Wyoming Highway Patrol Sergeant Jeremy Beck watches through the doors of the Wyoming State Capitol on Jan. 20. Despite rumors to the contrary, a protest of President Joe Biden’s inauguration never materialized in Cheyenne. (Mike Vanata)

All was peaceful at the State Capitol on Inauguration Day, except the gusting Wyoming wind.

After two weeks of speculation about fresh violence at the U.S. Capitol and state capitols around the country, President Joe Biden’s swearing in ceremony proved a peaceful affair in Cheyenne and elsewhere.

While national guard troops flooded Washington D.C., the statehouse in Wyoming was guarded by the same division of the Wyoming Highway Patrol that maintains security throughout the year. 

There was a more visible law enforcement presence than usual, with troopers inside the thick doors at the top of the Capitol steps and at least one stationed on an upper-floor balcony. 

But the lawn in front of the building was mostly empty through the inauguration ceremony, with no signs of protesters, peaceful or otherwise. 

Support local reporting — donate to WyoFile today.

Andrew Graham is reporting for WyoFile from Laramie. He covers state government, energy and the economy. Reach him at 443-848-8756 or at andrew@wyofile.com, follow him @AndrewGraham88

Leave a comment

Want to join the discussion? Fantastic, here are the ground rules: * Provide your full name — no pseudonyms. WyoFile stands behind everything we publish and expects commenters to do the same. * No personal attacks, profanity, discriminatory language or threats. Keep it clean, civil and on topic. *WyoFile does not fact check every comment but, when noticed, submissions containing clear misinformation, demonstrably false statements of fact or links to sites trafficking in such will not be posted. *Individual commenters are limited to three comments per story, including replies.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *