The Day in 1963 When John F. Kennedy Visited Wyoming
September 25, 1963, is a day that many people in Wyoming will never forget. President John F. Kennedy visited Cheyenne, Laramie, and Jackson.
Kennedy's tour began at the Cheyenne Regional Airport, where he stepped off the plane just long enough to greet supporters. The convoy then headed to Laramie, where the President addressed a crowd of nearly 13,000 in the UW Fieldhouse. Thousands more lined the streets to watch the motorcade as it drove to and from Brees Field. 45 minutes after landing in Laramie, Air Force One back in the air and headed for Jackson, where the President spent the night at the Jackson Lake Lodge.
Kennedy's speech was part of a tour promoting energy conservation in several western states. His remarks focused on Wyoming's coal and oil industries, stressing the importance of new technology to protect the environment.
During his visit to Laramie, the President rode in a convertible, which was eerily similar to his motorcade less than two months later, when Kennedy was killed by an assassin's bullet in Dallas, Texas.