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Cheyenne

Railroad town in southeast Wyoming Territory.

The Union Pacific Railroad established a headquarters at Crow Creek Crossing, then in the Dakota Territory, on July 4, 1867 in anticipation of the railroad's construction through the region.[1] The next day, General Grenville M. Dodge and his survey crew platted out the site to be known as Cheyenne. The town was chartered on August 8, 1867 and had, at that time, a population of about 600 people. The tent city became a boom town with the coming of the railroad in November of that year.[2]

The site was named for the Cheyenne nation of Indians, one of the most prominent tribes of the Great Plains [2]

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ABOVE: Cheyenne in 1867, looking toward 6th Street at the top of the hill.[3]

Trail West to Fury: As far away as Little Bend, Texas, the Denver-Cheyenne and Laramie Line was advertised as an important travel corridor. Jessie Hayden hung a poster for the new stage line in his general store in early August of 1867.[4]

The Long Hunt: On the night of Lefty Dolan's death[5] in 1877, Bret Maverick so distracted by the promise he had made to the dying Dolan that he was unable to concentrate on his hand, and was losing badly with winning cards. rather than continue losing, he left the game to move on and try his best to keep his promise.[6]

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