Family Travel,  West,  Wyoming

Yes! The Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center is Worth a Stop

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I don’t know about you, but when I think of a state’s welcome center, I think of a typical rest stop. Just a place to run in for a few minutes to go to the bathroom, grab a few touristy pamphlets and take a picture with the “Welcome to Such and Such State” sign.

So when I read several reviews about the Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center being worth the stop, I was more than skeptical. But let me tell you – they were right. This Welcome Center is so much more than just a quick pit stop. It’s a mini-museum of Wyoming, and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit.

We learned so many interesting things about the state of Wyoming, and it really helped set the stage for the rest of our day in Cheyenne.

“The cowboy stereotype endures in the personification of rugged individualism, love of the land, self-sufficiency, and a can-do attitude.  Wyoming is where the American spirit was forged…”

The people of Wyoming have embraced the cowboy legend and a respect for personal freedom.  In 2010 they were the first state to promote a state code called “the Code of the West.”

The Code of the West

Live each day with courage.
Take pride in your work.
Always finish what you start.
Do what has to be done.
Be tough, but fair.
When you make a promise, keep it.
Ride for the brand.
Talk less and say more.
Remember that some things aren’t for sale.
Know where to draw the line.

In the 1800s Native American foot passages became fur trade routes, which then turned into wagon trails and later railways, and highways. All major wagon trails crossed through Wyoming because the high plateaus made the most accessible routes, and the plentiful rivers provided drinking water.  Few settlers chose to stay in Wyoming due to the dry climate and short growing season, and instead continued on to the West coast.

Wyoming was a lawless territory for a period of time and outlaws were known to rob stagecoaches and banks, and hold up trains.  Famous outlaws from the area include Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Butch Cassidy would avoid capture by hiding horses along his getaway route to switch them out for tired horses along the way, leaving his pursuers behind.

From 1860 to 1910, the Wyoming terrain proved to be perfect for outlaws to hide in places such as Outlaw Cave and Hole in the Wall Pass.  There were lots of prison breaks, with one-fourth of the prisoners at the Wyoming Territorial Prison escaping during the first two years.

Our kids loved getting to pretend to escape from the jail cell through the hole in the wall. There was a slide on the other side of the wall.

The first women in our country to vote were from Wyoming.  Wyoming also had the first women to serve as jurors, court bailiff, justice of the peace and governor.

One of the first official rodeos, originally called round-ups, was held in Cheyenne in 1872.  Rodeo is now the official sport of Wyoming.  The biggest rodeo in the world is Cheyenne Frontier Days and attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators.

Other popular sports for both locals and tourists include rock climbing, hiking, biking, fishing and camping.  Don’t forget the plethora of winter activities – snowmobiling, snowboarding, skiing, snowshoeing, ice-climbing, dogsledding, and snow tubing.

Popular wildlife includes bighorn sheep, coyotes, deer, elk, jackrabbits, moose and pronghorn.  While wildlife can be seen from the highways, they are more plentiful when you venture off the beaten path.

Wyoming also has at least 60 mammoth sites, most of which are located in the North Platte Valley.

Wyoming has one of the country’s oldest wind energy research sites. Wyoming averages 300 days of sun each year, and they are putting it to good use by utilizing commercial solar power.  The Welcome Center itself utilizes solar energy to produce about 24% of the building’s electricity.  There are wall monitors where you can view real-time readings.

Today Wyoming is an important energy producer and has successful coal mines, and also produces oil, gas and uranium.

If you’re heading to Cheyenne or Denver via I-25, you should definitely take the time to take Exit 4 and stop at the Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center.

For another look at our visit to the Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center you can check out our YouTube video below. You can read about Day 1 of our trip and our visit to Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater and Casa Bonita, and Day 2 of our trip to Colorado Springs and our stops at the Garden of the Gods, the Manitou Cliff Dwellings Museum, the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade, the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum, and Magic Town. You can also go back and read about Day 3 and the Western Museum of Mining and Industry, the Money Museum, the Colorado State Capitol, and the Molly Brown House Museum. This trip is the first trip of our “50 States Before Graduation Challenge.”

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