Best Area For Western/Cowboy Type Stuff (Cheyenne, Sheridan: hotel, school)
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I don't think much of Wyoming and Montana are "hats and boots" anymore. Granted, like I've said before, I don't live in Cheyenne, but have visited/stayed there several times (live in Idaho, lived in Montana). My son worked there for a couple years, but lived in Fort Collins and Wellington, CO. Granted he was in his late 20s, but he said he could never live in Cheyenne. There was nothing to do there. Anyway, I never really felt Cheyenne was a "cowboy" town. More the industrial, financial, and capital city of Wyoming. I'd guess Cheyenne will be super Cowboy for about two weeks a year (kind of like Rapid City is a Motorcycle town about two weeks a year). The rest of the time it's pretty rare. Maybe more so at the Cadillac Ranch or Outlaw Saloon on a Friday/Saturday night. Then again, it's likely no one will look at you funny when you do go out dressed up in your favorite Ropers, Tony Lama's boots and Resistol or Stetson hat, and Wrangler shirts and pants. Maybe you'll get some looks at Red Lobster or Olive Garden type chain places, but you'll likely find your local steak house or diner that you'll fit right in. Then again, why care what some 20/30 something kids think about how you dress? You probably look at them and think something like: damn, look at how those kids dress... we never did back then..." In the end, why care. Live and let live.
My observation around the west is that ranchers/dairyman are more likely to wear baseball caps, and some type of mud/hiking/work boot as they ride their ATV/UTV out to the pasture or along the fence line. Pretty rare to see herding by horse anymore. Sometimes i see a couple horses and a couple ATVs/UTVs herding the cows (or sheep) down the back road between pasture or leased grazing land in my backcountry Idaho, or getting them onto/off a truck. I see a lot of ATV/UTVs riding the fence lines across Idaho, Oregon, Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming. Mighty rare to see someone on horseback working a fence line anymore.
Then in the small towns they wear those ball caps and work boots into town. Pretty rare to see cowboy hats/boots in stores, restaurants, bars, etc. on a regular basis. Cowboy boots/hats are for special occasions and events... if ever by the younger ranch, dairy, farm workers.
Anyway, I hope you make it to Cheyenne. I'm sure you can find your group. You've said you like the Cheyenne Western museums. Maybe volunteer at one or more a day or two per week. That's a way to meet some people that likely are interested in the same things you are. Sure most will be passing through, but some might be new to town like you, or other volunteers like you with similar ideas, activities, and social goals like you.
I don't think much of Wyoming and Montana are "hats and boots" anymore. Granted, like I've said before, I don't live in Cheyenne, but have visited/stayed there several times (live in Idaho, lived in Montana). My son worked there for a couple years, but lived in Fort Collins and Wellington, CO. Granted he was in his late 20s, but he said he could never live in Cheyenne. There was nothing to do there. Anyway, I never really felt Cheyenne was a "cowboy" town. More the industrial, financial, and capital city of Wyoming. I'd guess Cheyenne will be super Cowboy for about two weeks a year (kind of like Rapid City is a Motorcycle town about two weeks a year). The rest of the time it's pretty rare. Maybe more so at the Cadillac Ranch or Outlaw Saloon on a Friday/Saturday night. Then again, it's likely no one will look at you funny when you do go out dressed up in your favorite Ropers, Tony Lama's boots and Resistol or Stetson hat, and Wrangler shirts and pants. Maybe you'll get some looks at Red Lobster or Olive Garden type chain places, but you'll likely find your local steak house or diner that you'll fit right in. Then again, why care what some 20/30 something kids think about how you dress? You probably look at them and think something like: damn, look at how those kids dress... we never did back then..." In the end, why care. Live and let live.
My observation around the west is that ranchers/dairyman are more likely to wear baseball caps, and some type of mud/hiking/work boot as they ride their ATV/UTV out to the pasture or along the fence line. Pretty rare to see herding by horse anymore. Sometimes i see a couple horses and a couple ATVs/UTVs herding the cows (or sheep) down the back road between pasture or leased grazing land in my backcountry Idaho, or getting them onto/off a truck. I see a lot of ATV/UTVs riding the fence lines across Idaho, Oregon, Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming. Mighty rare to see someone on horseback working a fence line anymore.
Then in the small towns they wear those ball caps and work boots into town. Pretty rare to see cowboy hats/boots in stores, restaurants, bars, etc. on a regular basis. Cowboy boots/hats are for special occasions and events... if ever by the younger ranch, dairy, farm workers.
Anyway, I hope you make it to Cheyenne. I'm sure you can find your group. You've said you like the Cheyenne Western museums. Maybe volunteer at one or more a day or two per week. That's a way to meet some people that likely are interested in the same things you are. Sure most will be passing through, but some might be new to town like you, or other volunteers like you with similar ideas, activities, and social goals like you.
Good Luck.
Well, Guest Ranches, which some are fully operating cattle ranches, the men/women will wear cowboy hats/boots and work cattle by horseback. Personally, I doubt that the entire "hat and boot" thing is gone from Wyoming or Montana. But, after CFD is over, it does seem like Cheyenne goes back to being a Capital City again, not so much "cowboy". However, in one area of Cheyenne there is a arena where the rodeo/chuckwagon dinner Hell On Wheels is held during the summer months.
Billings has a rather large livestock auction area where the auctioneer will wear a cowboy hat/boots and so will some of the workers in the back who bring livestock up to the Sale Ring. I am a member of a website that shows "live" livestock auctions all over the U.S during the week and I see a number of workers wearing cowboy hats.
Wife and I use to have a subscription to Farm & Ranch Magazine (a couple of years ago) and many, many pictures of ranches showed ranch owners/hands wearing cowboy hats/boots at brandings and on horseback pushing cattle to a new pasture. Farm folks are almost always wearing a baseball cap, because it's a farm, not a ranch.
I might try getting a job at a western museum, but many times, working there takes weekends. I don't work weekends! And, on top of that, I also don't volunteer. I like getting paid for anything I do. People who volunteer are those, generally, that have a great paying job or Pension/SS coming in and don't need the money.
One thing for sure, if we wind up moving to Cheyenne, we will, without a doubt, be looking for folks who are "cowboy/western/rodeo" types-fans.
Laramie county (where Cheyenne is) is 3rd largest cattle numbers in Wyoming numbers around 84,000. Also 3rd in Sheep numbers with around 28,000. Warren livestock runs a large Sheep operation. Know, one cattle outfit that summers over 9,000 head of grass cattle.
Laramie county (where Cheyenne is) is 3rd largest cattle numbers in Wyoming numbers around 84,000. Also 3rd in Sheep numbers with around 28,000. Warren livestock runs a large Sheep operation. Know, one cattle outfit that summers over 9,000 head of grass cattle.
I didn't know this and thanks for the info. I do know about the Terry Bison Ranch just south of Cheyenne. Have never been to it, but would like to see it sometime.
Heck, there was a very interesting documentary on PBS about buffalo, from the very early days up to today and buffalo in Yellowstone and Custer State Park. We've been to both and what a sight to see all of those buffalo. Absolutely, what a sight!
When we drove to Dodge City, Kansas, for their PRCA rodeo, we couldn't believe all of the Feed Lots that we passed on the way there, along with acres and acres of corn and farm equipment. But, "Dodge City sure isn't what it use to be", we had an old man/tour guide tell us. He stopped in the Holiday Inn we were staying at and talked to us in the breakfast area. All dressed up, including spurs on his boots. Charlie Meade was his name.
There are certain places where certain people shouldn't move to and other places where others should move to. There are those that will really complain about a certain city/state and those that love a certain city/state.
There are those that live in Florida that would never move to a winter/snow area in the north and those that live in a winter/snow area, like Wisconsin, that wouldn't ever think about moving to Florida.
There are those that happily live in Los Angeles that would never give it a thought of moving to Wyoming or Montana.
I just read what a member wrote about the expansion of Cheyenne on a different thread. If this happens as much as talked about, will Frontier Days and other events, along with the Old West Museum leave?
We know that we will be in Cheyenne for a few days in July, just before Frontier Days starts, so we will get some kind of idea about moving there, but we'd really like the "pros" and "cons" about living in Cheyenne.
I just read what a member wrote about the expansion of Cheyenne on a different thread. If this happens as much as talked about, will Frontier Days and other events, along with the Old West Museum leave?
We know that we will be in Cheyenne for a few days in July, just before Frontier Days starts, so we will get some kind of idea about moving there, but we'd really like the "pros" and "cons" about living in Cheyenne.
What makes you think an increase in population would make a museum or a popular event leave town? I can’t think of a logical reason as to why that would occur. The population of Las Vegas has grown, but the NFR and casinos haven’t left town, right? I can’t imagine a scenario in which the merchants or the City of Cheyenne would want Frontier Days to leave. You can’t find a motel room within 100 miles of Cheyenne when the event occurs.
There is only one person on this forum who lives in that area and regularly posts here. He has tried to help.
What makes you think an increase in population would make a museum or a popular event leave town? I can’t think of a logical reason as to why that would occur. The population of Las Vegas has grown, but the NFR and casinos haven’t left town, right? I can’t imagine a scenario in which the merchants or the City of Cheyenne would want Frontier Days to leave. You can’t find a motel room within 100 miles of Cheyenne when the event occurs.
There is only one person on this forum who lives in that area and regularly posts here. He has tried to help.
We just weren't sure. There are times when an event is forced out of a city, especially when too many of the citizens don't like it. Merchants love Frontier Days, as well as motels/hotels do, but, from what I've read, many residents are constantly complaining about traffic and this, that or the other concerning it.
There have been a number of small-to-medium-size rodeos that have left So. California, that I attended in the 90's and early 2000's.
PRCA has signed contracts w/Vegas & Thomas-Mack to keep the NFR there, but the NFR does bring in a whole lot of money to Vegas.
There are those that will move to a "cowboy" state, be that rodeo and/or ranching and want to change where ever they move to. We would be totally, absolutely different! We don't want to change a thing that relates to rodeo/cowboy/ranching or western lifestyle.
Yes, we are different, but that different is a "good-to-great" different for those long-time residents (aka "Old Timers") that love many things that made Wyoming and/or Montana "western".
If we decided to move to Cheyenne, we still wear our felt or straw cowboy hats whenever, as well as our boots and Wrangler jeans. I people would look at us odd, as in "don't you know Frontier Days is over?", we simply think "oh well". If they don't like the way we dress, well...........tough!!
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