History

In the 1920s, Cheyenne occupied a pivotal position on the transcontinental airmail route crossing the United States, sitting in the corridor between Chicago and San Francisco at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Boeing Air Transport, which won the government contract for the route, established a major operational base here to service aircraft making the demanding mountain crossing. The company built the terminal in 1929 to handle both passengers and mail in the emerging era of commercial aviation.

Boeing Air Transport merged with several other airlines in 1930 to form United Airlines, which inherited the Cheyenne facility. The 1930 hangar and 1934 fountain completed the complex. The fountain was designed as a memorial to the early aviation pioneers who flew the treacherous transcontinental routes before reliable navigation and weather services existed. With Louis Sullivan’s influence visible in the ornamental details, the design creates a coherent architectural statement that reflects aviation’s optimism in the early Depression years.

As aircraft technology advanced and airports modernized, the Cheyenne complex was eventually superseded by larger facilities. The historic buildings survived and were recognized for their significance to early American aviation history with their 1985 listing on the National Register of Historic Places.