May 28, 2019 Tuesday Day 10
I had to get up early (for me now) at 7:00 to move our car out of the driveway so our host could exit the garage. We prepared and ate a large breakfast in the unit. Best breakfast on the trip so far.
Cheyenne is a few miles north f the Colorado border. The Indians used it as a trading site and it was named by the Sioux for one of their trading partners, the Cheyenne. It lies at the eastern foot of Sherman Hill where the Union Pacific's route for the first transcontinental railroad raise from 6,062 to 8,282 ft. in only 30 miles. Not good for rail transport, but it caused the Chief Engineer of the Union Pacific, General Grenville Dodge to create a maintenance and supply station and establish the town of Cheyenne on July 4th. Several months later as the rail line advanced to Cheyenne the town had grown to 4,000 inhabitants and the eastern press began to refer to Cheyenne as the "Magic City of the Plains" because it had sprung up like magic. The town suffered what could have been a devastating blow when near-by Laramie was selected for the Union Pacific's maintenance yards, but the yards were shortly moved to Cheyenne. The city then became a major rail head for cattle drives and became the second home for English and European cattle barons. By 1885 it became the richest city, per capita, in the world.
The sky was gray and the clouds forecast a wet and rainy day. I had planned out a walking tour, but in deference to the rain we drove downtown, a 10 minute drive, with a new plan to explore Cheyenne's indoor exhibits. Not much vehicular or pedestrian traffic. We parked near the Capital only to discover that it is nearing the end of a 2 year renovation on the 1913 golden domed building and so it is closed to the public. We then walked a short distance in the rain to the Wyoming State Museum. T his documents the state's history including prehistoric Wyoming and its dinosaurs. Wyoming was the first state to grant women the right to vote when it was a territory.
We then drove through the rain to the Union Pacific Railroad Depot. On the way there we passed a synagogue advertising a Yiddish food festival. The depot was built in 1886 and was once considered the finest depot between Omaha and San Francisco. It was renovated and reopened in 2004 and now includes a Depot Museum and restaurant. The museum's exhibits focused on the impact that the railroad played in the development of Cheyenne and west. There were fantastic old photographs and model train exhibits.
We ate dinner in the Assent Restaurant in the Depot. It had 14 draft beers that were sold by the ounce. The food was good, but they failed to bring our second food order.
We drove to the Civic Center auditorium and saw The Lighting Thief based on the Percy Jackson books. Lots of teens there who wildly cheered. I was not so well entertained. Then back to our lodging.
I had to get up early (for me now) at 7:00 to move our car out of the driveway so our host could exit the garage. We prepared and ate a large breakfast in the unit. Best breakfast on the trip so far.
Cheyenne is a few miles north f the Colorado border. The Indians used it as a trading site and it was named by the Sioux for one of their trading partners, the Cheyenne. It lies at the eastern foot of Sherman Hill where the Union Pacific's route for the first transcontinental railroad raise from 6,062 to 8,282 ft. in only 30 miles. Not good for rail transport, but it caused the Chief Engineer of the Union Pacific, General Grenville Dodge to create a maintenance and supply station and establish the town of Cheyenne on July 4th. Several months later as the rail line advanced to Cheyenne the town had grown to 4,000 inhabitants and the eastern press began to refer to Cheyenne as the "Magic City of the Plains" because it had sprung up like magic. The town suffered what could have been a devastating blow when near-by Laramie was selected for the Union Pacific's maintenance yards, but the yards were shortly moved to Cheyenne. The city then became a major rail head for cattle drives and became the second home for English and European cattle barons. By 1885 it became the richest city, per capita, in the world.
The sky was gray and the clouds forecast a wet and rainy day. I had planned out a walking tour, but in deference to the rain we drove downtown, a 10 minute drive, with a new plan to explore Cheyenne's indoor exhibits. Not much vehicular or pedestrian traffic. We parked near the Capital only to discover that it is nearing the end of a 2 year renovation on the 1913 golden domed building and so it is closed to the public. We then walked a short distance in the rain to the Wyoming State Museum. T his documents the state's history including prehistoric Wyoming and its dinosaurs. Wyoming was the first state to grant women the right to vote when it was a territory.
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| Yellowstone Stage |
We ate dinner in the Assent Restaurant in the Depot. It had 14 draft beers that were sold by the ounce. The food was good, but they failed to bring our second food order.
We drove to the Civic Center auditorium and saw The Lighting Thief based on the Percy Jackson books. Lots of teens there who wildly cheered. I was not so well entertained. Then back to our lodging.
Did the city feel like a capital city?
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