Day 9 Summer Vacation 2009

The first thing I did today after breakfast was to go in search of a barber. I didn’t have to look very far, because several hundred feet down the road was The Hitching Post Barber Shop. I walked in and was told that I would need an appointment and that they were all booked up for today. I didn’t want to hear that. I told the barber that I had driven all the way from Ontario Canada to get a haircut in his shop and he laughed and said he could squeeze me in right after “The Judge”. “The Judge” and I got talking politics, he was surprised at how much I knew about American Politics, being a Canadian. I told him that we can only get CNN in Canada, so we are force fed American Politics. “The Judge” and I did not share the same opinions on many political topics, but without going into a lot of details of our conversation, maybe I just better keep my nose clean while I am visiting “The Judges” town.

We drove to the Visitors Center in Downtown Cheyenne WY and picked up some brochures and pamphlets and struck out on our own self guided tour of the downtown. We were in search of old buildings, in particular, buildings that were associated with the original Lincoln Highway.

The Cheyenne Depot Square had some interesting cowboy boots on display, these were 8 feet tall. There are reportedly 18 boots scattered throughout Cheyenne. We found a few in the Depot Square.

There are banners on every lamp post.

The Plains Hotel built in 1911 and the Lincoln Theater built in 1927 are old buildings associated with the original highway.

The Frontier Hotel built in 1937 and St Mark’s Church built in 1886.

The Atlas Theater, built in 1887 and the Tivoli Building built in 1892.

We found a Coca Cola ghost Sign

And a Lincoln Highway Concrete Marker

The Dinneen Building built in 1927 and the Addoms & Glover Drug Building is downtown Cheyenne’s oldest commercial structure, built in 1871

The First National Bank Building was built in 1882

We drove out to Holliday Park to see Big Boy. Number 4004 is the world’s largest steam locomotive. This powerful coal-fired engine was designed to pull a 3600 ton train over steep grades without helper engines. The Union Pacific retired Big Boy from active duty in 1958.

We then went in search of the “Merci Train” As a gesture of thanks for United States aid provided during WWII, France gave a train car to each State in 1949. Every car was filled with hundreds of gifts for the people of each State. Wyoming’s Merci Train car is one of 42 remaining cars. I wonder what France gave each of the Canadian Provinces as thanks for our participation.

The last stop on our search for trains was out at Lions Park where we found Engine 1242. Built in 1890 , Wyoming’s oldest locomotive ran the Walcott-Saratoga-Encampment branch line from November 1921 until May 1954. Surrounding the engine is a unique train folk art fence, hand-built by the last engineer to drive the train.

Searching for trains in sunny 30C degree weather makes you hot and craving for ice cream, so next stop was Baskin Robbins. Here is Karen enjoying her chocolate fudge brownie ice cream in a waffle cone. That is my 2 scoops of chocolate ice cream in the cup.

We went to the 6pm Gun Fight in downtown Cheyenne. It was your typical re-enactment of a gunfight in the days of the old west. Lots of knee slapping fun and frolics.

Tomorrow we are heading further West, as far as Rock Spring Wyoming.

To see all of our photos from today, please click on the link to my FLICKR site.