In the 1930s, University of Wyoming President Arthur Crane proposed the idea of creating a designated area within school property specifically for residences to house the University’s fraternities and sororities. Known as “Fraternity Park,” Crane believed that having the fraternities and sororities so close at hand would not only improve the living conditions of the students, but … Continue reading Fraternity Park →

The student laundry at the University of Wyoming in the 1940s was for co-ed usage. A prelude to today’s online dating services!  Imagine how many matches were made as men and women casually met over the washing machine at the University of Wyoming. The first permanent post-war improvements to the campus came in the late 1940s … Continue reading Student Laundry at the University of Wyoming →

When the University of Wyoming Student Union was built, it became the social center of life on campus. Pictured above is the “new” Wyoming Union Fountain Room where students could meet and socialize. Originally constructed on March 3, 1939, the Wyoming Union has not only been the geographical center of campus, but is also known … Continue reading University of Wyoming Student Union →

The Wyoming Student was a monthly literary magazine produced by University of Wyoming students and faculty. Founded in October 1898 by R.I. Rigdon, it carried poems and articles with a section containing news items and editorial comments. The publication continued as a magazine in varying sizes and formats until 1913. Then, it changed to a newspaper … Continue reading Early Literary Magazine Club →

The Octopus Tree, first planted among 20 other trees, was accidentally created when a groundskeeper continually mowed over it, causing it to grow into the odd shape that inspired its name. In the 1980s, the tree was removed after it was labeled a “hazard.” Its legend remains that “anyone who has not been kissed under it … Continue reading Octopus Tree →

The Potter Law Club — 1943. The formal opening of the first law school at the University of Wyoming was the result of a 1922 petition by students. The Potter Law Club was organized by Professor Thurman Arnold and named in honor of Wyoming Chief Justice Charles N. Potter. This photograph of the club was taken … Continue reading Potter Law Club →

“Prexy’s Pasture” or the “Pasture” refers to the open center field of the University of Wyoming campus. The field’s name supposedly refers to a hard-to-end university regulation that alongside his salary, the university president, or “prexy,” be given exclusive use of the pasture to tether his horse. “Prexy’s” has been the center mall of the campus since … Continue reading Prexy’s Pasture →

As a land-grant institution, the University of Wyoming maintained military programs that helped establish and refine defense tactics for the nation. The progressive mentality of the state of Wyoming coupled with a small student population meant young women at the university were afforded many opportunities, such as cadet training, that were not generally available to … Continue reading Female Cadets →

Beginning in 1918, University of Wyoming President Aven Nelson continued the tradition of a land grant institution’s participation in military preparedness by allowing the school to house 250 men enrolled in the students’ Army Training Corps. This program, along with the earlier artillery cadet corps, helped establish a tradition of student military service. Opportunities included … Continue reading University of Wyoming Artillery Cadet Class →

Wyoming’s reputation as the “Equality State” was reinforced with the addition of numerous female professors who made their mark at the University of Wyoming. Grace Raymond Hebard was not only the first woman admitted to the Wyoming State Bar in 1898, and the first woman to practice law before the Wyoming Supreme Court, she was … Continue reading University of Wyoming Pioneering Professors →