Knife, Rabbit’s Foot, and a Stuffed Suit: Renovation Uncovers New Mysteries at Cheyenne’s Atlas Theatre

If a novelist were dreaming up props for a haunted theater, they could not beat what renovation crews recently found hidden in the ceilings and walls of Cheyenne’s historic Atlas Theatre. The discoveries include a hand-sewn pair of overalls and a wool jacket with matching pants stuffed above third-floor ceiling tiles—and a 9-inch stiletto-bladed knife tucked in a basement rafter next to a lucky rabbit’s foot.

The overalls bear a small steam-engine emblem, suggesting they belonged to a railroad worker. The wool suit is dressier, the kind one might wear to a party at the old Strand Hotel. But why would one man’s work clothes and his good suit be hidden in the ceiling? Brenda Lyttle, a longtime member of the Cheyenne Little Theatre Players, already sees story possibilities. “One of the stories, which ties in with the legend that the Atlas was at one time a bordello, is that perhaps there was a jealous husband… and someone needed to hide their clothes,” she says. Or, she adds, the room where they were found has a ghost story about a murder-suicide. “Perhaps the person who was killed had those clothes and the murderer hid them.”

An experienced costumer confirmed the clothes were hand-sewn using older techniques, so they are not forgotten costume pieces. They are now mounted on mannequins in the lobby for visitors to see. The knife, believed to be a 1950s Italian stiletto, and the rabbit’s foot remain unexplained.

Built in 1887—three years before Wyoming statehood—the Atlas first housed a confectionary shop with offices above. In 1908, it became a 550-seat theater. During Vaudeville, trains unloaded directly behind the building, and massive barn-style doors allowed performers and equipment to move straight from railcar to stage. The building, now 139 years old, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Recent structural repairs addressed a sagging ceiling. Future phases will update the lobby and upper floors. Among other finds: a 1925 Simplex theater supplies catalog, an old Columbia radio battery, and a sign showing Strand Hotel rates at $8to$10 per week. Most treasured by Lyttle is a hidden remnant of the original 1887 peacock wallpaper, found above a dropped ceiling. “We would like to play with that in the future,” she says, “somehow bringing that peacock design back to life.”

For Lyttle, the Atlas is a living building. “You always get a sense when you are in the building it is alive,” she says. “This is more evidence that the building has always been very much alive.” With a knife, a rabbit’s foot, and a dead man’s suit now on display, the Atlas has never had more stories to tell.