{"id":10741,"date":"2014-08-31T14:05:55","date_gmt":"2014-08-31T18:05:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/?p=10741"},"modified":"2014-08-31T14:11:20","modified_gmt":"2014-08-31T18:11:20","slug":"experience-spirit-wild-west-cheyenne-wy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dougbardwell.com\/db\/experience-spirit-wild-west-cheyenne-wy\/","title":{"rendered":"Experience the spirit of the Wild West in Cheyenne, WY"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since the Wild West Days, Cheyenne has grown up into a wonderfully diverse city.\u00a0 Beautiful parks and modern conveniences still rub shoulders with historic buildings and a rich historic past. Depending on your attention to detail, this is easily a multiple-day destination.<\/p>\n

Cheyenne Depot<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Look up from anywhere in town and chances are you\u2019ll see the pointed tower of the Cheyenne Depot<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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In the main lobby area you\u2019ll be able to buy your trolley tickets and pick up a number of good brochures. Here you\u2019ll also find the entrance to the Cheyenne Depot Museum.<\/p>\n

If you prefer to explore Cheyenne on your own, there\u2019s a great brochure to look for called Downtown Cheyenne Historic Walking Tour. This will give you the option of three tours: .7, 1.3 or 1.9 miles in length.\u00a0 You could also drive them if you have someone in the group who would rather not walk.<\/p>\n

The brochure gives just a brief history and then talks about 79 historic sites to see.\u00a0 Very well done and available for free from the Cheyenne Downtown Development Authority.<\/p>\n

Cheyenne Depot Museum<\/strong><\/h1>\n

I had the chance to wander through the Cheyenne Depot Museum<\/a> while waiting for the trolley tour to start.\u00a0 Interesting collection of Union Pacific railway memorabilia as it relates to Cheyenne\u2019s past as a real rail center.\u00a0 I never realized how much some western towns depended on the railway for their development.<\/p>\n

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Upstairs is an extensive model railroading display, built from scratch, all done by one man \u2013 Mr. Harry S. Brunk.\u00a0 The scenes depict a number of different towns and areas and are all done to honestly replicate what that town actually looked like during the railroad\u2019s heyday. The work is incredibly detailed and beautifully done.<\/p>\n

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Children will probably need to be held by parents to see the displays as they are all mounted about 48\u201d above the floor.\u00a0 People in wheel chairs will probably just be able to see them. Downstairs there is a \u201ctrain playroom\u201d that younger children will enjoy. My grandson can play with train sets like this for hours on end.<\/p>\n

Cheyenne Street Railway Trolley<\/strong><\/h1>\n

Never having been to Cheyenne before, and only having one day to see it, we opted for the Cheyenne Street Railway Trolley<\/a> tour.\u00a0 In 90 minutes, you\u2019ll get to see the city\u2019s highlight\u2019s and top attractions. The tour is fully narrated and you can get on and off at a number of attractions. You can then get back on about 90 minutes later and continue on from where you left off.<\/p>\n

Our particular tour was driven and narrated by a gal who tried a little too hard, projected her voice way too much, and was only marginally humorous. Not sure what age group she was trying to appeal to, but there weren\u2019t a lot of laughs coming from anyone on the bus.<\/p>\n

Also, if you are a photographer, you\u2019ll want to get off the bus at the various stops to get any decent pictures. Most of the sights were either too close or too far away from the bus for any usable pictures while on the tour.<\/p>\n

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Those two things aside, the tour does take you to some sights you\u2019ll want to explore and your trolley\u00a0ticket gets you in free at the:<\/p>\n