Cheyenne, Wyoming

Next stop along the way was Cheyenne, Wyoming.  Ron's mother was born here and her father worked on the railroad so as we made our plans we thought it would be interesting to see something, or learn something, about the family.

We got up the morning of our planned sightseeing trip and neither of us really felt like doing anything.  But since we only had one day here, we pushed forward and made our way downtown.

And boy were we glad we did!

Bison have many uses.

Another animal display.

Not that I'd care to trap them but these animal traps were interesting.

Enough about animals of the non-human kind.

Thomas Molesworth (1890-1977) was an American furniture designer who was a significant figure in the creation of a Western style of furniture and accessories using hides, horn and natural wood.  His style drew from the Arts and Crafts movement and from design characteristics of western American ranches and farms.  He is credited with popularizing the "cowboy furniture" style.

A few pieces were on display.

The Shoshone (or Shoshoni) are a Native American tribe with four large cultural/linguistic divisions, one of which is Eastern Shoshone in Wyoming.  They traditionally speak the Shoshoni language and were sometimes called Snake Indians by neighboring tribes and early American explorers.  Shoshone have become members of federally recognized tribes throughout their traditional areas of settlement, often co-located with the Northern Palute people of the Great Basin.

A beautiful headdress from the tribe.

This might seem like a strange plaque to take a picture of.  While it's interesting, the date the cornerstone was laid caught my attention - May 18, 1887.  I have trouble remembering what I did the week before but I knew immediately that May 18 was the date that Ron's maternal grandfather, the one who worked for the railroad, was born on that day.  Not in Wyoming, rather Kansas, but I can just imagine what was going on at the same time the cornerstone was laid.  Maybe it was fate that he later came to Cheyenne.

I love seeing photos of something which is still in place today.

Wyoming State Capitol 1888

So we were off to visit the real thing around the corner.

We did a drive by many years ago but since we were having such a good day, we decided to go inside. 

We've been in several capitol buildings over the course of this journey and each time we were required to go through security as we entered but not this time - we had wandered all over and were heading upstairs when we were stopped by a woman who asked if we had been greeted.  When we told her no, she stopped what she was doing to formally greet us and give us a private tour.

Debi and Ellen Thompson

As we talked, we learned that our private guide, Ellen, had a "real" job of Chief Clerk for the Wyoming State Senate.  When the legislature is not in session, she acts as a docent in the capitol building.  We stood at the door of the senate and she showed us her desk right to the left of the flag on the right.  When bills are signed, her signature is included on every bill.

The Senate for the 2021-2022 session.  The next session starts in mid January, 2023.

The construction of the capitol began prior to Wyoming gaining statehood.  Cheyenne was "born" in 1867 in the path of the transcontinental railroad when the Union Pacific crews arrived to lay tracks westward.  Cheyenne soon laid claim to a higher status than older Wyoming settlements such as those at Fort Laramie, Fort Bridger, and the mining town of South Pass City, changing Cheyenne from a village to a city in a matter of months.  The seat of the new Territorial government was established in Cheyenne in 1869.

Ground was broken in 1886 for the new capitol building.  Several renovations took place over the years but we were surprised to learn that the building went through a major restoration between 2016 and 2019 and many improvements were made.  One major part of the restoration project was to gain back some of the visibility of the dome on the building.

The dome stands out above the skyline, representing Wyoming's values.  The dome was copper and it tarnished so badly in 1900 they began using gold leaf on the exterior of the dome.  The 24-carat gold leaf dome is visible from all roads entering the city.  It has been gilded five times, the first in 1900.  Only eleven states have gold leaf covered domes on their state capitol buildings - Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Vermont, West Virginia and Wyoming with Iowa and Georgia being the largest.

In 2009, the dome was re-covered in gold for $1.3 million.  During the most recent restoration process, scaffolding was used to cover the dome until the work on it was complete.  Thanks to this restoration work, the dome's life expectancy went from 15 years to 90 years.

The inside of the dome is beautiful.

Ellen took us into a meeting room that has been completely renovated.  It's hard to see but the painting on the walls was all done by hand.

You can see it better in the balcony photo below.

And then to the House chamber.

Ellen explained to us that when the building was constructed, Amish wood workers were brought in to do all of the woodworking in interior of the building.  The Amish believe that only God can make things perfectly so they always put a little flaw in everything they did.  Outside the chamber on the stair railing is a perfect example of their dedication to creating a flaw in keeping with their beliefs.

Such a beautiful stair case.

But the "flaw" can be seen at the top of the railing.  See it?

The rail second from the top is upside down

For two people who weren't going to go downtown, we'd had a perfect day.  But wait!

The Cheyenne Depot Museum is the steward of the Historic UPRR Depot, a National Historic Landmark.  Built in 1886 by the Union Pacific Railroad, it is the last remaining grand railroad station on the transcontinental route.

Under construction

And since Ron's grandfather, Marcus Burket Byrd, was a machinist for the railroad, it held some special meaning.  Maybe he worked here.

He likely worked in this new shop since he was in Cheyenne in 1919 or shortly thereafter as Ron's mother was born there in September, 1921.

This was interesting.

So much to see but we were running on empty by this time.  For a day that started slowly, it sure turned out to be a great day.  Thanks, Cheyenne!