city, seat (1888) of Sheridan county, northern Wyoming, U.S., at the confluence of Big Goose and Little Goose creeks, on the east slope of the Bighorn Mountains near the Montana border. It was founded in 1882 and named for General Philip H. Sheridan (Sheridan, Philip H.), Union cavalry leader during the American Civil War. Not until a series of wars subdued the Cheyenne, Sioux, and Crow was the area well settled. The arrival of the railroad (1892) and the discovery of coal stimulated its growth.

A railroad distribution point, Sheridan has acquired some diversified manufacturing. Ranching, truck farming, flour milling, sawmilling, and oil production are local occupations. Sheridan College (two-year) was established in 1948. The city is headquarters of the Bighorn National Forest, and tourism (dude ranches, big game hunting, and fishing) is an economic asset. A rodeo is held in July and the All-American Indian Days celebration in August. Inc. 1884. Pop. (1990) 13,900; (2000) 15,804.