Cheyenne, WY 7/22/13 - 7/26/13

While in Wyoming, we made our home in Curt Gowdy State Park.  We had a beautiful view of the lake/reservoir from our campsite while here.  There was also a great single track Mountain bike trail that we rode ever day (4 miles, rather narrow but great rolling hills and some hair pins too).

We went into Cheyenne one day while here (25 mile approx.)  In Cheyenne we saw the State Capitol, the Governor's mansion, the State museum, the historic train depot and also had an excellent meal at Mitchell's BBQ.  As we travel, note that we will only mention those really memorable meals (the ones that really stand out that we will return to).  Wow, Mitchell's really met this criteria.  Bob had the BBQ slider sample and Teri had the fried catfish.  All those years in Lake Charles LA, and nothing there came even close. 

While in Wyoming we learned some interesting facts.

• Sep 30, 1889: Wyoming grants women the right to vote, wow  30 years before the ratification of the 19th amendment! (now we did not know that).
• Yellowstone (In Wyoming) is the first official National Park (1872)
• Wyoming was the first State to Have a County Public Library System 
• The JCPenney stores were started in Kemmerer, Wy.
• The first Dude Ranch in Wyoming was the Eaton Ranch, near Wolf. The Eaton's also came up with the term "dude".
• Wyoming has the lowest population of all 50 United States.

The Capitol:

• The white tiles are Italian marble and the black tiles are from Vermont and in many of the black tiles you will see fossils.
• The ceilings for both House and Senate chambers are inlaid with beautiful Tiffany-style glass and the Wyoming State Seal is prominently displayed in the center.

The Governor's Mansion:

• In 1904,  Wyoming built its first governor’s mansion.  It was a modest house compared to the pretentious dwellings built in other parts of downtown Cheyenne and was built in the middle of a middle class neighborhood.
• The mansion was the residence of 19 Wyoming first families from 1905 - 1976.

The Cheyenne Depot:

• . The depot was completed in 1887.
• The depot plaza hosts a variety of music and events throughout the year.

The Atlas Theater:

• Constructed in 1888 as offices and a tearoom, the Atlas Building was converted to a theatre in 1908.

The Boots:

• The eight foot tall cowboy boots have been carefully painted by local artists.
• There are a total of 19 displayed throughout the city. 



Curt Gowdy State Park Campground

Wy State Capitol in Cheyenne

 Wy State Capitol Ceiling

 Capitol Floor Tiles

The Governor's Mansion

The Cheyenne Depot

Depot Horse constructed out of various tools

The Atlas Theater

The Boot

And a few more interesting things from the State Museum...

The Saccharmeter

A Beaver Hat
 

On to Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  We should be there on 7/28/13.