Ucross Foundation
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The Ucross Foundation is a non-profit organization located in Ucross, Wyoming, USA. The foundation operates both a 22,000 acre ecologically sensitive working ranch, as well as an international arts residency program for creative artists from around the world.
The land and complex of buildings now known as Ucross Ranch were purchased in the 1970s by the Apache Corporation, an independent oil and gas exploration company, in hopes of mining the land for mineral resources. The original ranch buildings had served as the headquarters for the Pratt & Ferris Cattle Company during the 1880s as well as a Pony Express stop on the stagecoach route that serviced the Wyoming towns of Buffalo and Clearmont through the early 20th century. On learning of the historical significance of the site, the Apache Corporation changed its original development plans and created the Ucross Foundation to oversee the restoration of both the original ranch buildings and the ranchland itself. Today, the complex of restored ranch buildings are on the National Historic Register, and the surrounding land, a model for holistic ranching practices, is protected by the Wyoming Chapter of the Nature Conservancy.
As part of the restoration of Ucross Ranch, the Foundation created the Ucross Artists Residency Program. Creative artists from around the world, including sculptors, painters, filmmakers, photographers, composers, and writers, are invited to spend up to 2 months at the ranch. Many of the old Pratt & Ferris ranch buildings have been converted to studios for the artists, and the original cattle barn from the 1880s is now a public art gallery and conference center. The Ucross Foundation also hosts the annual Sundance Institute Writers Retreat, a month during the winter when writers and composers associated with the Sundance Festival’s Theater Institute gather at the ranch to share and further their work.
