Wyoming celebrates nation’s 250th birthday
Leaders: Democracy depends on active participation, preserving principles
CHEYENNE — Wyoming leaders used the nation’s 250th birthday Saturday to celebrate America’s and the state’s past while urging residents to help shape its future during a daylong series of events at the state Capitol.
Thousands gathered on the Capitol grounds for speeches honoring the signing of the Declaration of Independence before officials moved to the east side of the building to seal a commemorative time capsule that will remain unopened until July 10, 2090 — Wyoming’s bicentennial.
Throughout the day, various speakers returned to the same theme: that democracy depends on citizens who actively participate in their communities and preserve the principles that have guided the nation for 250 years.
Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins began the day’s opening ceremony by recognizing the volunteers who spent the past two years planning the celebration, which included a patriotic parade, theatrical performances, educational programming and a nighttime fireworks display.
While the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, Collins said the nation’s story could not have been completed without the American West.
“Our community helped shape the ideals that define our country,” he said. “Wyoming became the first (state) in America to grant women the right to vote. And Cheyenne stood at the center of that remarkable chapter in our country’s history. Long before the rest of the nation caught up, this community demonstrated that liberty and opportunity belongs to everyone.”
Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, described America’s founding as “an idea unlike what the world had ever seen,” stating that free people could govern themselves.
“America’s story has never been easy,” Nethercott said. “It was forged by courage, strengthened through sacrifice and carried forward by generations willing to fight. Not because freedom is easy, but because it is worth defending. Wyoming knows this spirit well.”
Wyoming Supreme Court Chief Justice Lynne Boomgaarden focused her speech on civic participation, warning that too many Americans have become spectators, rather than active participants in democracy.
“Citizen engagement matters, voting matters, serving on juries matters,” Boomgaarden said. “Attending public meetings matters, volunteering in community organizations matters. … The health of our republic depends not on spectators and armchair critics, but on participants.”
Gov. Mark Gordon was the last to speak at the opening ceremony. He also emphasized the importance of civic engagement, while reflecting on Wyoming’s unique place in American history.
“This is a place that has a magic to it,” Gordon said. “It pervades our people and makes us stronger, makes us more resilient. It makes us grittier.”
Quoting Thomas Jefferson, Gordon reminded attendees that “we do not have a government of the majority. We have a government of the majority who participate.”
Shortly after the opening ceremony, visitors moved to the east side of the Capitol, joined by state leaders and members of the Grand Lodge AF & AM of Wyoming to seal a commemorative time capsule that will remain closed until Wyoming’s 200th anniversary of statehood in 2090.
Rep. Lee Filer, R-Cheyenne, said the ceremony is continued from a tradition dating back to 1887, when Wyoming Masons laid the Capitol’s original cornerstone. The cornerstone was reopened during Wyoming’s centennial in 1987 before being rededicated in 2019.
“Today, as our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, we have the privilege of adding another chapter to that history,” Filer said. “Together, we will dedicate a special time capsule that will preserve a snapshot of Wyoming and America for generations yet to come.”
Grand Lodge AF & AM Grand Master Greg Shiek said the time capsule is intended to preserve more than artifacts.
“Today, we place into the time capsule a record of who we are at this moment: what we value, what we believe and what we hope will endure,” said Shiek. “Within this capsule are items that reflect both our time and our heritage.”
Items sealed inside include challenge coins from Gordon and U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, Native American beadwork from the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes, bookmarks designed by Wyoming schoolchildren through Agriculture in the Classroom, and other memorabilia representing life in Wyoming during America’s semiquincentennial.
Barrasso said the time capsule reflects the same optimism that inspired the nation’s founders 250 years ago.
“Because of the wisdom and the bravery of those 56 original (Declaration of Independence) signers 250 years ago, who pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor, we today have had 250 years of freedom, of liberty and of American greatness,” Barrasso said.
Gordon and Barrasso then fastened the lid on the time capsule, which will remain untouched for the next 64 years.
This story was published on July 5, 2026
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