The historic and beloved Scandinavian Lutheran Church sits deserted and forlorn at 201 S. Pine St. For years it has contributed to the unique character and appearance of Laramie’s West Side Neighborhood. But this piece of history is endangered; it has been neglected for the past several years and is badly in need of restorative efforts. 

Can a demolished house still tell us valuable stories about Laramie’s history? Consider the stately Donnellan home. It stood at 605 E. Grand Ave. for more than 75 years before being razed.

Many churches in Laramie have moved location and some have been abandoned.

One of the hallmarks of downtown Laramie is the abundance of historic buildings owned and maintained by long-standing local businesses. The structure on the northeast corner of 2nd St. and Grand Ave. is a quintessential example of this proud tradition.

Of the many occupants of the 1888 historic house at 620 S. Seventh St. in Laramie, longest resident was Martha Stickney who lived there for 33 years. This Missouri native (1842-1932) had three husbands; she was twice widowed and once divorced.

The house at 318 S. 15th St. was designed by architect Fredric Hutchinson Porter (1890-1976), a native of Massachusetts who settled into a Cheyenne practice around 1921. He designed it in 1922, so it was quite early in his career.

The house in Laramie that locals call “the Old Carroll House” takes the prize for having the most confusing history in town.

The original plan for St. Matthew’s Cathedral. Construction of the cathedral posed questions about the origin of the building stone.

Laramie’s earliest opera houses

Signs of civilization on the frontier

Two historically significant houses at 719 and 919 Grand Ave. are within two blocks of each other in the nationally recognized University Neighborhood Historic District of Laramie.

On January 22, 1906, some 150 Laramie citizens left winter outside and climbed a flight of heavy oak stairs to the second floor of the new building at the corner of Fourth and Grand. In the warm well-lit lecture room, they listened as civic leaders spoke proudly, eloquently and at length about the Albany County Public Library, now housed in its own building—a gift of one of the wealthiest men in the world, Andrew Carnegie.

A pioneer came to Laramie, possibly with the Chinese immigrants who helped build the railroad through Wyoming in 1867-68.

Was the first contract to build the penitentiary rigged? Read about the convoluted process to get construction started.

It must have been an exciting day in the late 1970s when the 1878 Holliday house was moved from 319 Garfield St. to three isolated acres at 2252 Welsh Lane, nearly a mile outside city limits.

A stable built in the late 1800s by German-born Theodore Bath has recently taken on a new life. Once known around town as the  “Stone House,” it is a far cry from its origins.

At the edge of West Laramie, on the way to the Snowy Range, there is an unfinished stone house noticed by everyone who goes by, though they can only guess at its history.

Early pioneers to Wyoming loved to fish.  And right away, by 1868, resident anglers were voicing concerns about local fish and game populations—concerned that their favorite fishing spots might run out of stock. Eventually a government fish hatchery was built south of Laramie to remedy any concerns.

When the University of Wyoming first opened for students on September 6, 1887, its one instructional building had four stories and a magnificent octagonal tower.

In 1867, Union Pacific Railroad management employees came to the Laramie area, and after staying at or near Fort Sanders, they ventured three miles up to where they knew Laramie City would be built. They caused to have erected a sturdy building of 2” x 6” lumber at what is now 4th St. and Grand Ave. It served as their clubhouse and dormitory when they were near Laramie.

Did you know that a building can be poetic?