Our next destination is dinner tonight in Longmont, CO with Jeff’s family. We had several activities planned for this afternoon in Cheyenne, but when we learned we could cover a lot more in a 90-minute trolley tour, we opted to do that instead. Unfortunately, the trolley was scheduled to leave ten minutes after we found out about it. That meant we didn’t have time for lunch, so we bought some trail mix at the depot gift shop and looked forward to dinner with Jeff’s family.
Wyoming is very proud of its women. (Yes!) It was the first state to give women the vote and there are tributes to women in many places throughout the city–enough to be noticeable. Below are some of the highlights of our trolley tour, including another sculpture of another woman.
The State Capitol and the depot face each other from opposite ends of Capitol Avenue. The Capitol building is being renovated, so only a small portion of it is visible for photographs.
The governor’s mansion is also being renovated, but less extensively than the State Capitol.
The city has a boot theme, so there are decorated cowboy boots scattered around the downtown area.
Bob Dylan has fans in Cheyenne.
A sculpture of another strong woman. This one is titled “No Turning Back.”
The picture below shows a sculpture of Lane Frost, a rodeo rider. According to his mother, Frost seemed interested in rodeo when he was only five months old. He won many rodeo championships on the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) circuit. In 1987, Frost rode Red Rock, the Bucking Bull of the Year. Red Rock had unseated 309 riders before Frost rode him successfully four out of seven times. In 1989, Frost’s dream of riding in the Cheyenne Frontier Days came true, but it was his last ride. After a 91-point ride, he was hit in the back by the horns of another bull and died of internal injuries and broken ribs.
Lane Frost on Red Rock
The tour guide told us an interesting story about four Wyoming women. A wealthy man in Cheyenne had four daughters and wanted them to live close to home after they married. To achieve this end, he built four identical houses–one for each daughter and her family–next door to his own house. As parents learn, children find their own ways. All four girls married wealthy ranchers and moved away from Cheyenne.
These look like nice houses, but seriously, who wants to live next door to Mom and Dad after they get married?
The tour was interesting and we enjoyed Cheyenne, but it was time to leave to see our children and grandchildren, and then go home. The MAT is nearing its end.