CHEYENNE, Wyo. — A new Cheyenne “Big Boot” is now on display outside of F.E. Warren Air Force Base’s Gate 1 on Randall Avenue.
Decorated with the U.S. Air Force logo and painted in a blue and black ombré, the hand-painted 8-foot-tall sculpture is meant to symbolize the base’s long-standing partnership with the city.
“This boot here is another representation and testament to our strong partnership with our community and how much we value that partnership,” said Col. Johnny Galbert, 90th Missile Wing commander, during the boot’s dedication ceremony this morning.
Painted by local artist Jordan Dean, the boot joins the more than 35 “Big Boots” located all over the city. “These Boots are made for Talking” started as a joint project between the Cheyenne Depot Museum Foundation and the Downtown Development Authority in 2019. Boots are added to the collection each year as local businesses and individuals commission boots for themselves.
The F.E. Warren boot was sponsored by the Greater Cheyenne’s Chamber of Commerce’s 2020–21 leadership class. The participants, who come from all over the community, learn about leadership, create a class project and coordinate the chamber’s annual “Boo-tification Ball” to raise funds for a community beautification project of their choice.
Dale Steenbergen, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Cheyenne Chamber of Commerce, said the boot is a “token” of the city’s appreciation toward the base. He hopes that locals and visitors alike will come out to visit it.
“[The boot] shows that F.E. Warren is not only a part of our community, they are part of the leadership in our community, our state and our nation as we move forward,” he said. “People will come from everywhere to see this boot, and they do everyday.”
Col. John Schantz, the 90th Maintenance Group Commander, is a participant of this year’s leadership class. While Schantz wasn’t involved with the planning and installation of the boot, he is glad to see the 2020–21 cohort’s beautification project completed.
“I think it’s fantastic,” he said. “It represents the Air Force because it has our Air Force color and our own symbiology on it, but it obviously represents western Cheyenne and just the way people are out west here.”
