Nelson made sidewalks to last
Take a look at sidewalks of Laramie—if they are not cracked and crumbling, you may notice an oval mark in one corner with the name “Nelson” proudly pressed into the wet concrete.
John Alfred Nelson was a Laramie cement contractor from around 1914 to at least 1954. He was born in Sweden in 1885, and immigrated to the US in 1910 with his wife Hulda and son C. Arvid. They became naturalized US citizens and were in Laramie at least by 1913, when he was Sunday School Superintendent at the Laramie Swedish Mission Church. Between 1910 and 1921, they had five more children: Afhild, Zady (Sady), Albert, Alfred, Jr., and Ina.
He is first mentioned in the Laramie City Directory in 1913-14, as a laboratory technician at the Union Pacific Tie Plant at the south end of Cedar Street. But, in 1914, he received a contract from the City of Laramie to pour cement for the first crosswalks in downtown.
In 1917 he was listed among several businessmen of Laramie who would redeem Liberty Bonds for merchandise as part of the government’s World War I financing efforts. In 1921 he was elected to the Laramie City Council.
In the 1929-30 Laramie City Directory, Nelson describes himself as “Cement contractor,” noted for “excavating, hauling, sand and gravel, coal, wood and ice,” with an office at 218 Grand Ave. The family lived at 918 S. 2nd St.; later their home was at 514 Harney St.
By 1931 through at least 1937, Nelson was the manager of “Nelson Co., Inc.” with an office at 212 Garfield. President of the corporation was “Arvid Nelson,” probably his oldest son of that name. Mrs. Gertrude Allison was the company’s secretary. They advertised “housemoving” along with the other activities listed above for just Alfred. The company dissolved around 1937.
In 1926, Alfred became the pastor of the Swedish Mission Church, founded in 1890. The church building was built in 1892 at the southwest corner of 7th and Garfield St. It is unknown what kind of training Nelson received in the ministry, services may have been conducted in Swedish. He resigned the pastorate in 1936, but probably continued as a congregation member. However, in 1940, the congregation changed its name to First Covenant Church, and in 1963 it dissolved and the building was sold to Berean Baptist Church. Today the building is the Laramie Islamic Center.
Nelson laid sidewalks all around Laramie even while he was serving as the church pastor. Alfred Jr. joined in the cement contracting business with his father, so some of the sidewalks with the “Alfred Nelson” mark may have been laid by Nelson’s son.
Oldest son C. Arvid Nelson, however, became a fireman and continued to live in Laramie with his wife Floy. After 1961 Hulda and Alfred disappear from the Laramie records. They are not buried in Greenhill Cemetery, so they may have left town.
C. Arvid Nelson’s last entry in the Laramie City Directory is 1971 when he was an engineer on the UPRR. His widow Floy is listed in the 1973 Directory. Since there were six Nelson children, descendants of Alfred Nelson’s may be walking on sidewalks in Laramie that their grandfather laid.
Some say Nelson’s secret for quality concrete was to lay 2 inches one day, letting it cure partially and laying another 2 inches on top the next day. Others say that good excavation, proper forms, plus the skill in mixing cement with sand, gravel and water is the key to success. Whatever the cause, his sidewalks have passed the test of time.
By Judy Knight
Caption: Alfred Nelson’s cement and coal operation c. 1918, showing a mix of what is probably a Franklin automobile and horse-drawn wagons used in the business. The location is unknown but could be near his home at 918 South 2nd St. Photo courtesy of the U.W. American Heritage Center, Swenson/Ludwig Collection
Image Courtesy Phil White.