Cheyenne Depot Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cheyenne, WY
The San Francisco Zephyr at Cheyenne in April 1976.
Location	121 West 15th Street, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001
Line(s)	Union Pacific Railroad
History
Closed	October 1979
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Laramie toward Oakland-16th Street San Francisco Zephyr 1972–1979 Greeley toward Chicago City of San Francisco 1971–1979 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
Built	1887 (1887)
Architect	Van Brunt & Howe
Architectural style	Romanesque Revival
NRHP reference No.	73001934 (depot); 92000930
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	January 29, 1973 (depot); July 24, 1992
Designated NHL	February 15, 2006 (depot)

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

The museum, founded in 1993, interprets Cheyenne's early history and that of the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad. It hosts an annual Steam Train Excursion in July, and Depot Days, in which tours are offered of other railroad facilities.

History

The station is built from blocks of sandstone quarried and transported from Ft. Collins, Colorado. The Depot stands directly down the street from, and facing the, Wyoming State Capitol building, signalling its historic significance in the city and state.

It received major renovations in 1922 to lengthen the building and a redecoration 1929. From 2001 to 2006, another renovation to the depot is being made including a $6.5 million US dollar improvement provided by the City of Cheyenne and 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, south of Cheyenne. This eliminated a time-consuming backup move in and out of the station. Passengers were bused between Borie and Cheyenne.

The Old West Museum and Cheyenne Frontier Days made an agreement which established the Cheyenne Depot Museum, Inc. as a 501(c)3 Corporation non-profit organization. The depot is under lease from the city of Cheyenne to this corporation for 25 years.

Gallery

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  The station as seen in 2011

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  The nearby roundhouse, where the Union Pacific Railroad stores its fleet of historic steam locomotives.

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  The machine shop located near the round house