

180 Red Wolf Place
Riverton, WY

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Shoshone & Arapaho Fish & Game

15 N. Fork Rod
Fort Washakie, WY

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Shoshone Rose Casino & Hotel

5690 Hwy 287
Lander, WY

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Shoshone Tribal Service & Food Mart

3 N. Fork Road
Ft. Washakie, WY

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St. Stephens Indian Mission & Heritage Center

33 St. Stephens Rd.
St. Stephens, WY

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Wind River Canyon Whitewater

210 Suite 5 Hwy 20 S.
Thermopolis, WY

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Wind River Fishing Adventures

Bull Lake
Fort Washakie, WY

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Wind River Wild Horse Sanctuary

8616 Hwy 287
Lander, WY

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