One of the reasons that Cheyenne Frontier Days left such a big impression on me is because my parents saved the souvenir program from our July 1970 trip. (More on that tomorrow.)
The program included a schedule of all the events, including the big, colorful Downtown Street Parade. As the program noted, “The Cheyenne Frontier Days parades are without a doubt one of the most outstanding features of the entire week’s events. The parades are held in downtown Cheyenne on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.“They represent authentic western Americana – history passing before your eyes. They are unlike anything else on earth."
Mom was wielding the Argus Seventy-Five camera while we watched the parade that day. Here are a few of her shots.
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| Miss Frontier, Carol Powers |
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| Lady-in-Waiting, Patty Berry |
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| The famous Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Clydesdale Horses |
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Looking at these old photos, I wondered if it was possible to determine where we were watching the parade from that day. Surely it'd be easy to ‘drive’ around Cheyenne today (via Google Maps), and find that big gold building with the buffalo on it.I was wrong. The building seemed to have disappeared.
But there were other local landmarks visible in the photos to help with my search. Off in the distance at the far left hand side of the majorettes photo was a tall, distinctive building that looked like a church.
It didn’t take too much Googling to figure out that the building with the tall tower was St. Mary’s Catholic Cathedral (on Capitol Ave.), and the red brick one was First United Methodist Church (on W. 18th St.).
So the Bradys were watching the parade at the intersection of Capitol Avenue and 18th Street. Here’s the modern view (below) of our parade vantage point.
So what happened to the gold building with the buffalo on it in the 1970 photos?
Well, I’m pretty sure it’s the same building in 2020 – but with the gaudy false front removed. Vintage aerials show the same size building there, year after year. Plus, the street level doors and windows seem to match.
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UPDATE (January 18, 2021)
I spoke via email with Esther Gonzales, the Business Development & Relations Specialist with the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce recently. She informed me that the building seen in the photo with the gold front was a bank building. Eventually, as Esther pointed out, “They took the 50’s facade off.
“The building is now individual office spaces. It has been preserved very well.”
I agree. It looks great, especially in the photo that Esther sent me (below).
Next: More Frontier Fun
