Cheyenne, Wyoming Lives the Legend

A 2008 Top Town By True West

Tom Horn talked too much when he hit Cheyenne in early 1902. It brought him to a bad end. Cheyenne itself emphasizes action over talk—to a good end, making it the Number 4 True Western Town of 2008.

The announcement comes in the January/February issue of True West magazine, on newsstands January 15, 2008. The Number 1 Town is St. Joseph, Missouri.

Mr. Horn confessed to a murder he probably didn’t commit—and ended up on the gallows. Nowadays, visitors can see where he made that confession, the newly renovated Tom Horn Building. The historic Cheyenne depot is being redeveloped as a museum. A fifth National Historic District—with nearly 400 buildings—is being added. And the city is constructing a working downtown livery stable to encourage more horse activity. Now that’s real Old West.

Attractions include the Frontier Days Old West Museum, the Nelson Museum of the West, and the Wyoming State Museum. Then there’s the Heart of the West Festival of cowboy poetry, music, storytelling and music, and the Single Action Shooting Society’s Hell on Wheels Shoot-out. There’s always something happening in Cheyenne.

“Cheyenne is well known for its Frontier Days celebration, but that’s just one aspect of the effort to preserve and protect its heritage,” says True West Executive Editor Bob Boze Bell. “Their slogan is ‘Cheyenne—Live the Legend.’ It’s more than just words—it’s an invitation to step back into the Old West.”

One of the big projects is in the early stages. Cheyenne has started Initial land use planning for 20,000 acres of the Belvoir Ranch southwest of town for cultural and recreational programs. It used to be Indian land, so the city has reached out to elders of the Northern Arapahoe, Shoshoni and Northern Cheyenne tribes to walk and help interpret the history of the place.

Past top town recipients: Helper, Utah (2007) and Sheridan, Wyoming (2006).

True West editors determine winners for this annual award based on criteria demonstrating how each town preserves its history through old buildings, museums and other institutions, events and promotion of historic resources.

The feature includes Towns to Watch for their good works in historic preservation and several legendary locales folks should know.

True West magazine is in its 55th year of leading the way in presenting the true stories of Old West adventure, history, culture and preservation. For subscriptions and more information, visit http://www.twmag.comor call 888-687-1881.

Contact: Mark Boardman

765-491-4063 mailto:mboardman@twmag.com