The Black Diamond Byway Driving Tour, an award-winning exploration of Sheridan County’s coal mining past, now officially begins at the Sheridan Community Land Trust’s Big Goose Natural Area (BGNA) — giving visitors a new way to connect history, landscape, and community in one place.

“We’re excited to officially announce this slight change to our popular Black Diamond Byway Driving Tour,” said Kevin Knapp, SCLT History Program Manager.

The updated starting point features a striking display of historic coal carts and tracks, installed in September with help from Museum at the Bighorns Director Carrie Ida Edinger, museum board member Greg Luhman, Sheridan College Agriculture Department Director Mae Smith, several students, and SCLT staff. These carts, on loan from the Museum at the Bighorns, are historically accurate representations of the technology that powered the coal camps during their peak. At Monarch, for example, up to 100 similar carts crossed the Tongue River Bridge from the mine to the tipple each day, transporting coal that fueled Wyoming’s early industries and communities.

This week, the Monarch interpretive sign was reinstalled, completing a series of long-planned updates to the tour. Over the past several years, refreshed interpretive signs have been added along the route, and new stories have been incorporated into the audio tour, bringing the history of Sheridan County’s coal towns to life in vivid, personal ways.

“The SCLT Big Goose Natural Area is a unique community venue where people can experience SCLT’s dedication to our three missions. Whether people come out because of the tour or discover it while visiting for another reason, they’ll come away with a richer understanding of what makes our work meaningful.” ~ Kevin Knapp, History Program Manager

The Black Diamond Byway preserves the stories of towns like Monarch, Acme, Dietz, and Carneyville — once bustling, multilingual communities of miners and their families. Immigrants from around the globe came together in these coal camps, creating vibrant cultural communities that shaped Sheridan County and Wyoming’s place in the national energy economy.

For Knapp, one of the most compelling parts of the tour is learning about overlooked figures like Dr. Lucile Kirtland Kuchera, a pioneering woman who served as the town doctor in Monarch during the 1940s and 1950s. “Her story really stood out to me,” Knapp shared. “She represents the often overlooked people — like nurses, teachers, and shopkeepers — whose daily work kept these communities running.”

Narrated by Dave Kinskey, the tour can be experienced through the TravelStorys app. Visitors can start the tour at the BGNA or anywhere in Ranchester; the app will then guide you through the tour. While best enjoyed as a scenic drive, the tour can also be experienced virtually from anywhere with an internet connection.

The Black Diamond Byway is one of several history tours SCLT has created. Earlier this fall, the Wyoming Historical Society awarded SCLT’s Iron Riders Trail Driving/Cycling Tour first place for Audio or Visual Documentary: Non-Professional, recognizing its storytelling and preservation of local history. It follows the 1897 journey of the 25th Infantry Regiment Bicycle Corps—Black soldiers who pedaled 1,900 miles from Fort Missoula, Mont., to St. Louis, Mo.—bringing their remarkable story to life through narration, history, and place.