What The Heck Is … That 30-Foot Virgin Mary Statue On I-80 At The Nebraska Border?

Pine Bluffs is about as Wyoming as any small, rural town in the Cowboy State. It’s 1,136 residents are mostly farmers who work hard and play hard.

And because it literally sits on the Wyoming-Nebraska state border nestled between Interstate 80 to the south and U.S. Highway 30 to the north, it’s also Wyoming’s first impression for visitors driving west and the last for people leaving the state driving east.

No matter which they're driving, there’s no missing the one thing that sets Pine Bluffs off from the dozens of similar towns that dot Wyoming’s landscape.

The 30-foot-tall, 180-ton pure white statue of the Virgin Mary, arms outstretched facing west.

It’s the Our Lady of Peace shrine, and she’s been watching over I-80 travelers since 1999.

The Our Lady of Peace shrine in Pine Bluffs is just a stone's throw off Interstate 80 at the Wyoming-Nebraska border. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)
Other inspirational stations and works of art, along with prayer kneeling benches, make up the shrine. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)
After getting off Interstate 80 at Exit 401, its easy to find the Our Lady of Peace shrine: just follow the signs. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)

Cheyenne Couple Started It

While the symbolism behind the Virgin Mary shrine, known as a Marian statue, is Catholic in nature and is surrounded by other symbols of the faith, it’s open to all and doesn’t push a particular religion for those who visit.

It’s the realization of a dream for former Cheyenne residents Ted and Marjorie Trefren, who had searched for a place to erect a Marian shrine in Wyoming, according to the Our Lady of Peace shrine’s official website.

The couple had toured similar shrines around the world to gain inspiration, the finally decided on the Pine Bluffs location because of how visible it would be. That it’s one of the largest Virgin Mary statues in the United States also makes it memorable.

It’s Evolved

While Ted Trefren died shortly after the statue was complete, Marjorie and their seven children owned and watched over it until Marjorie’s death in 2016. The family continues to keep up the site.

While the 30-foot Virgin Mary is the centerpiece of the shrine, it’s evolved over the years to become more than a novelty. Other meaningful statues and monuments have been donated over the years and placed around it, including kneeling benches for prayers and a covered pavilion to hold worship service or other events.

A museum also is on the wish list for the family, the website says.

People don’t have to be religious to appreciate the message and spirit behind Our Lady of Peace, as Marjorie Trefren was fond of saying: “This is not only for Catholics, it’s for everybody."

To visit the shrine, take Exit 401 in I-80 at Pine Bluffs and follow the signs.

Want to know what the heck something is in Wyoming? Ask Managing Editor Greg Johnson and he’ll try to find out. Send your “What the heck is …” questions to him, along with high-quality horizontal photos of whatever it is to Greg@CowboyStateDaily.com.

The Our Lady of Peace shrine in Pine Bluffs, Wyoming. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)
Close up of the Our Lady of Peace shrine, which was created by artist Robert Fida of Frisco, Texas. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)
Fresh flowers are almost always left at the base of the Our Lady of Peace shrine in Pine Bluffs, Wyoming. (Greg Johnson, Cowboy State Daily)