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 and early 1950s, and the greatest building boom occurred in the mid-1960s. The 1960s building included new housing units for students, with apartments for married students and men’s and women’s dormitories. The new buildings added to the campus since the end of World War II reflect a growing divergence from the architectural design tradition established by Wilbur Hitchcock and Raymond Hood in the mid-1920s, although up until the 1970s west campus buildings continued to respect the traditional architecture in their scale and use of compatible materials.

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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 as the living room of campus. An addition in 1957, a comprehensive renovation in 1973 and another addition in 2002 have transformed the Wyoming Union into a place where students, staff, faculty, and community come together.

Today, the facility offers over 19,000 square feet of outstanding meeting and conference space. In addition, the building houses the University Store, Copy Center, First Interstate Bank, and a variety of dining options. Student services include the ASUW student government, Greek Life, Campus Activities Center, Service, Leadership and Community Engagement, Student Media, Non-Traditional Student Center, Rainbow Resource Center and the Multicultural Resource Center.

The Wyoming Union is a place where students can participate in a wide variety of programs, activities, leadership, and involvement opportunities that enrich the college experience.

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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 format under the editorship of Agnes Wright and was renamed the Branding Iron.

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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 is still a freshman at the University, regardless of the number of credit hours the student has obtained.”

A new tree was planted in 2010 south of the Williams Conservatory, and a ceremony marked the revival of the Octopus Tree tradition.

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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 in 1943.

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“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 the beginning of the 20th century and the site of numerous memorable University incidents.

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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 women during that time period at most other American colleges and universities.

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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 the Army Special Training Program, which operated as a flight school during the Second World War, and the Air Force Reserve Officers Training Corps, which is still active on campus today.

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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 also an engineer, suffragist, librarian, and historian. Over time, she became the first woman to serve on the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees as secretary.

June Etta Downey, daughter of Stephen Downey, began teaching at the University of Wyoming in 1898 as an English professor but was soon teaching philosophy as well. By 1915, she became the head of the Psychology department and is known for making many strides in the study of psychology.

Mathilde Weigland grew up in Norway and viewed herself as a feminist. She earned a Ph.D. in history from the University of Zurich. Mathilde came to the United States in 1890 and taught briefly at Bryn Mawr College near Philadelphia, then at the University of Illinois and the University of Chicago. In 1902, she came to teach at the University of Wyoming and was appointed a Professor of History, French and Spanish.

In the early days of the university, professors taught several subjects outside their realm of specialty so that the University could offer a broader curriculum.

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Old Main, built in 1886, is the first and oldest remaining building on the University of Wyoming campus in Laramie, Wyoming.

The style of Old Main set a precedent for all future University buildings. The main stone used is rough-cut sandstone from a quarry east of Laramie, and the trim stone is smooth Potsdam Sandstone from a quarry near Rawlins, WY. Old Main was designed to be a monumental structure and to be a symmetrical building with a prominent central spire as its focal point. The building was also designed to reflect the character of Wyoming. The rough stone and smooth trim represented the progressing frontier.

Currently, Old Main houses university administration, including the President’s Office and the boardroom where the Trustees often meet.

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