In 1900, the prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints sent settlers to northern Wyoming under the direction of Apostle Abraham Owen Woodruff to establish the communities of Byron and Cowley and build the Sidon Canal to bring water from the Shoshone River. At Stake Conference on September 11, 1908, Apostle David O. McKay announced that a church school would be built in this section of Big Horn County, and the southwest corner of the church block in Cowley was chosen for the new two-story school. Ground was broken on November 5, 1915, for a native-sandstone building whose inscription stone over the south entrance, cut by L.C. Jensen, read "Big Horn Academy 1916." The stone, twelve feet long, four feet wide, and two feet thick, weighed about four tons and was cut in one solid piece. Stone for the building was hauled from hills five miles south of Cowley, shaped at the site, and set in place without power equipment. The academy opened in September 1919 with approximately 85-95 students from surrounding communities, many of whom lived in Cowley during the school year, and the building was modern and equipped with a heating plant and ventilating system. The academy existed for fifteen years from 1909-1924 and played a major role in the area. It was discontinued in 1924, after which the building was sold to the school district and used as a high school until 1983, then as a pre-school and for private business, and in 2011 it was extensively remodeled to become the administration building for Big Horn County School District Number One.