All About Paradise
YOU SIMPLY HAVE TO
EXPERIENCE PARADISE FOR YOURSELF
As soon as you drive through our FUN gate and catch a glimpse of Fan Rock, you’ll begin to understand why this place is so special. Gradually, as the week goes on, you get to know our crew and the other guests, have your first lope across the wildflower-strewn mesa, reel in your first rainbow trout at the base of a winding canyon, witness your first Paradise sunset from the deck of your cabin, the pieces will start to come together. We hope that by the end of your stay, you will be taking a little bit of Paradise home with you.
Ranch History
In the late 1890s, Mr. Norman Meldrum drove a herd of cattle from Colorado up to Buffalo, Wyoming, where he had acquired some land. The cattle were wintered near the present Soldier's Home and summered in the upper meadow range of the Big Horns, which was to become Paradise Ranch. Meldrum liked the mountain meadow so well that he proved up the land and acquired a title. He built the original log cabin, which still stands today.
A Historic Dude Ranch
Norman Meldrum’s son, Dr. Gordon Meldrum, returned from the war in the Philippines and decided to settle in Buffalo and establish a practice. Gordon Meldrum was enchanted with the cabin in the mountains and encouraged friends to visit him there. It was these visitors who affectionately called the meadow "paradise." The name stuck and eventually became the name of the ranch. Shortly after Dr. Meldrum married Mabel Lee in 1903, they added a few more cabins to accommodate their friends. Soon, they began hosting paying guests and the infant dude ranch was on its way. The official first year that Paradise Guest Ranch operated as a family dude ranch is 1907--and we were so excited to celebrate our 100 year anniversary with our guests!
Paradise—What Else Could You Call It?
Paradise Ranch has hosted many folks from around the globe, including Owen Wister, who wrote a portion of "The Virginian" while a guest; and Aldo Leopold, a writer, and guest, wrote this about Paradise Ranch in A Sand County Almanac: "Finally, there was Paradise Ranch, an obvious platitude when read from a map, but something quite different when you arrived there at the end of a hard ride. It lay tucked away on the far side of a high peak, as any proper Paradise should. Through its verdant meadows meandered a singing trout stream. A horse left for a month on this meadow, waxed so fat that rain-water gathered in a pool on his back. After my first visit to Paradise Ranch, I remarked to myself, 'what else could you call it'."
Paradise Today
What we set out to achieve at Paradise is to create a haven away from the hustle and bustle of the modern world. Here, guests can connect more deeply with nature and experience the beauty in the simple things in life. As a family-owned establishment, we deeply value the life-long relationships we gain from our guests and our crew. We pride ourselves on the return families that have been coming to Paradise for over 30 years and we delight in the traditions formed by the new guests we welcome into our family every season.