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  Tucked away in a grove of trees, nearly hidden from the view of modern-day travelers, is an abandoned piece of history that endured almost 80 years of use.

The old Little Bear Inn is nestled on a ranch north of Cheyenne (2 miles North on I-25 to Exit 16 - Horse Creek Road Left on Horse Creek Road , over the interchange bridge to Little Bear Road Right on Little Bear Road 2 miles to The Little Bear Inn on the left). In its heyday, it was a stop for weary travelers, a saloon and casino and a haven of sorts for outlaws.

In the 1870's, people began to travel northward to the Black Hills for gold mining. Seeing the opportunity, Isaac Bard and his wife Rose, bought land in 1875 and erected a way station for the travelers. At that time, their trip from Cheyenne to Deadwood, S.D. lasted three days and three nights.

The Cheyenne-Deadwood stage route passed by the inn, and though it was not a scheduled stop, the stage often would use the inn as a rest stop. The post office at Horse Creek closed in 1877, moving to the Little Bear and making it a regular stop. 

 When the county sheriff outlawed gambling, in the 1950's, the inn closed because the owners felt city residents weren't willing to drive 30 miles just to eat. Little Bear Inn is Cheyenne's original steakhouse, and has been operating since 1958 at the current location.