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2:08 PM August 12th, 2009 JUVENILE SYSTEM UPDATE: Part 2 of 3 Ronn Jeffrey, Municipal Court Judge, summarized the concept of the JPB as a multi-disciplinary group of people working together to plan a system for handling kids in the system...READ >>
2:54 PM July 8th, 2009 JUVENILE SYSTEM UPDATE: Part 1 of 3 After several discussions, the Laramie County Commissioners and Cheyenne City Council collaborated to approve the Laramie County Community Juvenile Services Joint Powers Board Agreement...READ >>
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TALES FROM THE PAST: The Colorado & Southern Railway Company: 1890’s - 1981 By Cheyenne Historic Preservation Board
When one thinks of Cheyenne and railroads the name Union Pacific is usually what jumps to mind; however, the city has been home to numerous other railroad lines and services.
The C&S is one of Cheyenne’s more confusing railroad lines as it was a conglomeration of other railway and railroad companies from the very beginning. Its pieces predate its incorporation on December 19, 1898, when it was created for the primary purpose of acquiring by purchase at foreclosure sale the property owned by the Union Pacific Denver and Gulf Railway (U.P.D&G) and the Denver, Leadville, and Gunnison Railway.
In June 1900, the C&S further acquired the Leadville Mineral Belt Railway, which had built a narrow gauge road within the town of Leadville, Colorado. Earlier in March 1900, the C&S had formally purchased the Colorado Railroad Company, a standard gauge road from Fort Collins to Walsenburg, Colorado, which they had previously operated under lease.
With the property of the U.P.D&G, the C&S also came into possession of a controlling interest of the capital stock of the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway Company which had been incorporated on May 27, 1873, as a railroad from Fort Worth to Texline, Texas. C&S had a trackage agreement with the Union Pacific between Cheyenne, Wyoming, and Denver, Colorado; a joint operation agreement with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company between Denver and Pueblo, Colorado; and another trackage agreement with the Denver and Rio Grande Railway Company between Pueblo and Walsenburg; thus creating for the C&S a through line from Orin Junction (Wendover), Wyoming to Fort Worth.
Previously on March 18, 1890, the U.P.D.&G combined the Colorado Central Railroad (Denver to Cheyenne) with the Cheyenne and Northern Railway (Cheyenne to Wendover, Wyoming). The Cheyenne and Northern Railway had been incorporated in 1886 to build a line from Cheyenne into northern Wyoming and Montana. The line extended only to Wendover on the North Platte River. The Colorado Central Railroad operated in Colorado and southeastern Wyoming in the late 19th century. It had been founded in the Colorado Territory in the wake of the Colorado gold rush in order to ship gold from the mountains to the transcontinental railroad in Cheyenne and from there through the national rail network.
In 1908, the Chicago Burlington & Quincy (CB&Q) would buy out the C&S Line which provided service north through Cheyenne from Denver and Fort Collins, Colorado, and to the south from Casper and Douglas, Wyoming. In 1910 the C&S completed a connector rail between their main freight yard and roundhouse located off of West 27th Street and Dey Avenue and the downtown Burlington Route Depot. The connector would pass southeast down Reed Avenue and then through the downtown alley between 15th and 16th Streets to the Depot. The Warren Emporium (Mercantile) building had been purchased by Cheyenne & Burlington in December 1887 to be their depot and to accommodate trains coming into Cheyenne from its connector out to Sterling, Colorado, and the mainline Denver to Chicago.
This facility would last until a new Spanish-style Depot was completed in 1929. It too would last only until 1955, when a new much smaller Burlington Depot was completed at their yard facility off West 27th Street.
The C&S continued to provide passenger service over segments of the line well into the 1950’s and what they called their “Zephyr Connection” trains to and from Denver. Their industrial service would also continue over local tracks until 1983 when the new twin viaduct (I-180 overpass) was under construction.
Passenger rail service changed dramatically with the creation of the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak. Organized as a government-owned corporation on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity train transportation; Cheyenne would have Amtrak initially however; it was discontinued later in favor of East-West services out of Denver.
TALES FROM THE PAST: Cheyenne’s Colorful People (Part 2):
Andrew Gilchrist By Shirley E. Flynn,
Cheyenne Historic Preservation Board
Many of Cheyenne’s early residents were responsible for its growth and development as they built the community from the ground up.
As we saw in the last month’s issue, Andrew Gilchrist’s hard work made a huge impact on modern Cheyenne.
Another major project of Gilchrist’s was to partner again with Carey, Plunkett, Thomas Sturgis, and some others to form the Wyoming Development Association, with the purpose of reclaiming 60,000 acres of land between the Chug and Sibille (Canyon), some 85 miles north of Cheyenne. Water for the project would be taken out of the Laramie River, passed through a tunnel and ditch system 25 plus miles long. When completed in 1886, the whole enterprise cost $300,000, but it opened up land that would have otherwise been similar to a desert. The successful projects led to the development of the agricultural land around Wheatland.
Probably because he had hay to feed his herds and a well-established home place, Gilchrist’s cattle survived the harsh winter of 1886-1887 when so many fellow ranchers were wiped out completely. Relying on the open range, many of the stock growers had no headquarter buildings in the country, no hay meadows, or even a cabin, and so when their herds were lost they quickly left the territory.
Because of his sound practices, Gilchrist became the President of the Stock Growers National Bank in 1888. With his broad interests, close business habits, and Scottish thrift, he guided the bank through the panic of 1893 and promoted a policy of diversification, which is practiced to this date as sound financial policy.
The personals column of the then Wyoming Tribune, dated March 1, 1894, carried news that “President Gilchrist of the Stockgrower’s National Bank was very ill” and on March 7, announced his passing.
His wife, Mary Gilchrist, lived on another 37 years in their home on Capitol Avenue. For years after his death, she continued the celebrations of Robert Burns’ birthday with parties for old friends. So infatuated with Burns was she, that in 1927 she gave $20,000 to purchase the statue of Burns which was placed in Gilchrist Park (now known as Robert Burns Park), located at the intersection of Randall Avenue and Pioneer Avenue.
On January 27, 1931, while wintering in Long Beach, California, she too passed away leaving the bulk of her estate to Cheyenne charities and the University of Wyoming Student Welfare Association.
Andrew Gilchrist left indelible footprints in Cheyenne and Laramie County. A grade school off Happy Jack Road bears his name and is located on property once owned by him. Three stone houses, a very large barn, and an irrigation system mark his presence even today. The Stock Grower’s National Bank exists today but is known as Cheyenne Wells Fargo Bank.
The words inscribed on the base of the Robert Burns statue describe Gilchrist best.
“From scenes like these old Scotia’s grandeur sprints,
Princes and lords are but a breath of kings,
An honest man is the noblest work of God.”
Photos: Historic photographs used here are reprinted courtesy of the Wyoming State Archives. Contemporary photo of the Gilchrist Barn is compliments Shirley Flynn, author.
TALES FROM THE PAST: Cheyenne’s Colorful People (Part 8):
Andrew Gilchrist By Shirley E. Flynn,
Cheyenne Historic Preservation Board
Many of Cheyenne’s early residents were responsible for its growth and development as they built the community from the ground up.
Born in Ayrshire, Scotland, April 1842, Andrew Gilchrist served with the Buckingham Palace Life Guards as a young man. It is reputed that his father was one of the largest and most successful breeders of high-grade cattle in Scotland. From a religious background as well, his family were Covententers? and rock-ribbed Presbyterians with a very strict code of ethics and high moral character.
At age 23, he arrived in New York City and ultimately settled in Hartford, Connecticut where he found work in a silk mill and took business courses. After three years he returned to Scotland, married his childhood sweetheart, Mary Gammel, and then returned to America.
After hearing a lecture by Horace Greeley, the couple took his advice to heart and in October 1869 signed onto Nathan Meeker’s Union Colony of Colorado. With the North Platte River Valley as destination and the payment of a $155 a share fee, the Gilchrists moved west. The colony quickly and greatly demonstrated the viability of homesteading and irrigation of crops along the river valley. Establishing his homestead (ranch) on Lone Pine Creek near Livermore, CO, he was with the Colony long enough to have the town of Gilchrist, CO, named after him. He was more interested in raising cattle than farming, but took the time to learn irrigation.
Although he thought of himself as a simple farmer, in 1875 he left Livermore and farming and drove his cattle herd into Wyoming in order to take advantage of the great grazing resources of the plains. First located on Pole Creek northwest of Cheyenne, he soon extended his herd to the south into the Crow Creek region. Extending his herd and holdings would become his policy for living. In 1877 he relocated to the South Fork of South Crow Creek and two years later built a two-story stone house that stands today along with a bunk house close by (1880). Ten years later he added a huge stone and wood barn (50’ x 90’) three stories tall.
In addition to erecting his barn in 1890, Gilchrist also built another stone house a few miles west on what is now known as the Francis’ place. During these years, Gilchrist had 11 irrigation ditches dug which watered 800 to 900 acres of hay fields. The stream and ditches remain to this day.
Adding thoroughbred Hereford bulls to his herd improved the quality of his cattle, and one of his prize bulls named Bobby Burns (for the Scottish Poet Robert Burns), is listed in the American Hereford Record and Herd Book.
After partnering with Sir Homer Plunkett of the Laramie Range in 1884, they managed to purchase 185,000 acres of which they subsequently sold 80,000 to A.W. Swan (later called the Swan Land and Cattle Company of Chugwater, WY). The balance of the land was sold to E. S. R. Boughton. The partners were leaders in the livestock industry in Wyoming. With Plunkett being English nobility, they were well received by the rest of the European cattle barons.
As the Stock Growers National Bank was being formed in 1882 by Joseph M. Carey and the Sturgis brothers (Thomas and William), Gilchrist saw the opportunity to invest. Based on his strong work ethic, he was also encouraged to serve on Legislative Councils prior to Wyoming’s statehood in 1890 and in the Legislature itself afterwards.
In 1884, along with partners Plunkett and Boughton, he formed the Frontier Cattle and Land Company. With holdings on Crow Creek, the Chugwater and Powder River, and thousands of head of cattle, they planned to raise hay and cattle on the prairie and fatten the animals for market at other points in Wyoming and Nebraska. The details of the plan were never implemented mostly because of the severe blizzard during the winter of 1886-1887 that wiped out most of the Wyoming Cattle industry as it had existed.
Also during that same year Gilchrist would build an “in-town home,” a Victorian gothic mansion with barns and corral situated on a full quarter block at 2300 Capitol Avenue (then Hill Street). When the home was built, the state capitol building did not exist, but when finished it would be just a short half block north. It is said that Andrew, a member of the committee, sponsored its location just up the street from his home.
To mark their Scottish heritage, Robert Burns’ birth date (January 25) was always a special occasion to celebrate. Beginning with the traditional presentation of the requisite haggis to the final champagne and brandy toasts, songs, recitations of Burns’ poetry and speeches, the parties would last until after 3a.m.
Andrew was truly a ground-breaker for the present Cheyenne we all know and love.
Photos: Historic photographs used here are reprinted courtesy of the Wyoming State Archives. Contemporary photo of the Gilchrist Barn is compliments Shirley Flynn, author.
TALES FROM THE PAST: Devotional: Words of Encouragement By Michael Byrd
During the early years in Cheyenne, structures built by merchants were generally temporary in nature. Canvas tents or simple clapboard fronted stores were easy to put up and required a minimal amount of wood, which often had to be hauled in by the railroad. In 1867 building materials were in short supply in Cheyenne and so in some cases, buildings were disassembled in other towns such as Denver, Julesburg and North Platte, and hauled by train to Cheyenne where they were reassembled. Construction of temporary structures often continued 24 hours a day.
In addition to the Union Pacific Railroad, Cheyenne was also located at the crossroads of several significant trails which further ensured its permanence beyond being just an “end-of-track town.” More substantial and permanent buildings were constructed as Cheyenne grew in both size and importance and the railroad brought people in from all parts of the nation with varying cultural backgrounds and information about the latest styles and fashions. Cheyenne also was to offer cultural opportunities with an opera house, fine restaurants, and world-class hotels. These permanent buildings of stone and brick were vernacular, or common to the style of buildings being constructed back east in the larger cities. The railroad brought not only the building materials but also the many immigrants who came with the necessary trade crafts (e.g., woodworking, stone and brick masonry, art glass design and production, decorative ironworking [blacksmithing], and etc.).
As the railroad opened up the high plains of Wyoming to cattle ranching, Cheyenne was able to maintain and grow economically. By 1890 Cheyenne had experienced a boom in construction of public buildings, churches, large retail stores, permanent residences, schools, and major railroad operating facilities.
Because Cheyenne had experienced a number of devastating fires in its early years; the town’s growth and rebuilding took the form of brick and more fire resistant materials. These structures required the experience and expertise of qualified builders and architects.
In the 1880s Moses Patrick Keefe, building contractor, built some of Cheyenne’s most significant projects. One of those projects was the Cheyenne water system along Crow Creek. Also not long after the completion of the central portion of the State Capitol (1889), Keefe was awarded a contract to construct the first additions by adding the east and west wings. Keefe also built additional wings in 1915, designed by foremost Cheyenne architect, William R. Dubois. Many other prominent buildings were constructed by M.P. Keefe, including the Hiram Kelly and E.W. Whitcomb mansions, the Methodist and Episcopal churches, Catholic Cathedral, Wyoming Trust and Savings building, South Side School, West Side School, the Majestic Building, and many of the structures at Fort D.A. Russell, now F.E. Warren Air Force Base.
The Rainsford Historic District is named after George D. Rainsford, highly regarded Cheyenne architect of the 1890s. Rinsford moved from New York in the 1870s and started the Diamond Ranch near Chugwater, Wyoming, where he raised Morgan and Thoroughbred horses. It has been reported that he had up to 3,000 horses by 1900. Rainsford was educated in Europe as a civil engineer and architect and his most notable accomplishments may have been the designs for numerous mansions for cattlemen he knew. He was considered to be one of the most talented architects in the early days of Cheyenne. Several blocks on north Carey Avenue known as “Millionaire’s Row” and on east 17th and 18th Streets known as “Cattle Baron’s Row,” contained numerous mansions that were designed and built for cattle barons of the region. Rainsford partnered with New York architect William Augustus Bates during much of this period of design. The mansions often boasted of Italian marble, cherry woodwork, French wallpaper, glass chandeliers, carved staircases, and stables or carriage houses for their buggies and horses. Eastern fashions and architectural styles were well known in this western town. Another of his most well-known buildings was the Cheyenne Club, a gentleman’s club, frequented by cattle barons and prominent businessmen. While many of the early mansions have been lost to the progressive growth of the downtown, there are a number of notable examples of Rainsford’s mansion designs remaining.
Another notable architect was Frederic Huthinson Porter. His first project was the Boyd Building in 1912. He designed many of Cheyenne’s schools and public and private buildings throughout the state. Porter also designed schools in Gillette, Egbert, Jackson, and Encampment. Some of his significant projects in Cheyenne include the First Presbyterian Church, Memorial Hospital, Christensen’s Jewelry store, and the United States Air Mail Field hangar and shops.
William R. Dubois is regarded as Cheyenne’s preeminent architect of the early 20th Century. Dubois, son of an architect, attended the Chicago School of Architecture in the late 19th century and received his training in Albuquerque. The firm he was working for sent him to Cheyenne in the early 1900s to supervise the construction of the Carnegie Library, the first county library west of the Mississippi River. His styles were influenced by the Beaux Arts Classicism and Romanesque Revival styles, popular during this era. In 1902, Dubois designed the Cheyenne Masonic Temple and although he designed many public buildings during his career; some of his most notable projects are the 1915 wing additions to the Wyoming State Capitol, the Laramie County Court House 1917, Cheyenne High School 1922, Johnson (elementary) School 1923, Cheyenne Post Office (Federal Building) 1932, Wyoming Supreme Court Building 1937, Elk’s Club, Lincoln Theatre, and Plains Hotel 1911, and Hynds Building. Mr. Dubois designed numerous projects for retail, education, commercial and government in Cheyenne and across Wyoming. Other Wyoming projects include the court house in Laramie, high schools in Rawlins, Casper, Lander and Riverton, and six buildings at the University of Wyoming in Laramie. For a time he also served as chair of the Zoning Commission and promoted city improvements, planning and landscaping improvements for the City of Cheyenne.
Photos: Historic photographs used here are reprinted courtesy of the Wyoming State Archives. William Dubois is from the Stemson Collection.
WYOMING SPORTS HISTORY: Boyd Dowler By J. P. Chico
For football fans in Cheyenne in the 1960’s, the Green Bay Packers were more often than not the pro team of choice. The fact that Cheyenne High School graduate Boyd Dowler was an integral part of the Green Bay offense made it a natural for local residents to root for “The Pack.” And when, in the fall of 1962, it was arranged for the Green Bay Packers to have lunch at the Plains Hotel, it was a very big deal indeed.
The Packers were en route to their game on the west coast and stopped in Cheyenne to refuel and help celebrate “Boyd Dowler Day” as proclaimed by Mayor Bill Nation.
As luck would have it, I was attending McCormick Junior High (Emerson Building) in downtown Cheyenne at the time. The Plains Hotel was only three blocks south. On my lunch break, I made it to the Plains in time to see the entire Packer team file off their bus and into the hotel. Every player wore a trench coat. Very impressive!
I was close enough to reach out and touch Ray Nitschke, Jim Taylor, Paul Hornung, and Bart Starr. This was a big deal! I didn’t get into the luncheon but I know Governor Jack Gage and Mayor Nation were there and, of course, Larry Birleffi was the Master of Ceremonies. Packer coach Vince Lombardi spoke briefly, as did Dowler.
Boyd and wife Pat were in Cheyenne last month visiting Boyd’s sister, Lyn Rinehart and her husband John. I had a chance to sit down and talk football with Boyd for over an hour.
Boyd remembers the tribute to him at The Plains in ‘62’ as being uncomfortablefor him, even though his teammates had a great time.
Dowler was a three-sport star at Cheyenne High in the mid-1950’s, although he didn’t become a full time starter on the football team until his senior year playing for Coach Don Creese. That was also the year a certain cheerleader, Pat Harvey, caught his attention. Pat and Boyd were married during his second season with Green Bay.
In addition to football, Dowler took part in basketball and track at Cheyenne High both coached by Okie Blanchard. Dowler said that all three teams his senior year -- football, basketball and track -- were among the top teams in Wyoming. Boyd remembers the late Tom Allen as a force on the football team, along with Terry Happel, who he thought may have been the best athlete at Cheyenne High.
At the time Boyd graduated from high school, he held the state record in the high hurdles. Figuring his best chance to be a college athlete was in track, Boyd accepted a scholarship to run track and play football at the University of Colorado. CU had an indoor track facility that was the deciding factor in his choice to head south to Boulder despite several offers from other schools.
Boyd had many great coaches during his athletic career, from high school to the pros, but he said no one had a bigger influence on him than his father Walt. “My father taught me all the basics in football, basketball and track and field.” The Dowlers are a very athletic family, with brother Joe following Boyd to CU, where he played football. Brother John, meanwhile, played football for the University of Wyoming. Boyd’s son Brian was a wide receiver at Marshall University.
Boyd was Mr. Everything on the CU football team; he played quarterback and receiver on offense, cornerback on defense (10 interceptions in three years). He also punted and ran back kick- offs. His senior year, he was the leading passer, leading receiver, leading punter, and had the most interceptions for the Buffaloes. Coach Dal Ward ran the Single Wing / Wing T offense at Colorado, which was run-oriented, they simply did not throw the football much.
In the 1959 NFL Draft, Dowler was the 25th overall pick, going to the Green Bay Packers, where he played for 11 seasons.
At 6’ 5” and 224 lbs with a sprinter’s speed, Boyd would become one of Bart Starr’s favorite targets as a receiver for the Packers. Dowler was named 1959 NFL Rookie of the year by United Press International. Of his 11 seasons with Green Bay, he led the team in receptions seven years.
During his years in Green Bay, Dowler caught 448 passes for 6,918 yards and 40 touchdowns. He was voted to the Pro Bowl in 1965 and 1967.
Dowler played on five NFL Champion teams with Green Bay (1961, 1962, 1965, 1966, 1967).
Green Bay won the first two Super Bowls in 1966 and 1967, defeating Kansas City in Super Bowl I and the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl II.
In 1978, Dowler was inducted into the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame. He was also named to the NFL All-Decade Team for the 1960s as a flanker.
Boyd’s last year as a player came in 1971 as a player/coach for the Washington Redskins with the “Over the Hill Gang” for Head Coach George Allen. As a player, coach, and scout, Dowler has been with eight NFL Franchises.
He completely retired just two years ago, living near Atlanta, Georgia. Pat and Boyd have a daughter Kristen and a son Brian. Retirement seems to agree with Boyd, as he and wife Pat look fantastic.
GHOST STORIES: Telltale Signs of a Ghost, Part II By Jill Pope
Do you have a ghost? Are strange things happening in your home or work space? I have compiled a two-part listing of the most common occurrences reported with spirits.
ELECTRIC PERSONALITY – Some believe that ghosts draw energy from electrical sources and even batteries. Paranormal investigators often document brand new batteries being immediately drained from their cameras and equipment. Lights flicker or turn on/off on their own, just as TVs, radios, toys, and electrical tools have been reported to do. This is particularly unnerving when these items are unplugged. Always have electrical wiring and sources checked out, safety first. Look for logical answers and don’t jump to the conclusion that it must be paranormal activity.
DID YOU SEE THAT - Ever catch a glimpse of something or someone from the corner of your eye only to realize there’s no one there? Are there shadowy figures, misty forms, transparent bodies, full-body apparitions, or body portions such as a floating head in your house? One local home has a resident hand that floats over the dinner table. Other apparitions include white spots or balls of light called orbs, non distinguishable fleeting shapes. Be sure to check if headlights from nearby traffic could somehow be responsible. Consider reflections from mirrors or TV’s, or any light source. One explanation for the phenomenon is the how the “rods and cones” are set up in our eyes. It makes us particularly sensitive to movement in our peripheral vision. This goes back to our tribal hunter days so we could see if an animal was suddenly attacking us from the side.
BRRRRRR - A drastic temperature change is one of the most common signs associated with a ghost. Most generally cold spots, sometimes reported to move right through a person.
THE AROMA – Sometimes distinguishable scents such as flowers, cigar and pipe smoke, or cologne are reported to hang in the air when ghosts are present. Reports of a deceased former Cheyenne judge lingering at his office always include the aroma of pipe smoke.
GOOSEBUMPS - A term often included in ghostly tales include “the hair on the back of my neck stood up,” or “I got the chills,” or “I had goosebumps.” Many report overwhelming feelings of being watched, and some people get an intense headache or upset stomach. Occasionally people even feel as though they have been touched or poked by an invisible hand. One lady reported feeling a spirit kiss her cheek. Sometimes imprints of an entity can be seen in a chair cushion or a mattress.
ANIMAL MAGNETISM – Many say that animals have keen senses that allow them to be more in tune with the paranormal. It’s thought that when animals intensely stare at “nothing,” that they are seeing a spirit. Do your dogs bark at nothing? Is this because they are crazy little critters or is there something there that we cannot see? There are chilling tales of dogs attacking an invisible adversary. I’ve received three separate stories of dogs reacting this way at the perimeter of Lakeview Cemetery. I’ve also received many reports of dogs that refuse to go into the basement or a particular room, including trained security dogs at the base.
Be rational and look for natural or man-made causes for each event. Consider wind, drafts, traffic, rodents or other animals, the house settling, furnace noises and of course an overly active imagination. In a room where you’ve experienced unusual things, place a piece of paper on a flat solid surface. Lay a coin in the center of the page. Trace the coin so you know the exact position of it. Leave the room unoccupied for 24 hours. If the coin has been moved upon your return, this could indicate paranormal activity. Another test that can be done in a room that does not have any natural drafts, is to take a long candle placed securely in a candle holder and set it in the center of a stable flat surface (on tin foil or some fire resistant surface for safety sake). Leave the room for awhile. If the flame has gone out when you return it could warrant further investigation.
“There is nothing as powerful as the truth, and often nothing so strange.” Daniel Webster
If you have experienced any of the above phenomenons I’d love to hear your story. Please email me at jill@cheyenne.org or call 778-3133.
GHOST STORIES: Telltale Signs of a Ghost, Part I By Jill Pope
Do you have a ghost? Are strange things happening in your home or work space? I have compiled a two-part listing of the most common occurrences reported with spirits.
The term “unexplained noise” can cover a very wide range of sounds as related to paranormal activity.
FOOTSTEPS - many people tell of hearing footsteps when no one else was around. Usually coming from the floor above them, but sometimes the sounds come from the same room or are heard going up or down stairs. A local man tells of repeatedly hearing footsteps on his roof, only to learn later that a previous resident died of a heart attack while repairing the roof.
THINGS THAT GO BANG IN THE NIGHT - Most ghost tales involves thumps, knocking, creaking, or slamming type noises. Keep in mind the Wyoming wind factor. If windows or doors are not tightly sealed, it could produce some strange sounds.
VOICES IN THIN AIR - It would be particularly disconcerting for a disembodied voice to whisper into your ear. This happened to a Cheyenne paranormal investigator during an investigation held in a dirt crawlspace that happened to be the scene of a murder. Sometimes these audible sounds are muffled voices where the words cannot quite be understood, while other times the words are distinct. It’s not uncommon for people to report moaning, crying, or even laughter. Be aware of vents and piping where voices may be carried from other areas of the building, neighboring buildings, or outside. There was a story online about a woman who had some construction work done at her home. For the next few days she kept hearing voices in the basement, then the voices abruptly stopped. She thought whatever was in her basement must have moved on. Eventually she learned that a workman had dropped his portable radio into the cement floor he was pouring. Rather then try to dig it out, he smoothed it over and left it there. The battery operated radio had been tuned into a talk radio station!
Besides these unexplained noises the following happenings can indicate paranormal activity:
MISPLACED - There are many different stories of belongings being moved or rearranged. Reports of items that are routinely placed in the same spot, such as keys then being found in some other unexplained place, are common. One such Cheyenne resident would find her hairbrush and TV remote moved under the kitchen table. The first time or two she thought it odd, but when it began happening every week she looked for some sort of explanation. Once other paranormal activity began, she believed it to be her resident ghost. These are small items I’ve also been told of furniture being rearranged, and even piled ceiling high. Sometimes possessions disappear for some time and then reappear just as mysteriously. Either someone close by has a strange sense of humor or maybe the ghost itself is a prankster. I believe ghosts have a variety of personality traits, just as they did when in human form.
LEVITATE - When household items are seen physically moving on their own you could have a ghost! A few local reports include a TV remote that would frequently fly off of the entertainment center and slam to the floor or onto the couch where tenants were sitting as though the ghost disapproved of their show selection. There’s an account of a vase shooting straight through the air and hitting the visitor square between the eyes. A Cheyenne merchant tells of a sculpted Indian Brave that was hanging on a wall defied gravity when it soared straight out from the wall and lingered momentarily before dropping to the floor in the center of the room. In a different downtown location, with no customers in the store, two saleswomen were startled as they watched a glass shelf shoot straight forward before crashing to the floor. People relay stories of glasses or plates sliding across the table as they watch. In looking for logical explanations think of things that could cause a vibration and possibly move things. Train tracks nearby could be one answer.
SLAM - what about those doors and cupboards that seemingly open or close on their own, sometimes quietly, sometimes not? One ghost was apparently unhappy that the residents were moving away. They had emptied out their kitchen cupboards, leaving all the cabinet doors open so they could clean inside them. Suddenly all of the cupboard doors slammed shut at once! Another couple says that when they would wake up in the mornings they’d find all of the kitchen cabinets wide open, everything on the floor, and often broken. They went through three sets of dishes in six months.
In 1976, Anna was looking for a place to live. She heard of a house for rent from a co-worker at the hospital. This Victorian home; now a painted lady (a Victorian style home, where the exterior is decoratively painted in three or more colors), was just a block away from the hospital. This happens to be one of the many homes that was moved off of Fort DA Russell in the early 1900’s, and relocated into town. The homes were brought into town by horses and steam tractors. Ft. Russell was originally a tent camp and was being developed at the same time Cheyenne got its start in 1867. In 1885 Ft Russell became a permanent post, and the wooden buildings were gradually replaced with brick structures. The City purchased dozens of these wooden buildings. Senator Warren purchased over 30 buildings himself.
The landlord frankly told Anna that she didn’t know if she would want to live in the house because it was haunted though Anna had already fallen in love with the quaint home, especially the front parlor that had a fireplace. She signed the lease anyway and her family of four moved right in.
Anna says that there was activity every single day that they lived in the home. When they were in their bedroom they could hear footsteps above. She compared the sound to that of a large dog walking on linoleum and hearing the clicking of his nails with each step. She didn’t feel afraid by this, but Anna and her husband Frank were uncomfortable every time they went to the basement.
Like most basements they felt a cold rush when they entered the space, but beyond that they could feel a presence watching them. It made the hair on the back of their necks and arms stand on end. Every time one of them went to the basement their blue healer dog would stand at the top of the staircase and frantically growl, hackles standing on end. Frank thought that if he brought the dog down there she would see that everything was fine. The dog put up a huge fight and despite all his efforts Frank could not force the dog to enter the basement. Their children were too young to report anything, but their sixteen-year-old babysitter was “scared to death” in the home. He even kept a steak knife with him when he was there. They remained in the house for a year and a half. Their reason for moving was not because of the paranormal activity. We don’t have information on who the spirit residing here may be, but do wonder if the ghost accompanied the home from Ft. Russell.
Within a block of this home is another whimsical, yet elaborate house. The home has entertained many among high social circles in its day. Back in 1885 it served as a rooming house. To their dismay the residents found that the upstairs windows had been painted shut many times over years. Try as they might, the strongest of men could not open them. They went from room to room trying to open the windows, eventually going back into rooms they had previously been in. They were astonished to find that somehow the windows had opened wide in their absence.
At another home, not too far away, a group of prospective buyers entered into the small white house on 21st Street. As they approached to unlock the front door they heard a loud banging & knocking, which they actually felt coming from the other side of the door inside of the house. The whole door shook. Sandra asked the other people if someone was in there, the realtor told them there was no one home.
Upon entering they found it to be empty. One of the ladies went down to the basement, only to be overwhelmed with a negative feeling. She rushed back upstairs and proclaimed that this was an evil place. She immediately left. Later, an acquaintance of Sandra’s told her that she had known of a previous resident of this little white house. She recounts that one night after tucking her own children into bed the lady fell asleep in a reclining chair in the living room of this house. Her husband traveled for work, and was not home. She woke up to find a child, a precious little girl, sobbing heavily while sitting on her lap. However, this wasn’t any of her children; she had never seen this child before. It became obvious this pale child was not of this world. She frantically scooped up her own children and went to a hotel. They in turn sold the home; however, the house has had a high turnover of owners. No one seems to stay for long; it was for sale again when the story was relayed to me.
If you know of a local haunting, please call me at 778-3133 or email me at jill@cheyenne.org, I’d love to hear about it.
