The Normandie Hotel (later the Edwards Hotel) operated in the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Phoenix Block retail building, which was built in 1882. The Normandie was a convenient railroad hotel that also catered to shoppers from far away who rode the train to downtown Cheyenne to shop.
In the automobile era of the 1910s-1950s when the Lincoln Highway was in full swing, the Normandie was a popular downtown hotel until the Wrangler finally took it over completely in the 1970s to expand its retail operations.
In the 21st century, all that remains for the Normandie Hotel is a ghost sign on the side of the Wrangler Building.
From the Wyoming Tales and Trails website: (
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"In the one city block bounded by Capitol Ave., 16th Street, and 15th Street shortly after the beginning of the Twentieth Century were the leading hotels of Cheyenne. In addition to the Interocean hotel, Other leading hotels included the Metopolitan on the southwest corner of 15th and Carey, the Hotel Becker originally situated at 1506-1510 Capitol Avenue operated by Henry Becker which after being jacked-up and physically moved southward became the Albany. Charles Becker in 1910 constructed a replacement on 15th Street one-half block west of the railroad depot.
The Burlington arrived in Cheyenne from Colorado by way of Carpenter in 1887. To provide a station the Burlington purchased the Emporium. Thus, the above photo would date to prior to 1888.
The Phoenix Block originally housed commercial stores on the ground floor, offices and rental units on the upper floors. It, as discussed further below, became the Normandie Hotel.
Gradually the rental units were converted into hotel rooms so that by 1889 the hotel advertised that it could host 150 guest at $2.00 and $2.50 per day, competitive to the Inter-Ocean which advertised rates of $2.00, $2.50, and $3.00 per day. The Hotel was conveniently located, only one-half block from the Union Pacific Depot and immediately across the street from the Burlington station. With plumbing in each room, the hotel was regarded as "upscale" By 1911, the Normandie, the Becker on 15th Street, the Metropolitan on Ferguson south of the Tivoli, and the Albany south of the Normandie were popular with visitors to the city. Ranchman Mark M. Coad (1831-1911) was a regular guest of the hotel. . . .
The hotel was somewhat inconsistent with the spelling of "Normandie" and Normandy." The writer has found advertisements spelling the name both ways. On the hotel itself as will be observed in the next photograph, there are both spellings. The vertical sign on the left in the photo it is spelled "Normandie" and on the sign over the entrance "Normandy."
Country superstar Reba McEntire in her memoir "Reba: My Story," Bantam Books,2014, noted that her professional career started at the Edwards Hotel. When she was about five years old, her family went to Cheyenne Frontier Days and stayed at the Edwards. Her father, Clark McEntire was a champion roper and was her grandfather John McEntire who was champion roper of the World in 1934. She recalled that there were cowboys everywhere. At the Edwards there were no televisions in the rooms but there was one set in the lobby so that when there was nothing else to do, everyone gathered in the lobby. One of the cowboys asked her older brother Pake McEntire if he could sing. He sang "You Ain't Nothing but a Hound Dog" Young Reba asked her bother if she could sing. She sang "Yes, Jesus Loves Me," and received a nickle for her efforts. Thus began her professional career.
At some point the Normandie Hotel received a coat of yellow paint. In 1943, the building was partially occupied by the Wrangler. During the late 1940's and 50's the Normandie was replaced by the Edwards Hotel and the Busy Bee by the Edwards Cafe discussed on the next page.
Regardless of the coat of paint, a remembrance of the old Normandie Hotel has been preserved in the form of an old "ghost sign" on the Lincoln Way side of the building."