Cheyenne, Wyoming – Another New State

Pat and I begin our 6-week tour of Wyoming in the capital city of Cheyenne, Wyoming! This is another new state for us and is number 28 for us to have spent at least one night in the RV since we started just over two years ago. We spent a week in this historic city and had a great time absorbing all that we could before moving on. Our commute from Fort Collins, Co to Cheyenne was a nice short 45 minute drive with no complications!

Cheyenne KOA

Again, KOA rv parks seem to dominate the better rv parks out west. This was a nice park with decent site spacing and plenty of length to our particular site. The park was all gravel except for a few strips placed in strategic locations and one large grass field.

Cheyenne is still in the high desert area where everything is dry and dusty. No trees out in the plains. I had one very still morning that I was able to get the little electric remote controlled plane out! Got some good practice in with smooth landings.

Wyoming Facts and History

Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the western United States. The state is the 10th largest by area and the least populous of all states. Dead last in population! I found it interesting that at 577,000 people in the entire state, it is less than the city of Denver. Vast expanses of land with few people.

The western part of the state is covered by mountains and the rest is considered high plains with tumbleweeds as far as you can see. The plains are mostly rolling hills.

The main economy drivers are mining and tourism and some open range cattle ranching. Wyoming has been politically conservative since the 1950’s. Very nice!

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Cheyenne Facts and History

Cheyenne is the most populated city in the state at 64,000 people and at and elevation of 6,100 feet it is high and dry. In town, any spots of grass require some daily watering. This is another railroad town and with the construction of the Union Pacific in 1867 brought hopes of prosperity.

We took the narrated trolley tour on our first day in town and learn all about the early history being filled with brothels and saloons. This was at a time when it was a railroad town filled mostly with railroad workers and miners.

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There were also a long list of outlaws who resided here including Tom Horn, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Bad Bob, Big Nose, and Billy the Kid. It must have been a rough time until Marshall Dillon arrived!

Cheyenne Old West Museum

We visited three museums while in town, so they are kind of running together. Hope I get this right. This town was the center of the old west as we have come to know in movies and books. Here are some pics:

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Nelson Museum

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Big Boy Steam Engine

When we were checking into the KOA RV park, the work camper said to be on the watch for this massive Big Boy steam engine to pass by the RV park at anytime with a full train load of cars.

I had briefly heard of this locomotive from our friends Cal and Sue as they saw it in the town park. But no real knowledge of it except for its large size. Well, after some more research, I discovered it is the largest steam locomotive known to mankind.

The old no. 4014 is Union Pacific’s 4-8-8-4 and is making a victory lap in 2019 celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad’s completion. After two years of rebuilding, and a sellout at $5,000 per seat, we arrived just as this beast left Cheyenne headed east for a one-time only tour.

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Twenty-five Big Boys were built exclusively for Union Pacific Railroad, the first of which was delivered in 1941. The locomotives were 132 feet long and weighed 1.2 million pounds. Because of their great length, the frames of the Big Boys were “hinged,” or articulated, to allow them to negotiate curves. They had a 4-8-8-4 wheel arrangement, which meant they had four wheels on the leading set of “pilot” wheels which guided the engine, eight drivers, another set of eight drivers, and four wheels following which supported the rear of the locomotive. Whoa!

Cheyenne Elks Lodge

During this last year, I have tried to visit the local Elks lodge if the town has one. They are a good source of local information and we help to support local charities. The Cheyenne lodge building was built in 1902 and they have been in the building all of this time. The first floor social quarters has been remodeled over the years, but the upstair ballroom is original to 1902. Very cool! LINK

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Thanks for following along on our journey to see this great country of ours! Take care and God Bless!