Wyoming Real Estate: Fort Washakie Artist Richard Greeves' House Lists For $615,000

In his Fort Washakie studio, the late sculptor Richard V. Greeves focused on transformational portraits of the West with a special emphasis on Native Americans and the expeditions of Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery.

The results of his prolific — and ultimately famous — avocation adorned his home and studio, as well as the grounds outside, where distinctive, world-class bronzes once recalled an iconic time in history.

Greeves died in 2022. Now his Fort Washakie home, studio and art galleries are for sale, listed by Robert Newsom with Householder Properties in Lander for $615,000. His art, however, is not included.

Even without the sculptures that made Greeves so famous, his property remains an amazing deal, Householder Properties’ real estate agent Jenna Ackerman told Cowboy State Daily.

“This was originally the original trading post of Fort Washakie,” she told Cowboy State Daily. “I’m not sure what year it was renovated, but it’s been a trading post, it’s been a little cafe, and now it’s a residence and gallery and studio space.”

The main house has beautiful hardwood floors with five large bedrooms, 4.5 baths, and multiple indoor and outdoor living areas, as well as a kitchen that is stuffed with high-end appliances.

“It’s also massive,” Ackerman said. “It’s 8,400 square feet. And, in addition to the living quarters, gallery, and studio space, there is shop space and an accessory dwelling unit that’s being run as an Airbnb right now.”

Young Artist In Love

Greeves, a St. Louis native, became lovestruck by Wyoming and its history at the young age of 15 when he visited a Cowboy State booth at a travel show. While he was at the booth, he met a young Shoshone girl, who invited the young artist to come visit her ranching family sometime on the Wind River Indian Reservation.

Greeves didn’t take it as an idle invitation, and, that very summer, he did just that. He was so taken with the Wind River setting and history of the area that he moved to the reservation with his first wife, a Kiowa woman, in his 20s.

Among the first people he visited after moving to the reservation was the rancher whose daughter had first invited him to the reservation.

Learning that the man had just won a building that housed a trading post, cafe, and a meatpacking plant in a card game, Greeves recognized a great opportunity. He bought the place from the rancher, and he called it home the rest of his life.

In the beginning, Greeves operated the businesses by day, then worked on his art well into the night. But, as his art grew more and more prominent, he replaced the businesses with a studio and workshops, creating what is now a sprawling complex. He filled that complex and his home with authentic Indian artifacts from the 1800s, as well as many copies of his cast sculptures and lots of inspiring Western art and books about Western history.

He used the artifacts as props for his work, which gathered acclaim for its unusual authenticity and sensitivity. Over the years, Greeves won multiple Prix de West awards, and some of his sculptures have sold for many thousands of dollars.

Smithsonian affiliate Buffalo Bill Center of the West, boasts four of Greeve’s huge bronze sculptures, including “The Unknown,” located in the center’s sculpture garden. The sculpture’s concept was to suggest the challenges faced by native tribes in the 1800s.

A Fabulous Setting

Centrally located within Fort Washakie, Greeves studio and residence has an amazing view of the Wind River mountains on an acre of ground that’s a little slice of Wyoming heaven.

The property is zoned commercial, leaving many options for its new owner. A purchaser could place a business on the property, as well as live there. It could also continue as it now is, Ackerman added.

“It would really be a perfect place for an artist and his or her family,” she said. “And that’s what Richard was doing — he was there forever, and (his wife) Stephanie, too, for a long time.”

In addition to a great indoor space, the property also has great outdoor spaces as well, Ackerman said.

The property includes a vegetable garden, as well as a courtyard, where many of Greeve’s’ sculptures were displayed.

While the sculptures aren’t part of the real estate listing, Ackerman said they are for sale, and a buyer could potentially negotiate to keep any of the sculptures that have not yet been sold.

“You would have to look at each piece,” Ackerman said. “It would just be part of the negotiations. Everything is negotiable.”

Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.