Laramie’s Living History — Places
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.'
Towns in Albany County have come and gone with Laramie being the county seat and major population center.
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Bridges to Laramie’s West Side
A bridge, locally called a “viaduct” was built in 1929 at University St., to connect the West Side to downtown with the grand opening in January 1930. The cost was $190,000, shared by the city and the UPRR. Some older buildings along University were removed for the new bridge. The two grade level crossings at Grand and Fremont were closed; a temporary one was constructed at Garfield St.
Why we’re here (geology is destiny)
If you’ve lived in Laramie long, you know why we’re here: 150 years ago, the Union Pacific (UP) passed through the Laramie Valley during construction of the nation’s first transcontinental railroad.
But that’s only part of the story. The full explanation begins much earlier, back when a fortuitous combination of mountain-building and erosion created an easy route over the Laramie Mountains—the Gangplank.