Union Pacific Depot, Cheyenne, 1877, Woodcut, Leslies Illustrated News

In the front is depicted the Union Pacific Depot and Hotel. In the center background is the Inter-Ocean Hotel, owned by Barney Ford and futher discussed on later Cheyenne Pages. Toward the bottom of the page is another view of the Inter-Ocean.

The hordes of miners also changed the atmosphere of the city, tending, once again, to give it a "Hell on wheels" aura. The editor of the Leader complained on February 12 that Denver gamblers and sneaks had arrived; that Denver, "[t]hat dying town seems to be 'taking a puke' as it were, of this class of citizen." Among the Denver gamblers who opened new establishments in Cheyenne was "Big Ed" Chase. In Denver Chase was a partner in the "Heatley and Chase Progressive Club" and the Palace Theatre, gaming parlor, and saloon near Fifteenth and Blake Streets. Thus, the proprietors of the Senate Bar, the Excelsior Saloon, and Frenchy's Place took full advantage of the new business.

But if Denver disgorged its undesirables on Cheyenne, Cheyenne made a similar contribution to Deadwood. In June 1876, C. H. "Charley" Utter's infamous wagon train passed through town on its way from Denver to Deadwood. In Cheyenne, it relieved the city of Madames Elanora "Madam Mustache" Dumont and "Dirty Emma" with their respective "boarding houses" of "working girls." Others who departed on the wagon train included Abilene's former "pimp" marshal Wild Bill Hickok, who had taken up residence in Cheyenne. The reference to "pimp" was as a result of his sartorial preference of a red sash around his waist. It may very well be that Wild Bill had worn out his welcome in Cheyenne. At Boulder's gambling establishment, Wild Bill assaulted the proprietor with his cane after Bill lost several hands and the proprietor would not increase the house limits up to $50.00. Hickok then held off the bouncers with a revolver as he scooped up money out of the drawer. Bill then calmly returned to his room at Dyer's Hotel on the west side of Eddy Street (now Pioneer). At Fort Laramie, the train, consisting of some 30 wagons, paused long enough for the army to escort Calamity Jane to the train from the guard house where she had been "sleeping it off."

In the Rocky Mountain West, it was common to use Shutler wagons, which were noted for their gaudy paint jobs. Indeed, in Laramie City the editor of the Boomerang, Bill Nye, was threatened with a shoot-out by teamster James M. Sherrod when Nye referred to Sherrod's wife as being "painted up like a Shutler wagon." Thus, upon its arrival in Deadwood City, the wagon train was greeted by the cheers of lonely miners. The wagons must have been a sight to behold, laden as they were with some 180 members of Cheyenne's sporting class. The cargo and passengers included assorted gamblers, musicians, nymphs du pave, and 37,000 lbs. of flour. It is doubtful the cheers of the boys were for the flour. Others who left Cheyenne for Deadwood included traveling musicians Richard "Banjo Dick" Brown and Fanny Garrettson. Fanny left behind in Cheyenne her paramour Edward Shaughnesy. Shaughnesy pursued the duo to Deadwood. On November 18, 1876, the sounds of Brown's banjo emitted from the Melodean. Shaughesy who was in the audience applauded Brown's performance by throwing an axe at him. The coda for Brown's song was shooting Shaughnesy dead. Brown was exonerated on the basis of justifiable homicide. Shortly thereafter, Fanny and Banjo Dick married with the nuptuals performed by Mayor E. B. Fanum. Thereafter Dick and Fanny sang on the stage together at the Temple of Music.

Western Dance House.

In Deadwood, Utter (1838-1912), often referred to as "Colorado Charley," organized a pony express carrying mail from Deadwood to Cheyenne in as little as 48 hours for only twenty-five cents a letter. In Lead, a town apparently more prudish that Deadwood, Utter operated a "dance house," which was closed down as a nuisance. Utter was an interesting character. Before organizing his wagon train, he was a guide in the Colorado Rockies. He was noted for a bizarre habit; he insisted on taking daily baths. When Jack McCall did in Wild Bill Hicock, Utter paid for the funeral and paid for the notice in the Deadwood paper:

"Died in Deadwood, Black Hills, August 2, 1876, from the effects of a pistol shot, J. B. Hickock [sic] (Wild Bill) formerly of Cheyenne, Wyoming. Funeral services will be held at Charlie Utter's Camp, on Thursday afternoon, August 3, 1876, at 3 o'clock, P. M. All are respectfully invited to attend."

Two years later, the cemetery was full and Utter paid to have Hicock removed to the new cemetery. It was then discovered that Wild Bill had been imperfectly embalmed. As a result, calcium carbonate from the surrounding soil had replaced Wild Bill's flesh and caused him to become petrified. In 1879, Deadwood City burned down and Utter disappeared from the scene. Utter's ultimate fate is subject to debate. Apparently based on coincidence of names, it has been speculated that he returned to mining in Ruby City, Colorado, or became a saloonist in Socorro, New Mexico Territory. Writer Agnes Wright Spring, Good Little Bad Man: The Life of Colorado Charley Utter, Pruett Publishing Company, 1987, contends that Utter ended up in Panama as a physician. Indeed, in Panama City there was a Dr. Charles H. Utter who ran a drugstore and perfumery, the Botica de Montezuma on Carrera del Istmo. The Panamanian Charles H. Utter was, however, apparently born in 1843. It is generally believed that Charley Utter from Deadwood was born in 1838. The Ruby City Utter was born in 1831. There are some indications that Utter ended his days in San Francisco and died there in 1912. Madam Mustache returned to San Fancisco where she committed suicide.

Inter-Ocean Hotel, Cheyenne, 1877, woodcut, Leslies Illustrated News

In Cheyenne, shootings were not uncommon. In March 1877, as an example, the Leader reported that two gamblers got into an exchange at Shingle & Locke's Saloon. There, St. Louis gambler, C. H. "Charley" Harrison and Jim Levy got into an argument. Harrison insulted Levy by telling Levy, that he, Harrison, hated Irishmen. Levy, being Irish, took offense. [Writer's note: Levy was in fact Irish, albeit of Jewish descent. Some writers have referred to him as the "Jewish gunfighter."] The argument continued in front of the Senate Saloon and ended in front of Frenchy's on Eddy Street when the two exchanged shots. Levy, referred to by the Leader, as a "pistoliferous gambler," got the better of the exchange. After a favorable prognosis, Harrison expired more than a week later in his room at Dyer's Hotel. The Leader estimated that his funeral was attended by "a majority of the sporting fraternity, with their wives, and other females."

Five years later in June 1882, Levy was gunned down in Tucson, Ariz. Terr., outside Hirem Stevens' Cosmopolitan Hotel by another gambler, John Murphy along with Murphy's two cohorts, Gibson and Moyer. In October 1882, with the connivance of the jailer, George Cooler, Murphy, Gibson, and Moyer, along with six others, escaped from the Pima County Jail. For a short time, the three hid out southeast of Tucson in a cave which had been discovered three years before by Cooler. Ultimately, the three were recaptured. Murphy and Moyer were found guilty of the murder of Levy. Gibson was found not guilty on the basis that Levy was already dead from Murphy and Moyer's bullets when Gibson's shot hit Levy.

Dyer's Hotel, Eddy Street.

Timothy Dyer, born in Ireland, established one of the earliest hotels in Cheyenne. It was located on the west side of Eddy Street (now Pioneer) between 16th and 17th Streets. Dyer served on the Board of County Commissioners and was instrumental in establishing the Roman Catholic cemetery.

Not all, however, was rough. By the end 1870's Cheyenne had put behind it a reputation of being a "Hell on Wheels." Rapid transportation via railroad rapidly made Cheyenne, as indicated in the next views, a sophisticated city rivaling Denver. Indeed, in some ways Cheyenne was more modern and sophisticated. As an example, in 1882, the city was the first in the nation to illuminate its streets with the newly invented electric incandescent lamps.

Indeed, during the decade between 1860 and 1870, Denver grew hardly at all. With the coming of the Railroad to Cheyenne, some Denver business persons moved to Cheyenne. The concern in Denver was that it would be left high and dry and that Cheyenne would become the Queen City of the Plains and Mountains. As a result, a number of Denver businessmen formed the Denver-Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Company to connect Denver to the UPRR at Cheyenne. The first train pulled into Denver in 1870.

The traces of those who came from Denver may still be found. Campstool Road is named after the Campstool Ranch established by Daniel Ullman. Ullman arrived about 1870 from Denver where he had operated a meat market on Blake Street. The move from Denver, however, may have led to a breakup of Ullman's marriage. Ullman's wife, Harriet, refused to follow and stayed in Denver where she apparently operated a sporting parlor. Not withstanding that Mrs. Ullman reported for the 1880 census that she was divorced, upon Ullman's death in 1896, Mrs. Ullman appeared upon the scene and attempted to claim a widow's homestead right.

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