Cheyenne Could Welcome The PRCA Hall Of Fame By 2028

An official with Cheyenne LEADS says she is very hopeful  about getting the Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association  [PRCA] Hall of Fame opening in Cheyenne by late 2028 or so.

The hall is currently located in Colorado Springs, but is looking to move, according to Betsey Hale, CEO of Cheyenne LEADS, The PRCA board of directors voted in January to move to Cheyenne, but that memorandum is non binding, and some of the specifics have yet to be worked out.

Hale says they are hoping to have a finalized development agreement in place by the end of April.

She says that while the move is not yet a ''done deal," she is ''absolutely'' optimistic that it will happen. The Museum of the American Cowboy, which is affiliated with the Hall of Fame would also locate in Cheyenne if all goes as planned.

"We're really excited that not only will this be the Hall Of Fame for all of those champions over 100 years" Hale said in an Interview for the ''Weekend in Wyoming' program. ''This will also be a place to celebrate the history of rodeo. This will also be a place to celebrate the history of the cowboy and cowgirl."

You can hear the entire interview in the audio file attached to the article below.

Where Will The Money For The Move Come From?

Hale says the move will cost around $60 million.

She breaks down the projected funding for the move this way:

 Supporting Cost Breakdown: PRCA will spend several million dollars of their own money to relocate

Cheyenne LEADS has committed $15M

Corporate sponsorships $10M (additional sponsorship is expected)

6th penny ballot initiative in Laramie County in August (if successful will bring in $5M)

Progress and Prosperity campaign run by Cheyenne LEADS with $4M going to the PRCA project.

Possibility of federal grants working with Congressional Offices of Hageman, Lummis and Barrasso

Office of Tourism/State of Wyoming $15M out of tourism special projects and reserves account 446

The state money was part of the budget recently passed by the Wyoming Legislature.

Expected Economic Impact:

Hale says the expected economic benefit to Laramie County and the State of Wyoming over 10 years would be $252.6 Million.

She says the project would create 368 construction related jobs, with about 140 jobs once it is here. Those jobs would be related to the PRCA Headquarters, the Hall of Fame and the operations of the Museum of the American Cowboy.

Hale says the new facilities will be housed on about 35 acres of land located on Western Heritage Way in the Hitching Post District, not far from the Intersection of Interstates 80 and 25 and the WYDOT driver's license office.

She says the PRCA Headquarters would be somewhere between 15,000 and 25,000 square feet, She says a similar building will house the Hall of Fame and the museum, but she says the exact building plans have not been finalized yet.