In 1900 Charles H. “Dad” Worland dug an underground stage stop here on the old Bridger Trail, and from that dugout grew the City of Worland, drawing pioneer men and women who believed Big Horn River water could create a new way of life in the desert. Using horses and hand tools, they dug miles of irrigation canals, and with that precious water the parched land became an oasis, making Worland the Jewel of the Big Horn Basin. In the Big Horn Basin, sheltered by formidable mountains, hunting tribes of Crow and Sioux, Arapaho and Shoshone had long followed Pie Tanka, the Buffalo, as their livelihood. Later came trappers, gold seekers, bluecoats, ranchers, and farmers, along with courageous wives who put down roots and built sand, sage, and water into Worland and Washakie.