Cheyenne Frontier Days Unveils Plans For New American Indian Village

Cheyenne Frontier Days Officials unveiled plans for the new Morningstar American Indian Village on Friday.

The new village is slated to open in 2026 near the CFD Old West Museum. Renee Middleton, Executive Director of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Foundation, told Townsquare Media the goal is to have the new facility open in time for Frontier Days 2026, which will be the Year of the Native American at CFD. Middleton said the new facility is made possible in large part by a grant from the Hughes Foundation. She added that Frontier Days officials will raise additional money for the village's educational component. Middleton said the total final cost of the village is "still up in the air right now. But I can tell you right now it's already over $10 million."

Middleton says that although the new facility will still host Native American dancers during CFD and various vendors during CFD, it will also be a year-round facility. ''During the rest of the year, we hope to have educational self-guided things.'' She says her vision for the village is that fourth-grade students studying Native American history and culture "will be coming to Wyoming, to Cheyenne, to see what the Native American experience was like.''

The new facility will be about three times as large as the current CFD Indian village and will have various other improvements, such as a better sound system and other things.

Middleton says CFD officials will be doing more fundraising next year, including an opportunity for anyone who wants to contribute to do so.