Cheyenne Wyoming’s capital—and the rodeo capital of the world—is named after the Cheyenne Indians. The 60,000-population city in the southeast of the state was founded in 1867 as a Union Pacific railroad depot. It was also the largest US cavalry outpost. In 1869, despite its poor reputation as a “lead frontier city,” the city became the capital and remained so when it entered the United States in 1890. The era is commemorated by the annual Cheyenne Frontier Days Festival www.cfdrodeo.com , which takes place in July . In addition to parades, there are Indian pow-wows, horse races and of course rodeos – the world’s largest, by the way. Cheyenne’s legacy can be seen as a visitor to the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museumexplore. Here you can see old saddles and carriages such as the historic “Deadwood Stage”. This carriage was used for three-day trips to the gold mines of Deadwood, South Dakota, between 1870 and 1880. (Cheyenne Frontier Days, 4610 Carey Avenue, 1210 W 8th Ave, Cheyenne, WY 82001 www.rodeo.com/old-west-museum ).
According to answerresume, the city’s two landmarks are the 1917 State Capitol ( www.wyomingcapitolsquare.com ) and the former train station building, the Cheyenne Depot , now a railroad museum. The neo-Romanesque building, constructed between 1886 and 1887, is listed as a National Historic Landmark. 121 W 15th Street, Cheyenne, WY 82001 www.cheyennedepotmuseum.org
For more information about Cheyenne, visit the city’s website at www.cheyenne.org
Casper Located in the center of the state, the city with around 55,000 inhabitants became an important location in the then still modern petroleum industry from 1890 onwards. Around 1860 a fort was built in the middle of the vast and deserted plain, which today, partially reconstructed, houses a museum. Many of the fort’s buildings have been recreated west of downtown – where the former Oregon Trail crossed the North Plate River. The museum displays a wide range of cultural and natural history exhibits from the region (Fort Casper Museum, 4001 Fort Casper Rd www.fortcasparwyoming.com )
For more information: www.visitcasper.com
The dry fallow land to the north and west of Casper also has historical significance: it is home to sites such as the “Hole in the Wall” where Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch hid (Willow Creek Ranch, 210 First St, Kaycee, WY 82639, willowcreekranch.com ). Easier to access is the eroded badland Hell’s Half Acre. In the 1.3 km² area with deep ravines and caves one has the impression of being able to recognize figures formed out of rock. The science fiction film “Starship Troopers” (USA, 1997, Paul Verhoeven) was filmed here. (approx. 65 km west of Casper on Highway 20/26)
Devil’s Tower National Monument The 366 m high basalt column, reminiscent of a tree stump, rises above the land from the wide plain. Located in the northeast corner of the state, the National Monument became world famous as the setting for the finale of Steven Spielberg’s 1977 film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The basalt rock is also revered as a sanctuary by Native Americans. The area was designated a national monument under Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and is now overseen by the National Park Service.
Around the rock, 550 hectares of pine and deciduous forests and grasslands have been designated as a protected area. There are prairie dogs and deer here. The rock also attracts climbers, especially free climbers. (WY-110, Devils Tower, WY 82714, www.nps.gov/deto )
Guernsey Not to be confused with the British Channel Island, the historically important small town with almost 1,500 inhabitants lies on the banks of the North Plate River. South of town there are two significant testimonies to the pioneering days of the Oregon Trail on the way west: at the Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site – there are two deep ruts that were carved in the sandstone by wagon wheels for about 900m became. (Oregon Trail Ruts State Historic Site, I-25 Exit 92 to US-26, Guernsey, WY 82214, wyoparks.wyo.gov/oregon-trail-ruts) A little further south is Register Cliff, a sandstone bluff with hundreds of inscriptions from trappers and pioneers who left it as they crossed the country on the Oregon Trail in the 19th century. (Register Cliff Historic Site, Unnamed Rd., Guernsey, WY 82214, wyoparks.wyo.gov/register-cliffs )
Guernsey’s most important historic site, however, is Fort Laramie National Historic Site – a perfect reconstruction of a trapper station and US cavalry outpost. Today the fort, with its numerous historical buildings that have been extensively restored, presents itself as an open-air museum where historical scenes are re-enacted by actors. (965 Gray Rocks Road, Fort Laramie, WY 82212, www.nps.gov/fola )
Cody The famous buffalo hunter and showman William Frederick Cody (1846-1917) – better known under his pseudonym Buffalo Bill – founded the town, which today has around 9,000 inhabitants. Buffalo Bill became the epitome of the American “Wild West” and many also believe he was the founder of American show business. As a young man, he worked for the legendary Pony Express (the horse-drawn mail service that ran from Missouri to Sacramento, 2,000 miles away). He fought several times against the Indians. Many of his deeds – including those in the buffalo hunt – were exaggerated in the media. From the 1870s he was primarily known as a showman, who also performed several times in Europe. Cody tried several times to found his own town without success. Finally he succeeded here in the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming. So that’s the main attractionBuffalo Bill Museum in the Center of the West – an exhibition complex that now covers almost 23,000 square meters and combines a total of five museums under one roof. The show offers insights into the Wild West. There are 500 weapons, a fine collection of Wild West art and Native American artifacts. (Center of the West, 720 Sheridan Ave. Cody, WY 82414 centerofthewest.org )
Another attraction is the Cody Nite Rodeo – the nation’s oldest rodeo, held daily from early June through late August. (519 W Yellowstone Ave, Cody, WY 82414, www.codystampederodeo.com )
The Old Trail Town is also reminiscent of Buffalo Bill – relics of a ghost town, which are based on Cody’s original. The highlight is the hut where the outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are said to have hidden. ( Old Trail Town & Museum of the Old West , 1831 Demaris Drive, Cody, WY 82414, www.oldtrailtown.org
For more information about Cody, visit the community website at www.cityofcody-wy.gov and the tourist website at www.codyyellowstone.org
