Cheyenne Depot Museum

The Cheyenne Depot Museum is a railroad museum in Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States. It is located inside the 1880s Union Pacific Railroad depot. A National Historic Landmark, the station was the railroad's largest west of Council Bluffs, Iowa, and a major western example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture.

Cheyenne, WY
The San Francisco Zephyr at Cheyenne in April 1976.
General information
Location	121 West 15th Street, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001
Line(s)	Union Pacific Railroad
History
Closed	October 28, 1979[1][2]
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Laramie toward Oakland-16th Street San Francisco Zephyr 1972–1979 Greeley toward Chicago City of San Francisco 1971–1972 Preceding station Union Pacific Railroad Following station Borie toward Ogden Overland Route Hillside toward Council Bluffs Transfer through to Ogden via Overland Route Cheyenne – Denver Speer toward Denver
Union Pacific Railroad Depot Union Pacific Roundhouse, Turntable and Machine Shop
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Union Pacific Passenger Station
Location	121 W. 15th St., Cheyenne, Wyoming
Coordinates	41°7′54″N 104°48′51″W
Built	1887 (1887)
Architect	Van Brunt & Howe
Architectural style	Romanesque Revival, Richardsonian Romanesque
NRHP reference No.	73001934 (depot); 92000930[3]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	January 29, 1973 (depot); July 24, 1992
Designated NHL	February 15, 2006 (depot)[4]
Location

The museum, founded in 1993, interprets Cheyenne's early history and that of the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad. It houses multiple exhibits and occasionally offers tours of other railroad facilities.

History

The station is built from blocks of sandstone quarried in Fort Collins, Colorado. The Depot was built directly down the street from and facing the Wyoming State Capitol building, signaling its significance to the city and state.

The building was lengthened and renovated in 1922 and redecorated in 1929. Further renovations were made from 2001 to 2006, including a $6.5 million improvement by the city of Cheyenne and a plaza built in front of the Depot. This plaza hosts a variety of music and events throughout the year.

Amtrak's San Francisco Zephyr ceased serving this station directly in 1979 in favor of a new station in Borie, nine miles to the west. This eliminated a time-consuming backup move in and out of the Cheyenne station.^[5] Passengers were bused between Borie and Cheyenne. Passenger rail service ended altogether in Wyoming when Amtrak canceled its Pioneer in 1997.

As of 2022, a new train service is proposed to connect Cheyenne and Pueblo, Colorado.

The Old West Museum and Cheyenne Frontier Days made an agreement that established the Cheyenne Depot Museum, Inc., as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. The organization leased the depot from the city of Cheyenne for 25 years.

Gallery

• 
  2011 photo of the depot
• 
  The nearby roundhouse where the Union Pacific Railroad stores its historic steam locomotives and E9 diesel locomotives.
• 
  UP's nearby machine shop, where it services its steam locomotives.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places portal
• Trains portal

• Union Pacific 844
• Union Pacific 3985
• Union Pacific 4014
• Union Pacific 6936
• Cheyenne Frontier Days
• Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum
• List of National Historic Landmarks in Wyoming
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Laramie County, Wyoming

References

1. "Amtrak Timetable - Effective October 1, 1979". timetables.org. Amtrak. October 1, 1979. p. 44. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
2. "Amtrak Timetable - Effective October 28, 1979". timetables.org. Amtrak. October 28, 1979. p. 44. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
4. "Union Pacific Railroad". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved June 28, 2008.
5. "Other Board Actions Tied to Route Restructuring". Amtrak News. 6 (10): 5. September 1979.

External links

• Cheyenne Depot Museum Website
• The Rotary Steam Plow # 900082 in Cheyenne
• Union Pacific Depot National Historic Landmark Archived June 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
• Union Pacific Roundhouse Turntable and Machine Shop Archived June 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
• Union Pacific Passenger Station, 121 West Fifteenth Street, Cheyenne, Laramie, WY at the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS)