Frederick Prahl arrived in Laramie from Denmark in 1869. Within a few short years, his F. Prahl Dry Goods and Groceries store was very popular. It was located on  Second Street and Kearney. The Prahls were very involved in the development of early Laramie. Many of their family descendants remain in town. Learn more about the F. Prahl … Continue reading F. Prahl Dry Goods & Groceries →

By the fall of 1867, Laramie was growing. The protection provided by Fort Sanders drew many people from all over, plus the businesses to serve them. The first hotel built in Laramie was a long log cabin called the “Shamrock.” It was owned by Patrick Doran, who claimed to have walked west from Pine Bluffs, Wyoming (about … Continue reading Patrick Doran and the Shamrock →

The Dawson Brothers building, located at 1869 South A. Street,  was the first substantial building to be built in Laramie. Built at a cost of $5,000, the Dawson Brothers building eventually becamse the the Kuster Hotel building, which served as a depot for the Ft. Collins and Walden Stage Line. Until the 1960s, it was also a … Continue reading Dawson Brothers Building →

Dr. John Finfrock was an Army physician serving at Fort Sanders in the late 1860s when the Union Pacific Railroad came through Laramie. The new venture of the railroad inspired Finfrock to muster out of the Army and take a new position with UPRR managing their hospital. Finfrock continued to practice medicine and later opened the … Continue reading Dr. John Finfrock →

Jane and Edward Ivinson were generous philanthropists dedicated to giving back to the Laramie community. (Photo courtesy of the Laramie Plains Museum.) Dedicated Episcopalians, much of their generosity was directed toward the Episcopal Church in Laramie. Edward was the most generous local donor to the construction of St. Matthew’s Cathedral, which began in 1892. In … Continue reading Laramie Philanthropists: Jane and Edward Ivinson →

In 1871, Edward Ivinson was already the owner of a successful dry goods store in Laramie when the opportunity to buy a bank presented itself. Two years earlier, bankers H.J. Rogers and John Donnellan built Laramie’s first bank made with stone walls on 2nd street for $10,000. When the two ran into financial difficulties with … Continue reading Ivinson Bank →

The year was 1892, and the Wyoming Republican Party was in trouble. Who better to run for governor than Edward Ivinson, a successful banker with enough cash to finance his own campaign? However, just like in today’s long, drawn out and negative elections, the Democratic press in Wyoming “made mincemeat” of the inexperienced Ivinson, tying … Continue reading Edward Ivinson and the 1892 Wyoming Election →

This three-story brick building on 2nd Street and what is now Ivinson was the tallest building in Laramie when it was first built. It soon became quite noticeable that Wyoming’s strong winds were causing the building to sway so the third story was removed to make it more stable. This building still exists today as Jeffrey’s Bistro. Learn more about 2nd … Continue reading 2nd and Ivinson →

The Short Tenure of Laramie’s First Mayor By Kim Viner Laramie Plains Museum Seven city officials were selected by a group of townspeople at a meeting on May 2, 1868, but in subsequent weeks officers of the new government began resigning. The criminals thieved and killed and brazenly flouted any law or decency, without much to … Continue reading Melville Brown: Laramie’s First Mayor →