Casper’s Old Yellowstone District used to be the life of the party in the 1950s.
First, it was a thriving business district that catered to travelers on their way to Yellowstone National Park. Then it was also home to a huge Amoco refinery that brought workers into Casper’s downtown.
Lastly, it had a railway that made the entire area an important logistics hub for many warehouse and distribution centers.
Shifting traffic patterns started the decline of the area, moving tourists and their dollars to areas along Interstate 25. New hotels along the interstate soon eclipsed Casper’s grand downtown hotels, leaving them to fall into disrepair and neglect, slowly but surely.
In 1991, the Amoco refinery shut down, dealing another blow to a distressed area, and by 1995, the railway that had been a vital transportation link was abandoned.
Casper has since been working to transform the distressed neighborhood in the heart of its downtown.
In 2007, a master plan was completed that envisioned a mixed-use, walkable, downtown neighborhood where people would live, work, and play.
That vision has taken a long time to realize, with many steps along the way. But with the announcement that construction will begin on a new hotel in the area this fall, the vision has not only turned a significant corner, it’s also brought back something vital the area lost long ago:
The return of a grand hotel to its downtown — a feature it has not had for many, many years.
The C.H. Bixby Hotel, when completed at the corner of W Midwest Avenue and S Ash Street, will offer a rooftop cocktail lounge with a killer view of Casper Mountain, as well as a street-level restaurant and a bistro/coffee shop.
The hotel itself will have about 120 rooms, employing 80 people, as well as meeting and event spaces that will bring new life back to the downtown and all the parties to come.
Latest In A String Of Significant Developments
The hotel is the result of a partnership between Casper-based development company, Brick & Bond and South Dakota-based hospitality management firm, KAJ Hospitality.
The latter has managed hotel properties across the Great Plains since 1993 and has operated in Wyoming since 2015, with properties in Gillette.
Martin Axlund, chief operating officer of Brick & Bond’s Downtown Development Division, said the C.H. Bixby is about continuing to build community in the area.
“People can come and stay in the Bixby, they can walk downtown, they can visit restaurants and businesses and, again, add to the life and vibrancy of downtown Casper,” he said. “The hotel, sitting in the heart of the old Yellowstone District, on the same block as David Street Station, we feel adds a tremendous amount of walkability.”
Axlund said the hotel is a “cornerstone” investment for Brick & Bond and represents a “significant” investment in Casper’s downtown.
It’s not the first time that Brick & Bond has made large investments in Casper and the Yellowstone District, either. They were involved in building the Nolan Townhomes, a set of luxury townhomes on the same block the new hotel will occupy.
The townhomes offer rooftop patios, with a birds-eye view of downtown David Street Station and its summer concert series, as well as a view of Casper Mountain. Each unit also has a two-car garage and three floors of comfortable, modern living space totaling 2,450 square feet, all within walking distance of restaurants, breweries, farmers markets and community events.
Brick & Bond also partnered with development and property management company, the Stencil Group, to build the Yellowstone Apartment complex. The six-story building features 104 market-rate apartments ranging from one-bath studio to two-bed, two-bath units of up to 1,100 square feet.
Both projects were seen by Brick & Bond as creating a critical mass of downtown foot traffic needed to support further development and revitalization.
“The key message for us is downtown Casper is open for business,” Axlund said. “We want people to come downtown and experience what we feel is Casper, and a great reflection of what makes Casper special.”
Tapping Into Casper’s Underrated Travel Opportunities
The hotel’s name, meanwhile, was selected after several focus group discussions.
“(We) talked about what was important, the things that people wanted to see, not only in a name, but in a brand, and this name came to the top,” Axlund said. “We just feel like it has a great history and is an overall tribute to the area. And I think anyone who does research on the Bixby name or the Bixby Ranch, again, just great, great traditions. We thought it was something that would lend itself well to downtown.”
The Bixby Ranch was once homesteaded by the famous Carey family in Wyoming and is a legacy ranch that is still a working cattle ranch today. Joseph Carey’s son, Robert, served as Wyoming governor from 1919 to 1923 and U.S. senator from 1930 to 1937.
Aaron Johnson, with KAJ hospitality, said the name is really about capturing a mood.
“The Casper Hotel Bixby reflects a sense of place — rooted in Wyoming’s storied past yet looking toward the future,” he said. “It captures the blend of grit, charm, and warm hospitality that makes Casper unique, offering travelers a stay that’s as memorable as the landscape itself.”
Johnson said KAJ Hospitality was excited about the project after learning more about Casper and its market dynamics.
“All of our market research says that this is one of the strongest markets in Wyoming,” he said. “Outside of a place like Jackson Hole, Casper’s hotels are performing very well. So, the future is bright. There’s a lot of industry and growth coming to Casper. It’s diversifying as it grows and develops, and the story in the downtown is just incredible.”
Marketing materials are already being developed for the hotel, Johnson added, to showcase Casper as an underrated adventure mecca.
“There are so many things to do (in Casper),” Johnson said. “The C.H. Bixby is your base camp for adventure, and it will just fit really well for leisure and for families exploring Wyoming in the Casper area. But it’s also going to be a very popular business hotel as well.”
Ground will break on the hotel this fall, putting the hotel on a timeline to open sometime in early 2027.
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
