The Wapiti Big Boy
A Surreal Slice of History
A smiling Big Boy statue standing surreal in the middle of a wide Wyoming field, holding up a giant double-decker burger against a backdrop of sagebrush and mountains on the road to Yellowstone.
A Surreal Sight
In the middle of sagebrush country, this authentic fiberglass mascot stands on a concrete pedestal. Rescued from a real Big Boy restaurant in California, it was given a second life as highway art in 2013. Today, it’s one of those unexpected stops that people talk about long after their Yellowstone trip is over.
The Story & Style
The Artist
Local artist and sculptor James Geier owns both the land and the statue. He installed it as a conversation starter to celebrate the now-rare Big Boy restaurants.
Restoration
Geier periodically repaints and repairs the statue. In 2020, its brief disappearance for professional restoration caused a local stir before it triumphantly returned.
Classic Look
Styled in the classic Bob’s Big Boy look: red-and-white checkered overalls, white T-shirt, signature hair curl, and that giant burger.
Nearby Sights
Shares the highway with the distinctive multi-story log Smith Mansion and Yellowstone Valley Inn, creating a gallery of roadside curiosities.
Location & Access
Finding It
South side of U.S. Highway 14/16/20 (North Fork Highway) between mileposts 34 and 35. Roughly 20 miles west of Cody.
The statue sits on private property. Please utilize the small pull-off along the shoulder to safely view and take photos without entering the fenced land.
History & Background
Big Boy is the name given to the Union Pacific Railroad's 4000-class steam locomotives — the largest steam locomotives ever built in the United States. Constructed by the American Locomotive Company between 1941 and 1944, these massive machines were designed specifically to haul freight over the Wasatch Range in Utah and the Sherman Hill grade in Wyoming. They weighed over 600 tons fully loaded and measured 132 feet in length — so long they required an articulated design to navigate curves. Twenty-five were built in total.
The Big Boy locomotives became legends of American railroading during their working lives from the 1940s through 1959, when diesel locomotives replaced steam power throughout the Union Pacific system. Eight Big Boys survived into preservation. Union Pacific restored locomotive No. 4014 to operating condition in 2019 — making it the only operational Big Boy in the world — and it has toured the country to enthusiastic crowds who turn out by the thousands to see and hear the great machine in action. The Big Boy statue or display in Wyoming honors the railroad's profound role in Wyoming's development.
Wyoming's relationship with railroads is fundamental. The transcontinental railroad, completed in 1869 with the famous golden spike ceremony at Promontory Summit, Utah, crossed through Wyoming via Cheyenne and Laramie. The railroad brought settlers, connected Wyoming ranches to markets, and enabled the cattle and sheep ranching economy that defined the state. Cheyenne existed because of the railroad — it was established as a railroad camp in 1867 and grew quickly into the territorial capital. The Big Boy represents the apex of the steam era that shaped Wyoming's economy and character.
Nearby Attractions
Union Pacific Railroad Depot (Cheyenne)
The historic Cheyenne depot, built in 1886 and restored, houses a railroad museum, Amtrak station, and tourism information center. The building is a Romanesque Revival landmark that reflects the railroad's enormous economic and cultural power in 19th-century Wyoming. The Cheyenne depot was a major hub for cross-country travel and commerce.
Ames Monument
Located at the summit of Sherman Hill on Interstate 80, this 60-foot granite pyramid was built in 1882 to honor Oakes and Oliver Ames, financiers of the transcontinental railroad. Designed by Henry Hobson Richardson, it stands at the highest point on the transcontinental railroad route — an isolated monument to the era when railroads connected a continent.
Wyoming Transportation Museum
Covers the full history of transportation in Wyoming from the Oregon Trail through railroads, early automobiles, and aviation. Exhibits explain how transportation networks shaped settlement patterns, economic development, and the daily life of Wyoming residents over 150 years of territorial and state history.