Prior to Wyoming becoming the forty-fourth state in the Union on July 10, 1890, the territorial legislature passed a bill authorizing the construction of a capitol at a maximum cost of $150,000. Governor Warren signed the bill on March 4, 1886, and appointed the Capitol Building Commission, which purchased a site on Hill Street, now Capitol Avenue, at a cost of $13,100. Many changes have occurred since the 1887 laying of the cornerstone. Recent renovations upgraded the capitol’s Classical style and striking gold-leaf dome. The most important room, where women’s right to vote began, has been restored to its original grandeur. Authors Starley Talbott and Linda Graves Fabian celebrate these and other historic firsts in this history of the state capitol building.
Starley Talbott has been published in numerous newspapers and magazines and is the author of seven books, including three Arcadia Publishing titles and one History Press title: Platte County, Fort Laramie, Cheyenne Frontier Days and Wyoming Airmail Pioneers. Linda Graves Fabian is the executive secretary of the Wyoming State Historical Society and coauthor of two Arcadia Publishing titles: Douglas and Cheyenne Frontier Days.