The clouds were always entertaining in these expansive, flat landscapes.
We stopped briefly in Chugwater (population in the low 200's) for a malt shake at the Chugwater Soda Fountain, Wyoming's oldest and still operating soda fountain. Unfortunately we weren't all that impressed. The malt powder was not mixed in very well at all.
Our shakes being made
Regan claims he is actually enjoying this! Do you believe him?
The tour of the capitol building in Cheyenne was just a self-guided brochure. We started on the ground floor and worked our way up to the top. Wyoming became a Territorial government in 1869 and was the 44th state admitted into the union in 1890. The building was started in 1887 and renovated in 1980.
The dome is copper but it tarnished so badly that in 1900 gold leaf was used. It has been guilded five times (most recently in 2010).
The white tiles are Italian marble and the black ones are from Wyoming.
Note the fossils.
The stained glass of the dome was imported from England.
The original seal submitted in 1891 got rejected because the woman was unclothed. The men represent the livestock and mining industries.
This bison was raised in a state herd in Hot Springs State Park. He weighed about 3,000 pounds and is the third largest bison ever recorded. The bison in the state mammal of Wyoming.
The governor's portrait gallery...
... ranging from very proper...
... to Jim Geringer (1995-2003) with his western attire.
Nellie Ross (1925 - 1927), the first female governor of the United States. She lived to be 101.
This is a model for the Lincoln Monument, a 12-foot tall bronze statue created by Robert Russin and originally located on the old Lincoln Highway (but relocated to Interstate 80 in 1969).
The "Spirit of Wyoming" image (a statue of it also sits outside)
Upstairs got a bit dizzying!
The House Chamber. In 2001, the army-issued metal desks were replaced with oak and granite.
The Senate Chamber
Both chambers had lovely ceilings.
A change in style... a compilation of various members, with each picture representing one decade (starting in the 1870's)
Just a bit concerning!
Room 302 had a 1,000 pound Tiffany-styles chandelier...
...and a 8 x 22 foot painting called "Wyoming, the land of the people, past and present" created in 1982 by Mike Kopriva. click for a larger view
Laying the cornerstone
Completed in 1888
We then took a stroll around the outside of the building.
The Spirit of Wyoming
Chief Washakie of the Eastern Shoshone tribe was born in 1789 and died in 1900. He made repeated efforts to achieve peace between the local tribes and the US military. He was known as Smells of Sugar as a child and took the name Shoots the Buffalo Running as a teenager.
Esther Hobart Morris did a lot for women's equal rights.
The 44th state
A reproduction of the original liberty bell of 1776. This bell is one of 53 cast in France in 1950.
The flag was at half mast, but we didn't know why.
It was a long drive home due to lots of construction and traffic, but eventually we arrived safely and could check a few more things off of our to-do lists.