looking for some information (Sheridan, Buffalo: fit in, rental, homes)

[tkbasham]

i was wondering if anyone is familiar with the area of story,wy or anyone from there.

[kyoinwyo]

i live in sheridan, maybe a 20-30 minute drive from story and have been there a few times. it's a small community, a few anemities. it's in a wooded area, which is pretty. also you have nice views of the big horn mts

[Meg Lesher]

I lived in Story for three years in the late 1990's, and have been back a few times, most recently last Fall. Story is a village nestled right up against the Bighorn Moutains, southwest of Sheridan and northwest of Buffalo. It is off the beaten path, but is worth a visit. It's bigger than it looks, as many cottages are tucked into the woods, and it is growing, mostly down in the valley of the Wagon Box Road that leads to Fetterman Monument, the scene of an old skirmish between the U.S. troops and the native triibesmen. It has good public access to Bighorn National Forest, which is big and beautiful. There is a fish hatchery there. You are likely to find people on horseback, or a lady running her team of harness horses on the road. Two wonderful mountain creeks run right through the village. Some folks up there are craftspeople, some artisans, some ranchers, some railroad men, some true originals, with names like Trash and Scoop. It has a bonifide community feel to it. Many of the people commute to work in Sheridan or Buffalo, but it can be hard to get up Tunnel Hill, the access road from the north, in the wintertime, even after they carved away part of the hill to make it more traverseable. And you can slide down Tunnel Hill sideways when it gets slick with ice and snow. Fortunately, you're unlikely to encounter another vehicle doing so. Story has a post office, a new gas station/convenience store, a small motel, three or four churches, a library that's open I think once a week, a shop for artists to display their work, and three restaurant/taverns, which serve as gathering places for the villagers. There's a grocery/video rental/cafe which would fit into a set from Northern Exposure, with a moose motif, and curled pine posts you could sit on holding up the roof in front. You might see a moose, or a bear, or even a mountain lion in town. You will definitely see deer; they are plain as dogs in some places. On HWY 193, leading into town, is a landmark restaurant/bar/dance hall that got taken over last year by a chef called Kim who is the best cook for miles around. I think she changed the name; it was called Ladore, and is a ramshackle white frame structure no one could miss. Kim is also a pool shark, so don't bet on your game if you get her playing. Story has a festival day on the last Saturday of August every year, with a parade, a fireman's breakfast in front of the Wagon Box (one of the restaurant/pub/poolhall/darts/dance spots), and general carousing all day. These villagers are characters worthy of a novel. If you are inclined to be outgoing, they will accept you readily. Don't believe all their tales. Do believe in their good natures. I have never been anyplace where people were more willing to help each other out.

[goldfire99]

I stayed in Story for a couple of months a couple of years ago. It was during the summer and absolutely beautiful. Very small town, some beautiful homes, LOTS of deer, beautiful creeks, gorgeous mountains, etc. There's a great restaurant inside a general store. Excellent food.

Lots of wildlife. I saw a wolf about a block from where I stayed, turkeys would meander through the yard, and deer would bed down about five feet from my door.

[ruggedindividual]

How far is the drive from Story to Buffalo during the different seasons, and how are the roads once you get off I-90?

[ElkHunter]

Story to Buffalo is about 20-25 minutes. I know of only twice last winter that the road was difficult. Once it was closed.

The Wyoming state department does a pretty good job of keeping up with roads when it snows.

The one time that roads out that way closed last year was funny. I have a scanner. It lit off and it was the Sheriff calling that he was stuck. Deputies tried getting to him and couldn't. Finally he said, "Call up so in so, he's got a farm about a mile down the road. Have him come get me out with his tractor."

but that snow fall was 37 inches and 70+ mph winds. Not the norm.

I built a building out in Story and the guy wanted it close to the fence. Set off's don't allow that. Need room to get fire equipment through. So I asked who the city engineer was. They pointed me to a guy setting in front of the station drinking a pop. When I asked him about distance he said, "Well, I figure that when rain runs off the roof, it should fall on your property, not the neighbors." That's all the answer I got.

[lnsturg]

We just got back from checking Story out, beautiful location, actually got to see a "smart aleck" cow, get back through the fence once he saw two sheriff's bearing down on him; saw a ton of deer and antelope...I heard from some "local" folk that Story is a bit expensive and that there might be a problem with the septic tanks, but...that's just what I heard.

[sunsprit]

What nobody's mentioned here yet about Story is that it's rather expensive for even a modest cabin.

We spent a couple of days last year looking in the Buffalo/Story area for a place (2nd home) and were rather shocked at the high prices. Considering my current 2nd home is in Vail, CO ... which has just a few more amenities going for it than Story, it's pretty telling just how expensive Story is.

Also, if you'll read through this forum about Realtors in Wyoming ... you'll be a little better prepared for the indifferent and non-professional treatment you'll get there in Story and Buffalo.

We checked in with a bunch of agents up there and learned more about the properties by just reading the listings sheets posted in the windows of their offices than they could (or would) tell us. We never did find several of the properties a lady in Buffalo gave us "directions" to so that we could check them out ourselves ... and she never contacted us back on my mobile phone to find out if we'd seen anything we were interested in. Well, actually we hadn't ... since we couldn't find the properties she had listed in her office. We did find a couple of others with signs on them, and checked them out ... way over my price range for what they had to offer.

I would agree that Story is a nice little spot, and has a lot of natural beauty about it.

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by sunsprit

I would agree that Story is a nice little spot, and has a lot of natural beauty about it.

That's the reason it's expensive. Beautiful area. Quaint. Quiet. Easy commute. Lot's of wildlife. Great hiking. Great fishing. Don't have to go camping because your already there.

[ruggedindividual]

Well the Realtor I'm working with in Buffalo has been very helpful. Really seems like she may be the needle in the haystack after reading everyone else's posts. But the home she helped me find was unfortunately a bad deal. Only found this out after spending a lot of time and money (and hopes) into it. So now we've found a possibility in Story with a rental property. I just wanted to see how far the drive to Buffalo is going to be since my job is about 35 miles east of there...right around the Powder River where the rest area is on I-90. It's actually another 15 minutes north of 90 from the rest stop to where I work. I'm figuring that if I can get a place in Story, the extra drive time may be worth it since I haven't had luck with housing in Buffalo so far.