State House

Since we were in Cheyenne, we decided to visit the State Capitol. A four year renovation of the building was completed in mid-July, so the "new" old state house is shiny and pretty.

The Renaissance Revival building was started in 1888, 2 years before Wyoming became a state.

The State Seal of Wyoming where Equal Rights is front and center. Jackson, WY was the first city in the US to have a woman serve as an elected official in every city office.

Beneath the dome is a stained glass window. You might notice 4 niches in the picture. When the capital was finished in 1890, there was not enough money left to place statues in them. When it was renovated, 4 statues were included in the budget. The new statues are called "The Four Sisters: Truth, Courage, Hope and Justice."

There are 2 identical grand staircases leading to the second floor where the House and Senate meet. The staircases had to be completely redone...so they found Amish carvers to re-create the original mahogany woodwork. If you look carefully you will see that one finial is different, because only God can be perfect. We looked for the finial, and could not find it.

The ceiling of the Senate chamber. Many years ago, the ceiling had been lowered and replaced with asbestos tiles. The architects were surprised to see the old stained glass windows had survived. The House chamber has a similar stained glass ceiling, as does the old Judiciary chamber.

The Senate and House chambers are similar, but the House is larger. 

We enjoyed our brief tour of the WY State House.