Arvada
Location
The unincorporated town of Arvada lies off the beaten path in the southeast portion of Sheridan County, Wyoming. A 60-mile drive to the northwest leads to Sheridan, the county seat and nearest large community with full amenities and a hospital.
History
With the building of the railroad lines in the 1890s, many colorful little towns sprang up around the watering stops. Suggs, or Suggstown, was one of them. In the winter of 1891-92, it consisted of a small number of tents, and one house. The town was as wild as the wild west could be - accommodations for travelers were crude, but very expensive, games of chance were the principal leisure activity, and there was a nonstop flow of liquor.
Suggstown is perhaps best known as the place where cattle rustler Ella Watson - “Cattle Kate” - met her demise in 1889. In the summer of 1892, a detachment of African-American soldiers was dispatched to clean up the town. A shootout ensued, which left several soldiers dead or wounded. This final violent episode marked the end of Suggstown. The store, which consisted of floors and walls of wood, with a tent roof, was moved across the Powder River, and the town of Arvada was born.
Suggs quickly became a ghost town, while Arvada flourished as a railroad town with several stores, eating houses, a saloon, and a post office.
Arvada Today
Modern Arvada is a store and post office surrounded by a community of farms and ranches. In recent years, Arvada has been witness to the booming coalbed natural gas industry. Children attend kindergarten through 6th grade in Arvada before continuing their education in nearby Clearmont.