In 1870, Dr. John Finfrock housed the first collection of more than 1,000 books from the newly formed Wyoming Library and Literary Association at his offices on South A Street in Laramie. In 1902, Eli Crumrine and Dr. Aven Nelson successfully petitioned the Andrew Carnegie foundation for a $20,000 grant to support a public library in … Continue reading Carnegie Library →

The original structure of the Frontier Hotel in Laramie was nothing more than a log building built by Legh and Frederick Freeman, publishers of the Frontier Index. Forced to leave Fort Sanders in the 1860s for printing less than flattering remarks about the Fort’s commanding officer, General Gibbons, the Freemans built a log structure for … Continue reading The Frontier Hotel →

A group of influential Republicans organized the “Laramie Daily Boomerang” in the late 1880s and hired Edgar Wilson “Bill” Nye – lawyer, justice of the peace, United States commissioner and national newspaper correspondent – as the editor and manager. The Boomerang was named for Nye’s mule. The Boomerang newspaper is still in operation today. Learn more … Continue reading Newspapers →

Nathaniel K. Boswell was the first warden of the Wyoming Territorial Prison in Laramie in the 1860s. During his career, he arrested Jack McCall, the man who shot “Wild Bill” Hickok in Deadwood City, South Dakota. Boswell also arrested the notorious stage robber George “Big Nose” Parrott. Boswell was a Republican who participated in Theodore Roosevelt’s … Continue reading Boswell the Warden →

 Southeast Wyoming is known for being dry and dusty today, but imagine what it was like in the late 1860s as the railroad expanded west! The term “Hell on Wheels” was coined by newspaper editor Samuel Bowles to describe the gambling houses, dance halls, saloons and brothels of all sorts that sprouted up along the tracks as … Continue reading The Keystone Dance Hall →

“Big” Steve Long was a gunfighter who was elected deputy marshal of Laramie during its early lawless days at a time when even the newly elected mayor and other government officials resigned within six weeks of each other in 1868. Long was a violent man who intimidated, robbed and killed many honest men. He and … Continue reading Laramie’s Vigilante Justice →

Ellen Liddy Watson — better known as Cattle Kate – was a young woman who escaped an abusive marriage in Kansas and came to Wyoming to homestead land near Lander in the late 1880s. She and her new partner Jim Averell found themselves pitted in a resource war against the bigger ranchers in the area. Watson … Continue reading Cattle Kate →

Martha Jane Canary “Calamity Jane” was born May 1, 1852, and was an American frontierswoman and professional scout best known for being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok. She appeared in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. There are few substantiated facts about Calamity Jane’s life, but a great deal … Continue reading Calamity Jane →

Butch Cassidy was a famous American outlaw who served time in the Wyoming Territorial Prison in Laramie (1894-1896). Born in Utah in 1866, Cassidy’s real name was Robert LeRoy Parker. He was intermittently a cowboy and a cattle rustler, a bank robber and a train robber who teamed up with a succession of other outlaws. His … Continue reading Butch Cassidy’s Death →

The Wilcox train robbery occurred at 1:00 a.m. on June 2, 1899, near Wilcox, Wyoming, outside of Laramie. Masked men boarded the Overland Flyer, forced it to a halt and ordered the attendant to open the door. When he refused, the car and safe were blown up; the thieves escaped with $30,000. The Sun-Leader reported that … Continue reading The Wilcox Robbery →