The Road Ahead and the Path Behind:
Heritage Tourism and the Spirit of Little America
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
As the dust settles on this year’s Wyoming Governor’s Hospitality and Tourism Convention, many of us are heading home with notebooks full of strategies and hearts full of Wyoming pride. This year’s gathering was particularly poignant, held within the solid stone walls and plush interiors of Little America Cheyenne. As we wrap up our sessions and head back to our respective corners of the Equality State, it is the perfect moment to look into the rearview mirror at one of our most enduring legends of roadside hospitality.
Heritage tourism is beyond an industry term for those of us at the WHS "History Highway:” it is a pillar of our economy and a guardian of our identity. When we preserve and celebrate a site like Little America, both the original and the one in Cheyenne, we are saving more than brick and mortar; or in this case, heavy stone masonry and dark wood beams - we are preserving the "Sheepherder’s Dream." It is incredibly appropriate that the Governor’s Council on Tourism (GovCon) chose this location; it serves as a living laboratory for how history, when packaged with quality and care, becomes a destination in its own right.
The story of Little America is one of Wyoming’s most cinematic tales of survival and success. It began in 1894, when a young sheepherder named S.M. Covey found himself lost in a life-threatening "whiteout" blizzard near what is now Granger. Huddled against the bitter wind and certain he would not survive the night, Covey hallucinated a warm, bright shelter: an imaginary oasis offering a hot meal and a soft bed. Decades later, that vision became a reality when he opened the first Little America in 1934, named after Admiral Byrd’s Antarctic base. From its humble beginnings as a 24-seat café during the Great Depression to its expansion into a multi-billion-dollar empire under the meticulous leadership of Robert, Earl and Carol Holding, Little America has always stood for quality and refuge.
[To read the full, incredible story of the 1979 blizzard refuge, the "Holding Era," and the evolution of the Lincoln Highway, visit our "History Hub" section here on the WHS website.]
The original marketing of Little America was a masterclass in understanding the traveler’s psyche. In a state where the weather is often our most formidable challenge, the Holdings leaned into the Antarctic theme. They used the dapper Emperor Penguin on billboards hundreds of miles away to promise a sophisticated refuge from 100-degree summer heat or sub-zero winter gales.
Beyond the clever branding and the famous 50-cent ice cream cones, there were core ideals at play: the belief that a traveler deserves excellence regardless of how remote the location, and the commitment to being a "sanctuary in the storm." These ideals are exactly what we have been discussing at GovCon this week: how we can provide world-class hospitality while remaining authentically "Wyoming."
As the convention wraps up, we are reminded that tourists don’t just come to Wyoming for the mountain peaks; they come for the stories. Heritage tourism allows us to share our "History Highway" with the world, but it also provides a way for us, as Wyomingites, to reconnect with our own roots.
When we encourage visitors to "see the sights," we are asking them to participate in a living legacy. By choosing to stay at historic locations and supporting businesses that value their heritage, we ensure these landmarks remain for future generations. Preservation isn’t just about the past; it’s about ensuring that fifty years from now, another traveler caught in a storm or a family on a summer road trip can still find that "warm light in a very large, very cold dark."
Whether you are a lifelong resident or a traveler passing through on I-80 or I-25, I encourage you to:
- Go Out and "See the Sights": Don’t drive past our historic markers and iconic lodges. Stop, explore, and breathe-in the history.
- Support Local Heritage: Choose destinations that celebrate their Wyoming roots.
- Preserve the Story: Share these histories with your children and grandchildren. Tell them about the sheepherder who didn't give up in the snow.
The spirit of hospitality that defined S.M. Covey’s dream and the Holdings’ empire is the same spirit that drives Wyoming tourism today. Let’s head out onto the highway and keep that history moving forward.
