In August of 1982 several Cheyenne businessmen got together for the sole purpose of creating a way to keep people downtown during Frontier Days, especially after the morning parades and pancake breakfasts. They're solution was to organize a group of volunteers to perform melodrama style old west gunfights on the streets of the city. A gunfight at noon would delay the migration of tourists to the fairgrounds after the morning festivities, and a gunfight at 6:00 would bring them back to eat dinner. They called this performance group the Cheyenne Gunslingers. It didn't take long for the Gunslingers to realize that Del Range Blvd. was also draining customers from the downtown area, so they began performing throughout the months of June and July. At first they performed on the pavement, which made them prone to injury. In the late 80s a grassy area was created south of Lincolnway where Carey Avenue used to connect it to 15th Street. It was just north of the alley and was a perfect place to perform. So perfect that Mayor Pando decreed that the spot be known as the permanent home of the Cheyenne Gunslingers – at least for the next 99 years. Along came 2006 and Mayor Spiker, who was insistent that Carey Avenue south of Lincolnway be restored to a street connecting Lincolnway to 15th Street. The Gunslingers fought the only way a volunteer group can in a situation like that: by attending City Council meetings and gaining public support. They eventually lost, but were able to secure a new performance area on 15th street. It was a half block further south and a block further west of the previous location, which was a concern - they would no longer have the benefit of random foot traffic and they were further from the downtown area. The foot traffic problem was helped somewhat by the parking lot to the west, but they weren't getting the crowds they were used to. Eventually the crowds began to grow, but the demographic had changed. It no longer consisted of adults out having a good time, but elementary and secondary school children with their parents in tow. This not only changed the color of the scripts they wrote and performed, but the focus of their mission. Children became the reason behind their philanthropic efforts with annual donations being made to local charities such as the Empty Stocking Fund, Friday Food Bag, Boys and Girls Club and the Unaccompanied Student Initiative, just to name a few. As the crowds improve so does the Gunslinger's affect on downtown businesses.
As far as being a tourist attraction for the City of Cheyenne, they have hosted visitors from all over the world. It's not unusual for there to be citizens from Europe in the audience, as well as from Australia and South Africa. When a gentleman from Georgia was asked what brought him all the way to Cheyenne, Wyoming his response was that he came to see the Gunslingers!
Their performance area, known as Gunslinger's Square and located on 15th Street between Pioneer and Thomes Avenues, has been in use since their inception. The Gunslinger volunteers maintain the area and go to great lengths to ensure it not only provides a clean, well-kept area for their audience; but also represents Cheyenne and the Downtown area well.
