Old West history Archives ~ 50 Plusses

Eighth in series of posts about traveling in Colorado & Wyoming.

Looking for the Old West in Cheyenne includes railroads. After being enthralled by “Big Boy” we headed to Cheyenne’s restored train depot and depot square located at 121 W. 15th St. There you can see freight trains up close as they pass by the station.

Outside of the train depot and museum in Cheyenne, Wyoming

Boots, statues, and brewery in Cheyenne recall Old West

The Cheyenne Union Pacific Depot, built in 1886-1887 of rose and white sandstone, is a delight to the eye. No wonder it’s widely acknowledged to be one of the most beautiful railroad stations in North America. A National Historic Landmark, the Depot houses a visitors center, a museum, and a brewery/restaurant. The brewery is aptly named, “The Accomplice” with a nod to the outlaw gangs of yesteryear.

Cheyenne Depot Square and the restored Depot are impressive by their clean, well-kept appearance. Statues of people in period dress and a collection of over-sized boots enhance the ambiance. The inviting plaza is the site for community events and concerts. City workers were busy planting flowers throughout the Depot as we were walking by.

statue of circa 1890's woman at Cheyenne Depot

Depot Museum highlights Old West Cheyenne’s Railroad History

When looking for the Old West in Cheyenne, visit the Cheyenne Depot Museum. it tells the story of Cheyenne’s beginnings during the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad, the Union Pacific Depot and the Union Pacific Railroad. You can view the Union Pacific Main Yard from the Coupler addition on the west end of the Depot. Trains still pass by the depot and tracks run over the city streets much more than what we see in New England. Trains definitely have a strong presence in this part of the country.

Locomotive brick in Cheyenne Depot — Locomotive inset in Cheyenne Depot

You’ll get a kick out of these cowboy boots!

Number 17 of 25 hand-painted 8-foot-tall boots in Cheyenne.

When you visit Downtown Cheyenne, and especially Depot Square, you can’t help but notice the colorful boots. Twenty-five tall boots are referred to as the “talk of the town” as they are part of a free audio tour. “These Boots are made for Talking” was a fund-raising project to benefit the Cheyenne Depot Museum. They were sponsored by local businesses and auctioned off. Each boot is unique and painted by area artists. The theme of the project is “If this boot could talk, what story would it tell?”

In a way, they do talk via your cell phone. A brochure available in the Visitors Center or online has a map and photos of the boots. Each boot has a number.

When you call 307-316-0067, and when prompted enter the number of the boot followed by the #key. Then you’ll hear the artist’s narrative about the boot. You’ll find more photos and information about the boots here.

Gunslingers “shoot-up” Cheyenne in mock gunfights

Gunslinger Square is the seasonal site of gunfights, western skits, and other Wild West activities. Find the fun at 15th & Pioneer, a short walk from the Depot. All of the shows are family-friendly, fun, and exciting. Every performance begins with a safety demonstration. Click here for more information.

What’s a cowboy town without a saloon?

As we were visiting the Depot at dinner time, we decided to check out the brewery/restaurant found in one end of the building. There is a patio in the front facing Depot Plaza. As it was a tad chilly, we opted for an indoor hightop. There we had a view of the tracks and the occasional freight train that passed by. It was a great experience.

According to its website, The Accomplice Beer Company brewery strives to be your accomplice on your beer adventures. They offer their own beer as well as guest taps. What is different about this brewery was that it is “self-serve.”

The hostess issues you a card. You place the card in the slot of the tap of the beer that you want. Grab a growler or glass or in a size you want, and fill as you wish. The card tracks the beer you pour and charges by the ounce. If there isn’t a server near by, you can ring a bell if you need assistance. The self-serve tap area is called “The Beer Shrine.” As you can see, they have 14 taps to choose from.

The food is good. The beer is better. It is quite the experience. It’s not only the self-pouring, but also watching other people using the shrine.

Get a taste of Cheyenne’s history with a Trolley Tour

Building detail in Cheyenne that evokes western heritage

Departing from the Depot, the seasonal Cheyenne Street Railway Trolley Wild West Tours are a great way to get an overview of Cheyenne’s rough and tumble past and a feel for the historic landmarks. The tours begin with tales of the railroad and wild beginnings from gunfights to brothels and vigilantes. You can see where the gunfights occurred and where Wild Bill Hickok was married.

The weekday trolley tours operate as a loop tour. You can disembark at any of the stops, then hop back on the trolley when it comes back by in 90 minutes. See this interactive map for information about the museums and sites that the trolley stops at. Refer to the schedule for stops & times.

You can buy tickets on this website or at the Depot. Or, you can call 307-778-3133 to purchase advance tickets by credit card.

As far as accessibility, each trolley accommodates two wheelchairs and has lifts.

Our trolley driver is a great ambassador for Cheyenne. She is full of vitality and enthusiasm for the history of the city. She provides lots of anecdotes and details as she drives from site to site. We wished that we had the time to visit some of the places we passed.

It was a Monday and some attractions, like the Cowgirls of the West Museum and Emporium, are closed every Monday.

Tips for visiting Cheyenne, Wyoming

A lot of the activities are seasonal. Be sure to visit Cheyenne.org which has a wealth of information about touring the city. Download or request guides from Cheyenne.org and the Wyoming Tourism Bureau. The guides can help you can find out when attractions are open and to plan your visit.

What isn’t readily apparent on the website, or by buying tickets online, that for a few more dollars you can buy a Trolley Plus pass that includes entrance to some of the museums along the tour. So, look into the combination rate when buying tickets. Several couples, including us, weren’t aware of this.

Please note, if you buy your tickets online, unless they change the process, you have to still physically pick them up at the Visitors Bureau in the Depot to give to the Trolley driver.

f you can only go once, go for Cheyenne Frontier Days at the end of July. That’s when they pull out the stops as far as cowboys then and now.

Whenever you might go, we highly recommend the Trolley Tour. And budget time to visit at least some of the stops along the way.

Third in a series of posts about traveling in Colorado & Wyoming.

View from Look out Mountain — View from Lookout Mountain in Colorado

Following the tour of the Denver Mint, we headed to Golden Colorado, with the intention of visiting the Coors Brewery.

When we arrived at the Coors Brewery, the lines were long and the parking lot full. We parked on an adjacent street and walked to the back of the line. Once we got there we found out that purses weren’t allowed. (We missed this on the Coors website.) So, back to the car my husband hiked in the hot sun with mine.

As we joined the line that snaked under a canopy with misters, we saw a small shuttle bus pull up. We had been told a bus came every 10 or 15 minutes. Seeing the size of the bus, and the line, we had second thoughts.

At the same time, new arrivals asked a Coors employee how long a wait they could expect. We discovered that we were looking at a two hour wait from where we were in the line. We calculated that might bring us to the Brewery just a half hour before closing time. Disappointed that he hadn’t shared that information with us earlier, we nixed the tour and headed back to the car. Note that this was the first week in June, which was the beginning of their summer hours and tourism season. Be prepared, and like the Denver U.S. Mint, go early in the day!

The Buffalo Bill Museum

Next on our list was the Buffalo Bill Museum and grave, also in Golden. We followed the Lariat Loop to get there. Wow! We had experienced driving up Mount Washington in New Hampshire, but the Rockies are a whole other experience! The hairpin turns and narrow roads are challenging. Not only are the curves challenging, but you are also sharing the road with hikers and bicyclists. Go slow.

A very genial fellow greeted us. He sold us our tickets and offered to answer any questions we might have once we completed our browsing through the exhibits. They offer a senior discount (65+) so we saved a couple of dollars.

What you’ll find in the Buffalo Bill Museum

The Buffalo Bill Museum was well-laid-out and chock full of information and memorabilia about his life and times and his Wild West Show. Good lighting and well cared for items, including the head of the last buffalo that he shot. The museum included videos with short segments of his show. There was information about his discovery of Annie Oakley and signing her for the show.

One item that intrigued us was a fairly thick binder that had lists of all the places where he had taken his show. What stamina the performers must have had, as travel then wasn’t as comfortable or as fast as today. There was a sign inviting visitors to look up their town. To our amazement, we found ours. We vowed to inquire at our historical society when we returned. The museum has posted a pdf of the binder so you can also look for your city or town here.

The Denver Parks and Recreation Department runs the Buffalo Bill Museum. Although a bit challenging to get to, the roads are kept in good condition. The museum may be one of the more unusual ones you may every visit and the view stupendous. Not only do you learn about a “self-made” man, but also about the times he lived in and how he shared his love of the American West with the world.

Adjacent to the museum is the Pahaska Teepee Gift Shop and Buffalo Bill’s grave site. The gift shop has quite a selection of western gear, including Stetson hats, Native American Indian crafts, and books about local historic people and events. For those who need re-fueling after the drive and museum tour, there’s a snack bar with buffalo burgers, buffalo chili, fudge, and more.

Buffalo Bill’s Controversial Grave Site

There was some controversy about where Buffalo Bill was to be buried. He had founded Cody, Wyoming and once expressed that he wanted to be buried near there. His wife and sister insisted he changed his mind and wanted to be buried on Lookout Mountain. Lookout Mountain has a great view of Denver and The Plains, and was where he was most happy. Thousands of people turned out for his funeral and burial in 1917 due to his reputation and the esteem that people had for him. There are photos of the mourners and their early autos on Lookout Mountain for the burial. It must have been quite a challenge to get up the mountain road in those vehicles.

Conspiracy Theory about where Buffalo Bill is buried

During the debate over where Buffalo Bill should be buried, there was a rumor that people from Cody, Wyoming would try to dig up the body. Several yards of cement were poured over the grave. At different times guards were posted when there seemed a plot to take his body to Wyoming.

There’s also a story that a look-alike was substituted. There was time to do so as he died in January and was embalmed several times until warm weather arrived to melt the snow and allow burial.

The Museum Director disputes this as 100’s of people filed past the body to pay their respects and he’s sure they would have known if it wasn’t him.

Note: If you want to know more about Buffalo Bill, there’s the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, which is five museums in one about Buffalo Bill and the Old West .

The Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater

Red Rocks Park Impressive and Challenging

After leaving the Buffalo Bill Museum, we continued on the Lariat Loop until we jumped onto Rt. 70 and used a map and GPS to get to the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater near Morrison. The Red Rock formations were impressive, but we were unable to see the amphitheater as there was a concert that night and they were only letting ticket holders in. So we recommend checking their event schedule before you go. Many concert goers had arrived early and were tailgating in the parking lot. It was a very hot day and many had makeshift canopies to block the sun.

The steps up to the amphitheater entrance were a bit of a challenge. Perhaps a combination of the altitude and heat, but I felt light-headed and had to pause several times, even though there weren’t all that many stairs, but they were on a fairly steep incline. The way back to the parking lot wasn’t as bad but I was glad I had water with me. This was early June so we wondered how hot it would be as summer progressed.

There are many other sights in the area, such as the Colorado Railroad Museum, the Triceratops Trail, and the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum, but they would have to wait for another trip.