It’s a Strike! Bowling Comes to Laramie
Nine pin bowling, now with ten pins, originated in Europe and has been popular in America for more than 200 years. Tall and slender candlepins and short, squat duckpins are varieties that may have originated in Canada. They are still found in New England alleys.
But it’s the bottle-shaped ten-pin variety that became most popular in America—though at first only in bars and billiard halls. Dent-resistant maple wood was ideal for the indoor alleys, though in Europe the game may have originated to play outside on grass.
Raucous betting among inebriated patrons meant the places were not for women.
Laramie’s first bowling alley was in the “Theatre Saloon” leased by Charles Kuster on First St. For a few months in 1870 he advertised “Two good ten-pin alleys, free to patrons of the bar.”
Kuster’s alleys were probably for men only. Possibly females could utilize the next Laramie bowling alley mentioned in the newspaper, established by Fred Bath in 1873 at the “Summer Garden,” near his brewery though the exact location was not given.
“The most perfect order will be maintained,” the Sentinel newspaper reported on July 2, 1873, an indication that perhaps alcohol would not be served at Bath’s alleys.
In 1874 the Laramie City Council began requiring licenses, charging $5 per quarter for each alley, billiard or pool table. Proprietors were fined $50 for anyone under the age of 15 attending, but only assessed if a parent complained.
Sol Enfield advertised his “Laramie Bowling Alley” on 2nd St. throughout 1875 and early in 1876. He also offered beer, wine, liquors, and cigars. His establishment became a hardware store by August of 1876 as announced August 16, 1876 in the Sentinel.
“Ladies will have an opportunity to become adept in these healthful exercises,” said the Sentinel in 1878, reporting on a Cheyenne establishment that was planned to serve only coffee.
In 1891, Bill Nye’s syndicated column in his former paper, the Boomerang, reported on a trick played on Nye when he tried bowling for the first time. His hosts put a string in front of the pins so that his ball would be deflected. However, their trick didn’t work because “none of my balls ever reached the string,” said Nye.
After Enfield’s Laramie Bowling Alley closed in 1876, there were probably other alleys in Laramie associated with bars for the next 25 years, but they did not advertise so their locations are unknown. Most would have been in the many Laramie “pool halls.” One was in a Laramie’s employment agency, where men passed time while waiting for temporary work.
However, in 1902, Paul Bath, 30-year old son of pioneer Fred Bath, opened a new bowling alley, probably in the basement of his bar and pool room on S. 2nd St. It may have been separate from the bar, because women began to go there for the sport.
Bath sponsored teams and newspapers began reporting the results of Laramie’s team in other towns. In 1915 there were 38 bowlers listed in the Men’s Bowling League, possibly hosted by Bath or the recently opened Brunswick Billiard Parlor at 314 S. 2nd St., where Quilt Essentials shop is today.
In 1919, the Boomerang advertised for pin boys wanted at the Brunswick Bowling Alley. Brunswick, an Ohio company, began by making pool and billiard tables in the 1840s.
Brunswick branched out into bowling equipment in the 1880s.That alley continued in Laramie for at least 30 years, until 1949. Its proprietor in the 1920s was Charles Rauner; by 1937 managers were Harry Small and William Ames.
Laramie’s City Directory for 1926 lists seven billiard halls, possibly with bowling. In addition to the Brunswick there were: Albert Erickson’s at 520 S. 2nd; Everybody’s Club with A.S. Hall, proprietor, at 907 S. 1st; Laramie (or Wyoming) Pool Hall at 217 S. First St.; Mecca at 117 Thornburgh (later Ivinson Ave.); Pastime at 213 S. First St.; and Reliable Employment Agency, W.M. Yost, proprietor, at 109 Grand Ave. Added in 1928 were Headquarters Pool Hall at 215 S. First St., and Rex Billiard Parlor at 121 Ivinson Ave.
By 1926, Elmer Lovejoy, famed for promoting bicycles and for building Laramie’s first auto, converted his former bicycle repair shop into “Lovejoy Novelty Works” at 408 S. 2nd St. In 1937 he changed the name to Mapleway Amusement Co. which eventually expanded into 410 and 414 S. 2nd St. while owned by partners Elmer Lovejoy and Gary F. Braisted.
Mapleway had a dance hall upstairs, and, downstairs, a café managed by Bernard Nelson, and a bowling alley. Mapleway continued for the next 20 years at that location.
Before the advent of automatic machines in the 1950s, young kids were hired as pin setters. Two Laramie residents, Germaine (Jezewski) St. John and Rusty Jairell, recently reflected on their jobs at Mapleway starting in the late 1940s. St. John remembers being hit with flying pins when an especially energetic bowler took a turn, and how fast she had to hop up on the bench provided, while trying to stay out of the way of the balls. “You didn’t want to get hit with one of those,” she recalls.
Jairell remembers the satisfying sound of the hard balls hitting the wooden pins. On one occasion he dropped a bowling ball onto the hard floor and it broke. He never admitted the accident when the manager came to investigate a ball that never came back.
Elmer Lovejoy moved to California around 1950, and management of Mapleway transferred to Frank E. Rocchio. From 1956 through 1959 it became “Lee’s Mapleway Bowling” remaining at 414 S. 2nd, operated by Liberato Jaramillo. But that was the end of Mapleway, as a new modern bowling alley opened.
It was Laramie Lanes, mentioned first in the 1958 City Directory, at 1270 N. 3rd St. where it is still located. Rancher Pete Burns was the proprietor. He advertised automatic bowling, free parking, league games, prizes, and a snack bar. Liquor was not mentioned.
Bowling boomed in the 1950s through 1980s: national tournaments were televised, and a professional bowlers’ association formed. Over three million bowlers belonged to a bowling association. Leagues for men, women, and couples formed, usually with matching shirts—members often purchased their own shoes and balls.
The University of Wyoming had a bowling alley in the Student Union. Jairell remembers that some of the Laramie men’s fraternal organizations had alleys as well.
Competitors for Laramie Lanes developed as others capitalized on bowling’s popularity. Lucky Strike Bowl was mentioned in the 1949 City Directory. Keith D. Bullock was manager, at 1152 N. 3rd St. It may not have lasted more than a few years.
Then “The Bowl” opened in 1963 at 2130 Garfield St., with Tom Bennett as manager. It advertised a nursery and air conditioning. But by 1971 the building had become Pioneer Wholesale Foods, and now it is the First Christian Church.
Another was Pinnacle Bowl which opened around 1978. It was at 725 Skyline Road, with Dorothy and James Mason, proprietors. It advertised 20 lanes and El Vaquero Mexican Restaurant. Its name changed in 1988 to Summit Bowl, but closed in 1991. The building became the Western Flea Market.
In 1983, Laramie Lanes became Laramie Lanes Lounge & Liquors with Ed and Shell Burns as proprietors. By this time, having liquor available at a bowling alley was no longer a turn-off for women, a far cry from the early days of bowling in America.
Interest in bowling waned in the 1990s as many people looked upon bowling as a recreational activity rather than a sport. Some predict a resurgence of interest, as bowling alleys are still a popular destination for date nights and wholesome family entertainment. At Laramie Lanes, leagues and instructions from an expert are available for those who want to improve their technique in the sport.
By Judy Knight
Caption: A 1903 bowling party at the Bath Bowling Hall. The bowler on the right is Annie Haley, the woman in the left lane is Hilda Durlacher. Standing behind her is H. Neale Roach who became Hilda’s husband in 1905. Others in the party were Martha Haley, Elise Towson, Clyde Phillips, Corlett Downey, Will McMurry, Robert George and Jim Fenwick. Mr. and Mrs. Crumrine were the chaperones. A sign on the wall says “Gentlemen must not spit on the floor.”
Source: Laramie Plains Museum
Editor’s Note: A book of stories from this history series is available at the Laramie Plains Museum Carriage House Gift Shop at 603 Ivinson and the Wyoming Women’s History House at 317 S. 2nd St. Titled “Territorial Days on the Laramie Plains,” the 250-page paperback covers the time of the pioneers up to around 1890 when Wyoming Territory became a state.