Category Archives: University of Wyoming history

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

Ranching Roots: Exploring Laramie’s Livestock Legacy

While the railroad was the main hub of employment early in Laramie’s history, the cattle and sheep businesses helped grow the economy of the burgeoning town. Names such as Philip Mandel, Thomas Alsop, Charles Hutton, Robert Homer, and the Bath … Continue reading

Posted in Agricultural history, Agriculture, Laramie, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Butch Cassidy and Beyond: Inside Wyoming’s Historic Territorial Prison

As buildings sprung up in Laramie, the former “Hell on Wheels” town, a new imposing stone structure shadowed the landscape. With construction starting in 1872, the Territorial Prison opened its doors to inmates in January 1873, while construction still continued. … Continue reading

Posted in architectural history, Current events, events, exhibits, found in the archive, Laramie 150th Anniversary, Livestock industry, Local history, Outlaws--West (U.S.), Uncategorized, University of Wyoming history, Western history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Votes for Women! Remembering Carrie Chapman Catt, Suffragist

Agnes Wright Spring (1894-1988), a protégé of University of Wyoming professor and librarian Dr. Grace Raymond, published a wonderful set of anecdotes in 1981 titled Near the Greats. Through her years as a prominent historian in both Wyoming and Colorado, … Continue reading

Posted in American history, Local history, Suffrage -- United States, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming history, Western history, Women -- suffrage, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Remembering UW’s Preparatory School: A Historical Retrospect

The Preparatory School at UW was organized “for the benefit of students from counties not provided with complete high school courses.” The 1887-1898 University Catalogue also states, “As soon as the various towns of the state possess well equipped high … Continue reading

Posted in Education, K-12 education, Local history, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

suffrage \ noun suf·frage \ ˈsə-frij , sometimes -fə-rij \ Definition: The right to vote, especially in political elections

Wyoming is unique among the states that form our nation, in granting women the right to vote in 1869. The territory of Wyoming paved the way for the rest of the country, not only by being the first to allow … Continue reading

Posted in American history, Gender Equality, Suffrage -- United States, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming history, Women -- suffrage, Women in Politics, women's history, Women's suffrage, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Elizabeth Orpha Sampson Hoyt, Notable Woman of the West

Born December 7, 1828 in Athens, Ohio to an adventurous father and a pragmatic mother, Elizabeth Sampson early on displayed qualities of both parents. A letter to Grace Raymond Hebard from Elizabeth’s son Kepler tells a delightful story from his … Continue reading

Posted in Biography and profiles, Uncategorized, University of Wyoming, University of Wyoming history, Women in History, women's history, Wyoming history | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

We did it! Repairs and Plaque at Lowell O’Bryan Monument

On September 15, 2017, a dedication ceremony took place at the site of a monument to Lowell O’Bryan, a University of Wyoming student killed in 1922 while participating in a UW campus event. The stone monument is located on the … Continue reading

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“Has This Student Newspaper Gone Too Far?”

How far is too far when it comes to parody? Young Joe Jacobucci found out when he edited the traditional parody issue of the University of Wyoming student newspaper “The Branding Iron” in 1934.

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The Saga of Old Main’s Tower

In 1886, the skyline of Laramie became dominated by a massive stone structure, known today as Old Main on the University of Wyoming campus. The structure’s octagonal stone tower with a steeply pitched conical spire was a town landmark. But, over the years some of Old Main’s original architectural features were removed. The first to go was the stone tower. Continue reading

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