By Luke Anderson

October 19, 2016

The Wyoming Motel is located on West Lincolnway in Cheyenne. Lincolnway is part of US Highway 30, which was historically known as the Lincoln Highway – hence the name Lincolnway. The Lincoln Highway is famous all across America for the oftentimes campy buildings and attractions that sprouted up along the route to attract the new crop of cross-country automobile tourists. In addition to the museums and other tourist traps, the Lincoln Highway also helped spur a new form of an existing industry out of necessity – the drive-in motel. Grand hotels were common in communities across the West that were stops along the railroad. These hotels, such as the Hotel Tomahawk in Green River or the Virginian Hotel in Medicine Bow were close to the depots, had multiple stories, and were designed to accommodate travelers who did not have vehicles of their own. Long-distance highway travel in personal vehicles would require places for travelers to stop and rest and thus the more affordable option of the roadside motel was born to accommodate car travelers.