'The Spirit of Wyoming'
Wyoming Department of Transportation

The West is not a myth.

The saga of the American West has been idolized through countless movies, novels and country songs. The image of the cowboy riding off into the sunset has become a part of world consciousness. The West is often regarded with nostalgia. Although cowboys today drive pickup trucks more than their horses, some things have not changed.

Every July for over 100 years people have gathered in Cheyenne, Wyoming for the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. Each year the competition centers around the everyday roping and riding tasks of the cowboy. Not much has changed in over a century, but this rodeo is not simply an athletic contest. Instead the rodeo and all the events surrounding it celebrate a heritage steeped in legend, adventure and determination.

The West is not a myth.

Not to the people who live here.