Honoring the people of Wyoming

WYDOT retiree and wife donate bronze sculpture to downtown Cheyenne

By Jordan Achs

Retired WYDOT employee Jim O’Connor and his wife, Phyllis, recently contributed to a new city of Cheyenne initiative called The Capitol Avenue Bronze Project as a way “to honor all Wyoming has done for us.”

The Capitol Avenue Bronze Project started in October 2021 with the goal of installing bronze statues along each intersection of Capitol Avenue from the remodeled Union Pacific Train Depot on Lincolnway up to the Capitol building, totaling 28 statues. Different families or organizations have donated funds to install the statues, which showcase various themes of Wyoming living and heritage.

“Cheyenne is the Capital City of the Old West,” said Mayor Patrick Collins on the project’s website. “Its citizens and those of the state are proud of its heritage and its role in the growth and development of the West. … The bronzes will be a permanent tribute to ‘The Magic City of the Plains,’ the state of Wyoming, and the pioneering spirit of its people.”

Jim and Phyllis donated the statue “Dakota Wind” by artist Martha Pettigrew, which depicts a Native American woman bundling up in the Wyoming wind.

A distinguished artist, Pettigrew has been featured in exhibitions and collections throughout the Great Plains and Mountain West, including Arizona, Nebraska and Colorado. “Dakota Wind” was also an installation at the Sioux Falls Convention Center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in 2010. Now, the piece is located on the northwest corner of Lincolnway and Capitol Ave.

The O’Connors both said as soon as they heard about the project, they wanted to be a part of it. They had seen similar art initiatives in other towns during their travels, and thought it was a great way to bring even more character to downtown Cheyenne.

Once they saw “Dakota Wind,” they knew it was “the one.”

“It just felt right,” Phyllis said, noting the impacts Native Americans and women’s rights have made on the state. “We knew we wanted our contribution to respect and honor all the different people of Wyoming in a way that families can enjoy for years to come”

Residents of Cheyenne since 1977, Jim was employed with WYDOT for over 30 years before retiring as Support Services Administrator. Phyllis retired from the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center after a 32-year career.

“Cheyenne has been extremely good to us,” Jim said. “This was an ideal way to give back and to honor all the city and the state of Wyoming has done for us and for everyone else who has visited or made a home here.”

For more information about the Capitol Avenue Bronze Project, visit: https://capitolavenuebronze.org/ n

Jim and Phyllis O’Connor standing beside the bronze they contributed to the Capitol Avenue Bronze Project titled “Dakota Wind.”