It takes a lot to lug a 2,000-pound statue any kind of distance, even when it’s just from one end of a hall to another. When it’s also owned by the government, it requires some finesse and verbal lobbying, too.
Statues honoring Esther Hobart Morris and Chief Washakie were scooted into their final resting places at the Wyoming Capitol on Wednesday. In some ways, the move was a little anticlimactic as the statues were only transported a couple hundred feet away from their previous locations, but for State Auditor Kristi Racines, it was still significant.
“I think it’s really important to shine a light on each of these statues so they receive the attention that they deserve,” Racines said.
Why The Move?
Racines is co-chair of the Capitol Interpretive Exhibits and Wayfinding Subcommittee that spearheaded moving the statues. In 2023, there was a push to move the statues so that they could be seen in a more visible location and so that the Morris statue, about 1.5 times to human scale, wouldn’t dwarf the much smaller, life-sized Washakie statue located just a few feet nearby.
The subcommittee decided that moving the statues to a more prominent location in the middle of the Capitol Extension hallway, rather than keeping them in their current location at the very end of the hallway, or moving them back outside, would be the best solution.
Morris was a leader in Wyoming’s suffrage movement, which eventually led to the Cowboy State becoming the first in the union to grant women the right to vote. Washakie was a famous Native American chief who lived for about 100 years during the 19th century. He was a warrior, peace negotiator, friend of Brigham Young and leader of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe.
The bronze representations of Morris and Washakie have been located in the Capitol Extension hallway since a 2018 renovation of the Capitol building.
These statues were previously located in a prominent location outside the Capitol building for many years before being brought inside due to the renovation project and the general wear and tear they experienced over the years.
In late 2022, the State Building Commission, acting on a recommendation from the Capitol Interpretive Exhibits and Wayfinding Subcommittee, voted to keep Hobart Morris and Chief Washakie in the Capitol Extension hallway, which is to become a gallery and interpretive center in the future.
An effort to overturn this decision and move the statues back outside in the spring of 2023 was turned down.
Although Cheyenne resident Richard Garrett had supported the effort to move the statues back outside, he was pleased with their new location on Wednesday.
“It’s not exactly a cherry on top of the sundae but it’s pretty darn cool,” Garrett said.
Fellow Cheyenne resident Peg Ostlund, who was the leader of the push to move the statues back outside, also expressed appreciation about the change but was still less than enthusiastic.
“It’s way too stark not having that human spirit out there in front of the Capitol,” she said.
Workers prepare to move the Chief Washakie statue at the Wyoming Capitol. (Leo Wolfson, Cowboy State Daily) 
Workers prepare to move the Chief Washakie statue at the Wyoming Capitol. (Leo Wolfson, Cowboy State Daily) 
Statues honoring Esther Hobart Morris and Chief Washakie will be located in new locations, seen here, at the Wyoming Capitol to increase their public visibility. (Leo Wolfson, Cowboy State Daily) 
Statues honoring Esther Hobart Morris and Chief Washakie will be located in new locations, seen here, at the Wyoming Capitol to increase their public visibility. (Leo Wolfson, Cowboy State Daily) 
Visitors view the large bronze sculptures of Esther Howard Morris, left, and Chief Washakie in the Capitol Extension hallway in the basement of the state Capitol building in Cheyenne during the 2023 legislative session. (Cowboy State Daily Staff)
What Does It Take To Move?
Zach Reini, a technical service supervisor for UOVO, a Denver-based firm that specializes in the moving of fine art, told Cowboy State Daily that moving the statues was one of the more difficult jobs he’s faced. Moving the Morris statue alone, weighing in about 2,000 pounds, took the entire morning on Wednesday.
By the afternoon, he and his staff were working on the 1,500-pound Washakie.
Each statue was lifted onto a gantry crane with chain hoists. From there, they were placed on a pilot jack, where they were then transported to their new location a few hundred feet away. Once at the location, the process was reversed, with the statues eventually placed on new platforms that will also better showcase the statues, which will be located more than 20 feet apart.
Racines said new kiosks will also be installed by each statue to better explain the lives of the people they’re honoring.
These statues are shown on each guided tour given at the Capitol. In 2023, Riana Davidson, visitor services manager of the Legislative Service Office, said roughly 80,000 people had visited the Capitol since its grand re-opening in 2019. In May 2022 alone, 700 students visited the Capitol.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
