A night in Cheyenne: The "Magic City of the Plains"

The old Cheyenne Train Depot - License our images here.

Hungry and tired, we entered Cheyenne. Night was falling and there was nobody waiting for us. The downtown of the capital of Wyoming was a desert.

Finally, we found a guy walking through the Depot Plaza. He pointed us to Sanford’s Grub & Pub. Food was good, or we were starving and didn't know better. We still remember the huge colorful dishes where the food was served in this restaurant. Again, they were huge. Feeling better, we went back to the plaza. 

Cheyenne was another of those transcontinental railroad cities that dotted the old West. The United States is big, and the passengers needed places to stop. 

The railroad of the Union Pacific crossed the town in its route through the Dakota Territory since 1867 - this was the old name for Wyoming. Still today, you can see a lot of trains around here. Cheyenne was known as "Cross Creek Crossing" until General Grenville Mellen Dodge came up with the actual name. 

The train depot became the landmark of the old town. The building of red and grey sandstone with its arches and the square clock tower reminded us of Europe. How not, because this is the Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, an American copy of elements from old European buildings from the 11th and 12th century. Better than copy, let's call it inspiration. It became a hot trend in the North America of the 19th century.

         Views of downtown Cheyenne.        

On a side of the plaza, we walked by the old Wrangler store. The products in this red building remind of the jeans craze that began in 1947. They were the invention of Rodeo Ben, the "Polish Cowboy". The blue pants brought a lot of fame and money to the Wrangler brand. 

The Plains Hotel survives across the plaza. The five storied building from 1911 was a popular stop for tourists on their way to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. 

Leaving town the following day, we found the scenic Vedauwoo - means "earth-born" in the Arapaho language. These rare outcrops are part of Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest. Strange beautiful rocks.    

Vedauwoo, the Lincoln Monument, and the I-80.

Further west, a statue of Lincoln welcomed us at a rest area. This is the famous Lincoln Highway Monument that marked the highest point of the I-80 between New York and San Francisco. 

Wyoming is the less populated state of the nation, so there is a lot of nature for just a few people. We like that.