Category Archives: Railroad History

Railroad Romance and Reality: Unpacking the Legacy of Railways in America

Documents and photographs found in the American Heritage Center’s collections can be used to explore the ways in which railways have been and are perceived in American society. Examples of these are on exhibit in “The Art of the Railroad” … Continue reading

Posted in Economic History, exhibits, Railroad History, Toppan Rare Books Library, Transportation history, Uncategorized, Western history | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Wyoming’s Chinese Dragon

For more than twenty years, the communities in Rock Springs’ and Evanston’s Chinatowns shared and displayed a large, colorful dragon during their Lunar (Chinese) New Year Parade. The soon-to-be famous dragon first made front page news in 1895, when it … Continue reading

Posted in Asian American history, Chinese Americans, Immigration, Racism, Railroad History, Uncategorized, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Your Loving Frank: Romance on the Transcontinental Railroad

It might surprise you to find romance amid the story of the back-breaking and dangerous labor involved in building the transcontinental railroad. But we have one for you. We’re commemorating the anniversary of the joining of the Central Pacific and … Continue reading

Posted in 19th century, Railroad History, Uncategorized, Western history, Westward migration, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Eyewitness to Racism: Andrew Bugas and the Rock Springs Massacre of 1885

Andrew Bugas (Andrej Bugos) was not quite 20 years old in 1885 when he arrived in Rock Springs to work in the Union Pacific’s coal mines. Born in Austria, he came to the United States in 1880 to join his … Continue reading

Posted in Chinese Americans, found in the archive, International relations, Labor disputes, Local history, mining history, Railroad History, Rock Springs Massacre, Uncategorized, Violence - history, Western history, Wyoming history | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Summer Exhibit Series: Laramie Architecture

The summer exhibit series at the American Heritage Center celebrating Laramie’s 150th anniversary brings out a new theme this week: Buildings in Laramie. The “Hell on Wheels” tent town that greeted the official arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad in … Continue reading

Posted in announcements, architectural history, community collections, Construction, Current events, events, exhibits, found in the archive, Laramie 150th Anniversary, Local history, Railroad History, Transportation history, Uncategorized, Western history, Westward migration, Wyoming history | Tagged | Leave a comment

Summer Exhibit Series: Railroads in Laramie

The summer exhibit series at the American Heritage Center celebrating Laramie’s 150th anniversary kicks off this week with materials relating to railroad history in Laramie. On May 4, 1868, the Union Pacific Railroad reached Laramie, bringing with it new people, … Continue reading

Posted in announcements, Current events, Digital collections, exhibits, found in the archive, Local history, Railroad History, Transportation history, Uncategorized, Western history, Westward migration, Wyoming history | Tagged | Leave a comment

“Wild Bill” Carlisle: Last Train Robber of the American West

Train passengers leaving Green River, Wyoming, on February 9, 1916 riding the Union Pacific Railroad’s Portland Rose found themselves confronted by a young man hiding his face with a white kerchief who demanded their money at gunpoint. But the youngster … Continue reading

Posted in Digital collections, found in the archive, Local history, oral histories, Outlaws--West (U.S.), Railroad History, Transportation history, Uncategorized, Western history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Hell on Wheels

On Sunday, November 6, AMC Television will broadcast the premier episode of its newest drama, Hell on Wheels, which is described as an: [E]pic story of post-Civil War America, focusing on a Confederate soldier who sets out to exact revenge … Continue reading

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