Ora Haley was the owner of the”Two Bar Ranch and Cattle Co.” along the Little Snake River in southeastern Wyoming in the 1890s. Known as a “bovine king,” his property eventually expanded to include 50,000 acres in Wyoming and an additional 2,500 acres in northern Colorado. A large operation such as Haley’s did not mix … Continue reading Ora Haley
» READ MOREThomas Tipton Thornburgh was a Major serving in the United States Army’s Fourth Infantry Regiment at Fort Steele near Rawlins in the late 1870s. A Civil War veteran and West Point graduate, Thornburgh was transferred to the Paymaster Corps., but missed the “action” of the West and was transferred to the infantry at Fort Steele. Action … Continue reading Who Was That Thornburgh Guy?
» READ MOREWhere did Laramie Street Names Come From? By Kim Viner Laramie Plains Museum Editor’s note: This story is one in a series prepared for the Albany County Museum Coalition, an alliance of organizations that promote Laramie’s historic and cultural resources. Did you ever wonder how the streets in downtown Laramie got their names? Well, if … Continue reading Street Names in Laramie
» READ MOREA few pioneers had settled in the Laramie area prior to Fort Sanders’ founding, but with the new protection of the fort, that number grew quickly. Some ranches were established in the area, and aside from the civilians housed at Fort Sanders itself, a collection of tents and shacks formed along the Elizabeth Creek (now Spring … Continue reading Early Pioneers, Early Laramie
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William Helmus Holliday was a successful Laramie businessman. He founded and owned the W.H. Holliday Co., a lumberyard, general mercantile and building contracting company built in 1886 that occupied the entire block between 2nd and 3rd and Garfield and Custer. In the 1860s, Holliday, his brother Jethro and another partner –William R. Williams — owned a … Continue reading W. H. Holliday
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Ice plants were essential to keep produce fresh as it traveled through the county, and some were built in Laramie. The Ice House in Laramie began down by the river and was bought by Knadler, a Fort Sanders soldier. The Union Pacific Railroad bought him out and built a bigger plant, which burned down and was … Continue reading Knadler & the Laramie Ice Houses
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Nellis Eugene Corthell arrived in Laramie in 1881 from Franklinville, New York. He worked on ranches and studied law in the office of Col. Stephen W. Downey. Corthell was admitted to the bar in 1883. From 1887-1888, Corthell served as the county’s prosecuting attorney at a time when Albany County extended north to the Montana line. He … Continue reading Nellis and Eleanor Corthell
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The Elkhorn Barn was located on the corner of Third Street and what is now Ivinson Avenue. Built in 1876, it is the location where N.K. Boswell arrested the fugitive Jack McCall–the man who shot Wild Bill Hickok in the back in Deadwood, South Dakota. Learn more about the Elkhorn Bar and the capture of … Continue reading Elkhorn Barn and the Capture of Jack McCall
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The Trabing Brothers’ Trabing Commercial Company Store was one of the first commercial enterprises in Laramie. Augustus J. Trabing and his brother Charles had opened other stores in Nebraska and Wyoming, but these operations either burned down or were robbed. In 1869, Augustus Trabing moved his headquarters to Laramie in the old Blue Front Theatre. It … Continue reading Trabing Commercial Company Store
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Freund and Brothers gun shop, located between First and Second Streets on what is now Ivinson Avenue, was one of the first wood-framed buildings in Laramie built in 1868. With the news of the railroad’s arrival, people rushed to claim property inside Laramie City. At first, theirs was a typical “tent city” running along the railroad … Continue reading Freund and Brothers Gun Shop
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