This Famous National Monument Stands In Three Wyoming Cities
Wyoming is home to lot's of history and historical monuments. One that I found to be very interesting is only found in Cheyenne, Rawlins and Torrington. Since 1950, replica's of the Statue Of Liberty know as the 'Little Sister To Liberty' have stood in these three Wyoming cities. I was so interested that I took the over 500 mile round trip drive to see them for myself.
The Boy Scouts of America were the driving force behind the statues. 1950 marked the 40th anniversary of the group and to commemorate it from 1949-1952 over 200 copper "Little Sisters of Liberty" were located on state capital grounds, courthouse lawns, main streets, parks and other city locations across America. In 1998, Cheyenne's Boy Scout Troop 101 began a mission to locate and document the other statues.
On May 27 of 1950, 1,000 Boy Scouts marched through Cheyenne on their way to dedicate the statue at the original location on the grounds of the state capital to dedicate the 8 foot Statue of Liberty replica statue. Over the years the statue began to decline and the state wanted to get rid of the statue, but it was saved by the Supreme Court and moved to the court's grounds. The current Little Sister of Liberty statue in Lions Park in Cheyenne is a newer model that was recast and moved to it's current location as the centerpiece of the Liberty and Law Square. The statue is surrounded by 6 plaques marking
Also dedicated in 1950 was the Rawlins, WY 'Little Sister of Liberty' was dedicated and still stands at the Carbon County Courthouse on the corner of W. Spruce and 5th Street. Weather and age have taken a toll on this particular Little Sister, as some of the points of her crown are broken off.
The third 'Little Sister of Liberty' in the Cowboy State is located on the lawn of the Goshen County District Courthouse at the Corner of East A st & 21st Ave in Torrington. The statue was dedicated on November 11th, 1950 and the unique base of the monument is made up of donated rocks, gemstones and fossils that were donated by the Rex Young Society of Rock Hounds.
As time and weather beat up on the statue, it too started to look a little rough. Although in 2017 the statue and base were refurbished and features were added to bring the statue back to tip top shape.
Traveling around Southeast Wyoming was a fantastic experience. The total mileage was right around 500 miles and about 7 hours of driving, but well worth it to take in some of the incredible Wyoming history.