Cheyenne used to be a western town in every sense of the word. And while we retain a fond memory of our heritage, we’ve moved on from it. To see how much our capital city has changed, check out the photos below.
The town used to be a bit more rugged.
Cheyenne has developed alongside the rest of the country, and currently features all the amenities you would expect from any other city. Way back when, our little town used to be a bit underdeveloped when compared to our neighbors to the east.
The Train Depot used to be a travelers' Mecca.
The Train Depot as it exists today is a historic building that overlooks the Cheyenne Plaza, but when it was first built it had a more practical purpose. There was a time where the train depot was a stop along the way for travelers from all over the country. Now it’s more of a museum from a time gone by.
Cheyenne Frontier Days was a much smaller affair.
Cheyenne Frontier Days is a tradition that brings tourists from all over the country. But it used to be a smaller and more intimate event, showing participants’ talent in activities that were enjoyed by people all over the state. Today bull riders and the like are sports heroes, rather than just working class joes showing off for their friends and loved ones.
Outlaws were celebrities.
Thieves and outlaws captured the imagination of Wyomingites during the 1900’s, none more so than the infamous Wild Bunch led by Butch Cassidy. The Sundance Kid, born Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, was a Wyoming born and raised member of the gang who still has a legacy in modern pop culture.
Like many rural cities, our roads weren’t paved.
It’s hard to imagine modern life without the luxuries we all take for granted. With the exception of toilets and electric coffee makers, paved roads would be chief among them.
We used to love showing off our capitol building.
Wyoming used to have the reputation of being a rowdy wild west town, home to drunkards and immoral savages. We built our capitol to show that we’re a state deserving of the respect you’d show any other community. That’s why, for a time at least, we tried to make sure that it was represented in media that left the state. A perfect example of this would be the post card above.
Think our schools are small now? The first graduating class from Cheyenne only had 16 people.
Cheyenne is a pretty small place all things considered, but it used to be positively tiny. Case in point, the first graduating class from Cheyenne was made up of less than 20 people.
The railroad won the west… and birthed Cheyenne.
Something that many people forget about Cheyenne is that we used to essentially be a railroad based economy. Due to our location, the railroad was the only way our state could have a functional economy is to have the means of transport provided by the railroad.
What’d you think of the photos above? Have any you’d like to share? Tell us about it in the comments below!
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