Legend of Leigh Creek

 

  The drive from Buffalo to Tensleep, Wyoming, over the Big Horn Mountains is beautiful. The road is curvy and hazardous at times, but the experience is worth it. The road has been improved over the years, but you can still drive the old section through Tensleep Canyon and get a different perspective of the canyon. It about 65 miles with an elevation of 9666 feet at Powder River Pass.

  Though I've driven over the mountain and through Tensleep Canyon hundreds of times, I never stopped to check out the Leigh Creek historical marker. In 2020 I finally did.

  The Leigh Creek story is often mixed up with the legend of the cowboy who was riding his horse on the canyon rim. Lost in dense fog, the story says his horse walked off the edge of the canyon and they both died. I'm not sure if this story is true or not, but I remember hearing it when I was a little girl.

The Leigh Creek Monument is for Gilbert E. Leigh. A British member of Parliament and guest of rancher Moreton Frewen.

The sign reads

   "At the rim above Tensleep Canyon is the Leigh Creek Monument, erected in 1889 in memory of English nobleman Gilbert E. Leigh. Leigh, a lifelong big game hunter and outdoor enthusiast, went missing in the fall of 1884 during a hunting expedition. Following his disappearance, men from the local area searched for Leigh; unfortunately, after a week of searching, they found Leigh's body and discovered that he had fallen 100 feet to his death over the canyon wall while in pursuit of mountain sheep. The monument, erected by well known Sheridan area guide Robert Stewart, is laid up of native stone in dry mortar and is approximately ten feet square at the base. It contains a marble slab with an inscription memorializing Leigh who was burring in Stoneleigh, England."

    In the first picture, the movement is above the M in Wyoming. I had to get my super-zoom camera out to get a picture of the monument. 

  Tensleep Canyon is always a beautiful drive any time of the year. Summer on a motorcycle is the best! There is so much history in the Big Horn Mountains and Leigh Creek is only example.

 There are no haunting at Leigh Creek. Just a monument to hunter that died in a tragic accident.

Leigh Creek is a beautiful area to camp and fish. Or just enjoy some time with nature.

  Tensleep Canyon is a great place for hikers and climbers to come explore.