Sherman Sage Mural

Wyoming has been the original home to various Native American tribes, such as the Arapaho, Sioux, Cheyenne, Shoshone, and many more, for thousands of years. The Wind River Reservation just north of Lander, Wyoming, is shared by the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes and sits on over 2 million acres of land. One of the most impactful elders in the Wind River Reservation was Sherman Sage of the Northern Arapaho tribe, who left a significant historical memory.

Sherman Sage, also nicknamed “Old Man Sage,” is an Arapaho Elder that lived from 1844 to 1943. In his almost 100 years of life, Sage is remembered for being present at the signing of the Fort Laramie Treaty in 1868, witnessing the surrender of Crazy Horse in 1877, and bringing the Ghost Dance back to the Wind River Reservation in 1889. In 1914, Sage went with Gun Griswold on a mountain expedition in the Rocky Mountains to identify locations with their Arapaho names.

Hidden Figures Alleyway is where Sage's mural is located, which aims to commemorate lesser-known historical figures that made significant history in Wyoming but are not widely recognized. Sage is remembered for his positive impact on the reservation, specifically for bringing back the ghost dance. Sage’s mural reminds the public that Native history and culture are still present in Wyoming.

For more information:

• Colorado National Park Trips, “Native American Tribes in Rocky Mountain National Park”
• County 10, “#Lookback: Sherman Sage - Old Man Sage”

Contributed by Elena Stewart