Birney

History

The nearby town of Ashland was called Birney, the name of the postmaster, from 1881 to 1886. The Battle of Wolf Mountain was fought near present-day Birney in January 1877. It began operation in 1885. By 1900 John B. Kendrick purchased the ranch. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. In the late 1950s, the town consisted of a one-room schoolhouse (of two classrooms), a small church, the Birney Cash Store and its post office, the store called Ranch Stores, and six households with a population of 13.

Geography

Birney is located on the Tongue River Road, near the confluence of the Tongue River and Hanging Woman Creek. It is approximately northeast of Sheridan, Wyoming and about southwest of Ashland. Birney is just outside the boundary of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all land. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Birney has a semi-arid climate, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  16
• Hunt Bumble Bee

  Bombus huntii Greene, 1860 · Insecta
  11
• Brown-belted Bumble Bee

  Bombus griseocollis (De Geer, 1773) · Insecta
  11
• Yellow Warbler

  Setophaga petechia (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  11
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  11
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  9
• Brown-headed Cowbird

  Molothrus ater (Boddaert, 1783) · Aves
  9
• Wild Turkey

  Meleagris gallopavo Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  9

Largest nearby schools

• Birney School
  Elementary · Birney · 6 students · 6:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3 — 2026-06-02
  18 km WSW of Colstrip, Montana
• M 3.5 — 2026-05-29
  30 km NNE of Ranchester, Wyoming
• M 3.5 — 2026-04-28
  31 km NE of Ranchester, Wyoming
• M 2.6 — 2026-04-27
  29 km NE of Ranchester, Wyoming
• M 2.6 — 2026-03-30
  26 km ENE of Ranchester, Wyoming
• M 3.4 — 2026-03-27
  33 km NE of Ranchester, Wyoming