Wyoming

The Wyoming State Capitol in downtown Cheyenne is an easy 1.5-hour drive on I-25 from Denver, CO. My nephew and I made the day trip during our Spring Break Trip in 2022 and were back in Denver by that afternoon to visit the Colorado State Capitol.

My visit to the Wyoming State Capitol changed the trajectory of my state capitol visits. This is where I learned about the State Capitols Passport. The lady at the information desk asked me if I wanted my passport stamped; the dumb look on my face prompted her to ask if I had heard about them. 

Uh, nope. 

I started playing in my head all the capitols I’d have to visit again.*

She said to go to the gift shop at the Wyoming State Museum a couple of blocks away then bring it back to her and she’d stamp it. We made our way to the museum with the intent to buy the passport then immediately head back to the capitol, but when I told them I was just going to the gift shop, their response was, “But you want to see our museum, right?!?”

So we stayed; turns out it’s a good museum and we were glad we gave it a chance. When you go to the capitol, make time for the museum. They’d really love to see you! And yes, it has a good gift shop.

After enjoying the museum, we headed back to the capitol, and my quest to fill the State Capitols Passport began. Learn more about Wyoming State Capitol history or plan your visit. There is also a tour on YouTube. 

In front of the building is the State Seal of Wyoming, which was completed in 2011 from granite and features a woman with the phrase “Equal Rights.” In 1869, 50 years before the 19th Amendment was passed granting the right to vote and hold public office, Wyoming became the first territory to grant women the right to vote; it became the first state to do so upon statehood in 1890. 

After the 2019 renovation, all major state offices are in the capitol. The capitol is home to the Wyoming Governor and the Wyoming Legislature.

*If you have visited capitols before buying a State Capitols Passport, you can contact those capitols to request a stamp with your visit date, if their date stamp can backdate that far.

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