PRCA nearing move to Cheyenne after board of directors vote

CHEYENNE — The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association took another step this week toward moving its entire operation to the Cowboy State’s capital city.

On Monday, the PRCA’s board of directors approved a non-binding memorandum of understanding to seriously consider relocating the organization’s headquarters, along with the PRCA Hall of Fame and the Museum of the American Cowboy, from Colorado Springs to Cheyenne, according to a news release.

“This is a strategic decision that positions the PRCA for the future,” PRCA CEO Tom Glause said in the release. “Wyoming lives and breathes rodeo, and Cheyenne offers authenticity, visibility and alignment with our sport’s values. The opportunity to build a purpose- driven campus that celebrates rodeo’s history while supporting its growth is incredibly exciting.”

According to the release, the proposed site for the PRCA’s new 35-acre campus is near the intersection at Interstate 25 and Interstate 80.

If it happens, the campus would include stables, a sculpture garden, an outdoor exhibition arena and visitor-oriented amenities, along with maintenance and storage structures, according to a project description.

“Rodeo has been a part of Wyoming since before we were a state. It is in our DNA. I grew up roping a dummy at every PRCA rodeo, first my dad and then myself, competed in,” Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon said in the release. “There is no better place on Earth than right here in the Cowboy State for the PRCA to be headquartered. We have the legacy, respect the tradition, and will always honor the cowboy way and Code of the West. Powder River, Let’er Buck!”

While the deal is not finalized yet, it’s another step down the road of bringing the sport that is officially recognized as Wyoming’s professional sport to Cheyenne. The move is still contingent upon approval of project funding by the Wyoming Legislature.

The Cheyenne LEADS board of directors voted to commit $15 million from its reserves as matching funds toward the project. Additional public and private funding sources still need to be pursued to support development of the campus and surrounding districts.

“This announcement reflects both Wyoming’s legacy and its future,” Cheyenne LEADS CEO Betsey Hale said. “Rodeo is woven into the fabric of our state, and welcoming the PRCA, its headquarters and the Hall of Fame to Cheyenne is a natural fit. The Cheyenne LEADS board strongly believes in this opportunity and voted to invest $15 million as a show of commitment.

“We look forward to partnering with the city of Cheyenne, Laramie County, along with the PRCA and other stakeholders to bring this visionary campus to life.”

LEADS, which has been spearheading the operation to get the PRCA to move to Cheyenne, first began talks with the organization’s leaders last May. In November, talks began on financial strategies, and those talks still are ongoing.

While cities like Cody and Fort Worth, Texas were in the running, LEADS Director of Business Recruitment and Retention Rachelle Zimmerman said she believes the location of Cheyenne played a big role in the PRCA’s decision.

“There was a lot of positivity about Cheyenne because of the intersections of I-25 and I-80,” Zimmerman told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle on Tuesday. “The site will have a lot of visibility from the interstates, and we created a whole package of how to make the project work from their standpoint.”

Public funding can always be a contentious part of any major project, and while there might be some pushback, Zimmerman said she believes the benefits of bringing the PRCA to Cheyenne will far outweigh the costs to the public.

“I think there’s always going to be pushback in Wyoming against these types of projects that receive any kind of public funding,” Zimmerman said. “We’re looking for $15 million out of the (state) tourism budget, (but) the total economic impact over the first 10 years of this project is going to be over $250 million.

“Once people understand the numbers and see those numbers, I think there will be additional support,” she said.

LEADS had a 10-year economic impact study done by Economic Planning Systems in Denver on the project, originally called Project Blue Moon, which showed a total economic impact of $252.6 million over that time span. That includes the creation of 368 construction-related jobs, including 251 direct jobs, 50 indirect jobs and 67 jobs created by household spending, according to the impact study.

The study also indicates an annual property tax revenue to Laramie County of $309,355, with additional sales tax revenue to the state and county of $319,690 in the first year and jumping up to $879,120 annually by year 10.

From visitations to the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame alone, the study showed a potential $12 million net new annual economic impact by year 10.

“Wyoming will be a great home for the PRCA,” Zimmerman said. “We’ve very much been focusing on what it means for tourism and for the state, because that’s what it really falls to. There’s so many positive aspects of this project, and there’s going to be extra dollars brought into the state, increased visitor spending, and it will create jobs and tax revenue.

“All these expenditures will be for the public benefit and bring more tourism to the state of Wyoming, which will benefit everyone in Wyoming.”

If it happens, the move is expected to occur in early 2029.

This story was published on Jan. 28, 2026.