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The Downtown Cheyenne Historic District encompasses an area of approximately seven blocks in the core of Cheyenne's earliest business district. Dating from the late 1800s, most of the buildings represent the first permanent masonry commercial structures in Cheyenne. The architecture is eclectic with a heavy emphasis on commercial Victorian construction. The Historic District primarily owes its significance to the fact it is the original core of Cheyenne's Central Business District (CBD). When James R. Whitehead opened up the Union Pacific Land Office on July 9, 1867, lots in the proposed district were among the first sold. The area quickly became the heart of commercial activity and has continued to play a significant role as part of the CBD. The district's historic buildings were constructed from 1872 until the late 1920s. Generally, this period represents Cheyenne's first half century growth, in which the tiny frontier ''tent town'' grew into a Territorial, then a State, Capitol City. The buildings in the Historic District represent a broad range of activities that took place during Cheyenne's first 50 or 60 years. The breweries, saloons, boarding houses, and the quick inexpensive eating establishments, often referred to as railroad houses, all played an important role in the growth and development.