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At 124 Capitol Avenue is the Wyoming Governor’s Mansion. It’s a state historic site not too far from the Wyoming State Capitol and a few blocks north of downtown Cheyenne. The mansion was built in 1904 and served from 1905 to 1976.
Tours
The mansion is now a state historic site and open for tours. The rooms have been decorated to represent various time periods during its use, including 1905, 1937, 1955, and the 1960s. Admission is free. It’s open daily from June 1 to September 30 and Wednesday to Saturday the rest of the year.
First Floor
Guided tours of the Wyoming Governor’s Mansion, which took about 20 minutes during my visit, begin in the music room on the first floor. Portraits of each governor who lived in the house was on the wall. The guide gave my group a short history of the house and stories about a few of the governors.
The most interesting story was about Nellie Tayloe Ross, the first female governor in US history. She served from 1925 to 1927. Her husband, William Ross, was serving as governor when he died about a year and a half into his term. Nellie was nominated by the Democratic Party to run in a special election the next month. She refused to campaign but won the election easily. She later served as the Director of the US Mint for 20 years before retiring in 1953. Nellie Tayloe Ross died in 1977 at the age of 101.
As we waited for a few more people to join the tour, I peeked into the sitting room and the dining room.
The governor’s office, kitchen, and a nice breakfast room were next. They’re all located on the first floor as well.
Basement
We walked into the basement where we got to see a fallout shelter. The shelter was added in the 1950s due to the threat of the Cold War. There were instructions on what to do in case of nuclear attack, a sanitation kit, and emergency drinking water.
Second Floor
We then walked up to the second floor where at the top of the stairs was a living room with an old TV.
There were about six bedrooms on the upper floors. They were decorated to reflect different time periods. Other than the master bedroom, there was a kid’s room and several guest rooms.
There were also bathrooms decorated for very different time periods.
Sun Room
My favorite room in the house was the sun room. It was an addition in the 1960s.
