10+ Places in Cheyenne You Didn’t Know Were Named After Veterans

Cheyenne's military history is older than the city itself. Several months before the Union Pacific Railroad tracks reached Cheyenne, U.S. Army troops were hard at work building Fort D.A. Russell. The fort broke ground on July 4, 1867. By the time the Union Pacific Railroad reached Cheyenne in November of 1867, development of the new city's protective fort was well underway.

D.A. Russell grew alongside the city, becoming a cavalry base integral to the supply chain for the military in the central United States. By 1868, the military installation housed over 900 men in addition to their families (O'Neal). The base became intricately connected to Cheyenne - citizens were frequently invited to balls and parties at the fort and would be invited to view the troops on parade or to partake in Independence Day celebrations.

As Cheyenne grew, so too did Fort D.A. Russell. War heroes would come to serve at the fort, and names like Blackjack Pershing and Francis E. Warren would add their moniker to the cavalry base's notable alums. By its rebranding to F.E. Warren Air Force Base, the stories of soldiers and cavalrymen of the fort had become permanently interwoven with the city itself.

It should come as no surprise that numerous locations around the capital city bear names of veterans and war heroes. Some locations are well-known homages to military servicemembers - like F.E. Warren Air Force Base - but many are lesser-known tributes to soldiers of Cheyenne's early days. Others still are named for Wyoming politicians who served their country before taking up the art of state diplomacy. How many names and places do you recognize?

Citations: O'Neal, B. (2006). Cheyenne: a biography of the "magic city" of the Old West, 1867-1903 (First edition). Eakin Press.