On our trek to Colorado Springs for a family event, we decided to head further north to Wyoming. We'd never been (only driven through) and we were half way there already so...why not?
In 1867, Wyoming was part of the Dakotas. Then in 1868, as the Union Pacific Railroad crossed the country, Wyoming became a territory. The railroad created cities and towns along the way, like Cheyenne. Cheyenne had the reputation of being the wild west. Because of the train, it attracted all kinds of people like speculators, gamblers as well as workers. The fast growth of the town earned it the name the Magic City of the Plains.
About this time, Fort D. A. Russell was created to protect the railroad. This eventually morphed into Francis E. Warren Air Force Base. The original railroad depot for the Union Pacific railroad was replaced with this gorgeous building. It was built in 1887. Standing in front of the depot facing away, you can look straight down Capitol Avenue and see the State Capitol.
Wyoming was admitted to the Union as the 44th State in 1890. But construction on the Capitol began as early as 1886 as the Territorial Governor, John Campbell designated Cheyenne as the capital. The building was used for Territorial government business until Wyoming became a state, then it was the seat of state government. In 2019, the building underwent a massive renovation.
Just inside the building are two beautiful staircases that lead to the second floor.
Note the second spindle from the top. It's upside down. The theory is that only God can create perfection, so carpenters would add some "flaw" to their work.
Wyoming was known as the "Equality State" as it provided women's suffrage before any other state in the union. In fact, they elected the first Female Governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross. She won the governorship in 1925 after her husband, Governor William Ross died unexpectedly. Her portrait hangs in the reception area of the current governor's office.
This is Suffrage Hall. They are very proud of their women's suffrage here. This hall in the capitol documents the history of women in Wyoming Government and their contributions. It's really cool especially when you think about the fact that women couldn't even have their own credit card without a male co-signer until 1974!
This is the House of Representatives.
This section of the Capitol is on the second level. In each corner is a statue. They are called the "Four Sisters". They are Hope, Truth, Justice, and Courage. I like that they are women.
Also in the Capitol is the Historic Supreme Court. From 1890 to 1937, the Capitol housed all three branches of State government. In 1937, the Supreme Court moved to a building across the street and in 1970, the room was separated into two floors. During the 2019 restoration, all non-historic flooring was removed and the room restored to its original grandeur.
The Senate Chamber. Note the gallery that is behind the speaker.
Another cool feature in the Capitol was the vaults at the garden level. There are six of them and they were installed by Mosler Safe & Lock Company (the same company that manufactured the gold vaults at Fort Knox!). They were installed at the Capitol in the 1880s to project an image of safety and sophistication. To let people know that this capitol in the Wild West possessed modern infrastructure. Each of these vaults has a cool painting on it. This one is called "
Crossing the Stream". The vaults held documents, accounting books, the Great Seal among other things. They were covered up during the 1970s and were uncovered during the 2019 restoration.
All in all, the Capitol was a cool place to tour. If you're in the area, check it out. It's free!
This is the historic Governor's Mansion. it was built in 1905 and was the residence of the State Governor until 1976. The first Governor to live here was Bryant Brooks. The house had all the modern conveniences of the time such as central plumbing and combination gas and electric fixtures. In 1925, it became the home to the first female governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross. In 1977, it became a museum. It's only open for four days a week and sadly, we weren't there one of those days.
Back at the other end of Capitol Avenue is the Union Pacific Depot which is now a railroad museum.
The museum gives the history of the Union Pacific Railroad and Cheyenne through photos and note plaques like these. This particular display is talking about how the railroad dealt with the weather in Wyoming. "
Since 1867 the Wyoming Division has been considered the toughest on the Union Pacific Railroad. If the steep grades of Sherman Hill and the Wasatch Mountains in western Wyoming weren't enough, some of the toughest weather conditions are found here." The top photo is showing the train plowing snow from the tracks.
This lovely thing is called the "baggage cart". Baggage for the train was loaded here and hand-pulled and loaded from here to the train. This is the Railway Express Agency Baggage Cart and was built between 1917 and 1930 and is believed to have served the Colorado & Southern Railroad.
As the railroads became popular for travel, so did these guys. He's what you would call a Hobo or a tramp. Hobos traveled around from place to place looking for work. Tramps, on the other hand, travel while avoiding work.
The Union Pacific Control Tower in the center of the divided highway.
Some of the other cool things to see around Cheyenne. This is the Tivoli Building. Built in 1892, it's been a Cheyenne landmark ever since. For a while it was a clothing shop, then a beer garden. Now it appears to be a coffee shop.
This is a cool mural depicting Suffrage for Women.
This is the Lincoln Theater built in the 1920s. It was originally a live performance theater. Then it became the city's first "talkie" theater. It is now a live music venue.
Also downtown is the Atlas Theater that was built in 1887. Oddly, this building originally housed retail and professional offices. It wasn't converted to a theater until 1908. Then it was used as a cinema, a dance hall and a nightclub until it was purchased by the Cheyenne Little Theater Players in 1971.
This is the Babbitt Baxter House. It was built in 1882 by Colonel A. T. Babbitt for his wife Louise. He was a former Army doctor and encouraged investment in the Wyoming territory. It was then purchased by George Baxter who was in the cattle business. It now houses a business.
This is the Warren/Nagle House. Cheyenne was once known as the richest city per capita in the world. This was back in the 1880s. This house was built in 1888 by a wealthy cattle baron named Erasmus Nagle. Sadly, two years after the house was completed, Nagle died. In 1910, Senator Francis E. Warren bought the house. Warren was the first state governor. The Air Force Base located in Cheyenne was named for him. In 1933, the house was donated to the YWCA. It operated as a home for single women until 1985. In 1997, it was purchased and restored by Jim Osterfoss. Now, it's a Bed & Breakfast.
Cheyenne is the county seat of Laramie County (Laramie County Courthouse) and has about 65K people. The biggest employer is Warren AFB followed by the State of Wyoming.
They have a version of Kroger, called King Sooper's as well as a Walmart and a Safeway for grocery shopping. They've got your standard fast food options, including one called Taco John's, which we tried. It was okay. John said he liked it better than Taco Bell but, I was on the fence.
Despite the fact that Cheyenne is the largest city in Wyoming and the fact that it has a cool history, I thought it had a negative vibe. For a capital city, it wasn't a bustling town. There didn't seem to be a lot of restaurant options and it seemed to have a bit of a run down feel.
Having said that, we found a lovely park in which to walk. And we did, both days we were there. The weather in June was quite lovely, except for the random 20 minutes of hail that came out of nowhere. The landscape is beautiful with all the mountains.
It's an interesting place to visit for a couple of days but I don't see myself going back anytime soon, nor would I move there. But don't take my word for it. Check it out!
