Capitol Ave. Project Announces Gov. Ross and ‘Earning His Oats’ Statues

The Capitol Avenue Bronze Commission is pleased to announce it has commissioned and received a statue of Governor Nellie Tayloe Ross. Ross holds a special place in Wyoming history as the first female elected governor in the United States. She remains a prominent figure of the Equality State and an inspiration to all in the state and the nation.

The Commission anticipates the installation of her statue in late April. Those who would like to view the statute before its installation are welcome to visit Deselm’s Fine Art on 303 E. 17^th St. in Cheyenne, where the statue will be on display until it is installed.

The statue of Governor Nellie Tayloe Ross was donated by Dixie Roberts, a member of the Commission, and her husband Tom Roberts. They are generous donors of public art. Among other pieces, they donated “Dare to Dream,” the monumental sculpture in front of the Boys & Girls Club of Cheyenne.

The statue of Governor Ross is the first of many historical statues that the Commission will receive in coming months with the expectation most will be installed by Cheyenne Frontier Days 2022.

The Commission is also pleased to announce it will install the statue “Earning His Oats,” by the late Del Pettigrew, on Capitol Avenue and 17^th St. on Thursday, March 31^st.

The statue was donated by State Senator Tara Nethercott of Cheyenne. Senator Nethercott said, “I am so honored to support the Capitol Avenue Bronze Project with the addition of ‘Earning His Oats’. This project is transformative to Cheyenne’s downtown by providing an intersection of the past, present, and future; disciplines and ideas; and ultimately a stronger sense of place and community. ‘Earning His Oats’ exemplifies the strength, grace, and fortitude of Wyoming’s people and I am proud to share this bronze with our capital city.”

For more information on the project, or how to donate a bronze, please contact Harvey Deselms at deselmsart@aol.com or Nathaniel Trelease at nathanieltrelease@gmail.com. The public may also visit  www.CapitolAvenueBronze.org for more information. The Capitol Avenue Bronze Project was publically announced at an October 4, 2021 press conference by Mayor Patrick Collins, Nathaniel Trelease, chairman of the Commission, and Harvey Deselms, curator of the project.