Category Archives: Local history

Tales and Traditions: Folklife in Wyoming

Folklife is a complex, important and large component of culture. It encompasses the art, traditions and knowledge that passes down among a group of people and can be seen through dance, music, artwork, storytelling, ceremonies and belief sharing. While sometimes … Continue reading

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The Wyoming Art of Carrie Arnold

Carrie Arnold (1944-1998) was a Denver business woman with an active interest in Western history, which she expressed in drawings. She became a pen and ink illustrator for a number of Western books. She was commissioned by her friend Bill … Continue reading

Posted in Artists, Authors and literature, commercial art, found in the archive, Local history, mining history, Uncategorized, Western history, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lovell’s Latin American Colony

In 1916, the sugar beet industry brought the first serious wave of Mexican-speaking migrants to Lovell: betabeleros, the beet workers, to hoe the fields and help with the harvest. Yet most were not Mexican nationals, but rather Spanish-speaking people from … Continue reading

Posted in Agricultural history, community collections, Immigration, Local history, Mexican-American history, Uncategorized, Under-documented communities, Western history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Beanies, Brooms and Bother: UW Freshmen Get the Initiation Treatment

Let’s dig into the archives to highlight a couple of old-time UW freshman traditions. A once constant sight on the University of Wyoming campus was the sight of freshmen wearing beanies. According to a September 1967 article in the UW … Continue reading

Posted in Local history, Student Life, Uncategorized, undergraduate students, University of Wyoming, University of Wyoming history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

On the Road Again: Laramie’s Highways Through the Years

The railroad is what most of Laramie’s early history is focused on as it allowed new peoples and industries to grow the burgeoning city. Even so, a few decades after the railroad first came to Laramie, a new form of … Continue reading

Posted in found in the archive, Laramie 150th Anniversary, Lincoln Highway, Local history, Oregon trail, Transportation history, Uncategorized, Western history, Westward migration, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Laramie’s Military Heritage: Forts, Rails, and Resilience

The military, much like the Union Pacific Railroad, has close ties with Laramie’s history. Established two years before Laramie was, Fort Sanders was to protect those that traveled along the Overland Trail in southern Wyoming. When Laramie was established in … Continue reading

Posted in found in the archive, Laramie 150th Anniversary, Local history, military history, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming, Western history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Caroline Lockhart Elected to the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame

If there was ever a woman who epitomized the saying, “Well behaved women rarely make history,” that person is Caroline Lockhart. She also sought fame—if not infamy—and she recently took one more step closer to her aspiration. It was announced … Continue reading

Posted in announcements, Authors and literature, Biography and profiles, Current events, found in the archive, Journalism, Local history, popular culture, Uncategorized, Western history, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Laramie’s Legacy: Exploring Greenhill Cemetery’s Notable Figures

Greenhill Cemetery, situated less than a block away from the University of Wyoming’s campus, is almost as old as Laramie itself. Once a lawless town that struggled to be governed, Laramie and the surrounding landscape was dotted with various graves … Continue reading

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Echoes of Commerce – Remembering Laramie’s Historic Businesses

Within weeks of the railroad reaching Laramie, the former “Hell on Wheels” tent town became part of an ever growing and changing landscape as buildings began dotting the landscape. Many of these buildings would come to hold businesses marked by … Continue reading

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Glimpses into the Iron Ore Mining Past of Sunrise, Wyoming

The Sunrise Mine and Town Site Photo Album offers a look at operations at the Sunrise Iron Ore Mine and the town of Sunrise, Wyoming, from 1899 to 1920. Sunrise, Wyoming, was a company mining town, founded in 1899 by … Continue reading

Posted in Digital collections, Economic Geology, found in the archive, Local history, mining history, Photographic collections, Uncategorized, Western history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment