Cheyenne is the capital of Wyoming, founded in 1867 along the Union Pacific Railroad.
The settlement was established near Crow Creek as the Union Pacific built westward across the Great Plains. It was named for the Cheyenne people, an Indigenous nation whose historical homelands extended across parts of the Great Plains. Railroad construction turned the new town into a major regional supply and transportation point.
Cheyenne became the capital of the Wyoming Territory in 1869, only two years after its founding. When Wyoming became a state in 1890, Cheyenne continued as the capital. Its rapid early growth was closely tied to railroad traffic, cattle, and territorial administration.
Cheyenne is sometimes mistaken for Laramie, another important Wyoming city located nearby. Laramie was an early territorial center and home to the University of Wyoming, but Cheyenne is the state’s governmental seat. The city is also famous for Cheyenne Frontier Days, an annual western celebration.