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.
 |
| Miss Frontier, Carol Powers |
 |
| Lady-in-Waiting, Patty Berry |
 |
| The famous Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Clydesdale Horses |
****
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.
****
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
10 comments:
I agree with you on the building with the gold facade on the upper part of it.The pillars look the same on the lower part of the building.But I thought the font looked cool.Futuristic,without totally redoing the building.It even made the building appear to be bigger than it actually was.At least it is still in use.If it would be in the city of Lorain it would have been empty for a few years.Then vandalized.Then the citizens would have had to look at it for a few years.Then the city would have finally torn it down after receiving a grant from the state.
Very cool pics. I know exactly the spot the pics were taken from. Been there many times. Curious, Dan. When the fam went through Cheyenne in 1970, was the family aware of Frontier Days or did you just happen to be in town at the time of the event?
Hi Tim! We had a pretty well-planned itinerary on those trips. We knew exactly how far we had to drive each day (thanks to an old-school AAA TripTik) to get to a specific event on time, like Frontier Days. There was a little more breathing room in the schedule when it came to something like a National Park, in case we wanted to stay an extra day.
Besides Cheyenne, the focus of that 1970 trip was Yellowstone National Park. We also stopped and saw Mt. Rushmore and the Badlands again; Devil’s Tower; Custer Battlefield; Laramie; the Air Force Academy; Buffalo Bill’s grave; Mark Twain Memorial Shrine; Hannibal, Missouri; Daniel Boone’s Home; Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene; and Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
A real mixture of fun and educational stuff, all while pulling a pop-up camper and having to find a campground each night.
That sounds like a gas; thanks for sharing, Dan!
That was one classic vacation trip! I think we need Chevy Chase to make another "Vacation" movie!
Mill Hollow used to have Pioneer Days... not the same thing, but it was pretty cool to go down there.
That was quite a trip. I remember traversing the country (half of it, anyway) in the early 1960s. It was hot in those cars without air conditioning.
Hello Dan.What type of classic American auto did your family take on that 1970 trip?...What other American iron did you guys drive in this great American landscape when you took a trip out west...I wasn't born yet but in '69 my parents went with my moms parents on a classic Americana roadtrip out west in a '67 Imperial LeBaron 4 door hardtop.We crack out the old Super 8 movies from time to time and remember the good old days.My dad made a bunch of those short movies in those years....My grandfather always bought Chryslers and specifically Imperials up until his passing.
We were an Olds family, so I’m pretty sure it was a late 60s Oldsmobile Delmont 88 (white) – with no air conditioning.
But for our next – and last – trip Out West a year or two later (the “California Trip”), Mom insisted that we get a car with air conditioning since we were going to be going through Arizona and the Painted Desert. So the Delmont was sold and my parents bought an Olds Delta 88. That was one smooth riding car and perfect for the trip.
Buster – I can relate. We liked the West so much that we never saw the South during those camping trips. To this day, I still haven’t been to Florida.
Hey, my parents had one of those Delta 88s. Great car! Got 8 miles to the gallon, but then gas cost 32 cents at the time.
Post a Comment