Laramie’s Living History —
A Variety of Other Topics
A series of stories prepared for the Albany County Museum Coalition, an alliance of institutions that promote Laramie’s historic and cultural resources. This series originally appeared in the Laramie Boomerang.
Not all Albany County history falls into a specific category; a wide assortment of additional topics are covered on these pages.
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Piano music once filled the air of Laramie What to do with an old piano now?
Why pianos? There were a lot of reasons why a piano was and is a difficult status symbol.It is heavy, expensive, has a tendency to go out of tune in a way that only a skilled piano tuner can remedy, and requires experts to move, even to a different floor in the same house.
Your mail was delivered by carrier today! Fresh off the eastbound train.
U. S. mail delivered by carriers for the first time in Laramie. How did it come about?
Gordon Wright’s “mud wagon” a lifeline to mining camps His Centennial ranch becomes a community gathering spot
Wyoming’s Centennial Valley boasts many beautiful old ranch sites, but one of the most picturesque and historically significant is the Vee Bar Ranch.
Friday night lights—Laramie High School Football
Learn about one of the best football programs in Wyoming high school history.
Tom Horn’s Iron Mountain Area Revisited: Was the controversial stock detective a murderer?
Tom Horn and the Iron Mountain Ranch
1915 Wyoming Workman’s Compensation: ranchers oppose Printers covered, railroads exempt, companies were taxed
Wyoming’s workman’s compensation laws grew of of too many on-the-job injuries.
Laramie’s Maennerchor Society organized for singing: Good times were in abundance at its entertainments
Laramie’s Maennerchor Society organized for singing: Good times were in abundance at its entertainments
The Bells of St. Matthew's Cathedral, Laramie, Wyoming
The New York cast bells that were placed in St. Matthew’s Cathedral have an interesting story to tell.
Among the “unrespectable;” walking tour leads To some recollections about Laramie brothels
Among the “unrespectable;” walking tour leads
To some recollections about Laramie brothels
Stereographs: Victorian Popular Entertainment Important visuals in the days before television
In 1851 the Victorians discovered a way to take the viewer to a different place. It may not seem all that spectacular to us today with virtual reality and other interactive medias but for the Victorians it was truly a life changing experience. The stereograph: a device used to view a photograph in three dimensions was produced for anyone who could afford them.
The Great Tribulation of 1870
In May of 1870, news of the upcoming census appeared in the Laramie Daily Sentinel. “Census-takers get two cents for every name taken, ten cents for every farm, fifteen cents for every productive establishment of industry, two cents for every deceased person, and two per cent of the whole amount for names enumerated for social statistics, and ten cents per mile for travel.” They would be paid only after they completely enumerated their area, and their forms were accepted.
Wyoming Territory slowly protects big game animals. Decline in population leads to regulations
Most who know about the history of the American Frontier are familiar with the demise of the buffalo. Herds numbering millions were wiped out within a relatively short time. A similar fate befell deer, elk and especially antelope in Wyoming. Early efforts to stem the slaughter by the legislature were largely ineffective.
The U.S. polio epidemic of the 1950s: A dreaded virus is finally controlled
In the 1950’s the United States suffered from a large outbreak of polio.
“Spanish Flu” epidemic hits Laramie—1918
In 1918 the “Spanish Flu” struck Albany County Very Hard.
Stink Lake in a Sink Hole & other marvels of gypsum
Laramie’s “Stink Lake” and bumpy roads are do to underlying geology.
Laramie’s long literary tradition—150 years and counting
On September 15, 1870, a seemingly improbable announcement appeared on page 3 of the Laramie Daily Sentinel: “TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN—All those who are interested in the formation of a Literary Society are invited to be present at the Schoolhouse on Tuesday evening, Sept. 19th, 1870, at 7½ o’clock.”
1869 Wyoming Suffrage Act Almost repealed in 1871
1869 Wyoming Suffrage Act Almost repealed in 1871
If your parents didn’t go to college, UW now has a special place for you
This fall when the UW semester began, a new residence hall for “first generation” students opened on the UW campus—Tobin House.