Parco/Sinclair, Wyoming “Panorama of the Parco fire department with firemen and fire trucks posed in front of the Parco Hotel” University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center, Frank J. Meyers papers, Accession Number 5195, Box 12B, Folder 134 Today, the Sinclair Oil Refinery juts from the landscape like a memento to Wyomings natural resource industry. Just north of Interstate 80, travelers…
History of 851 Gilchrist Street According to the Platte County Tax Assessor, the building was constructed in 1948. The 1903 Sandborn map depicts a small, one-story building at this location; it appears that between 1912 and 1918. It was razed and replaced by the preset-day 2-story building. In 1918, the building housed a post office. In the 1920s, it contained…
Built in 1962 as a Minuteman 1 site, Quebec #1 was re-purposed for the Peacekeeper Missile in 1986 and was used until 2005. Twenty-five miles north of Cheyenne, this facility will eventually be the only one of its kind left in the world, which is why Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites & Trails is seeking to bring the facility into…
Rock River, Wyoming Panoramic view of Downtown Rock River (First National Bank left of center) Wyoming State Archives, Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources Similar to other communities along this route, the town of Rock River emerged from the Union Pacific Railroad. By 1899 the town had multiple businesses that served “surveyors, timbermen, coal miners and other workers associated…
History of Sweetwater County Historical Museum Excerpt taken from Sweetwater County Historic Museum The current site of the Sweetwater County Historical Museum was first built in 1931 as the post office and first federal building in Green River. James A. Wetmore served as the supervising architect. It remained the post office until the new one was built in 1980. It…
Walcott, Wyoming Walcott Hotel, 1922 University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center, Lora Webb Nichols Papers, Accession Number 01005, Box 6, #4680 The Town of Walcott was not added to The Complete Official Road Guide to the Lincoln Highway until its 3rd edition in 1918. This may be due to the fact that the highway never directly passed through the town.…
Wyoming Hall By Cameron Weishoff Wyoming Hall was completed in 1951 and is located on the Northeast side of the University of Wyoming campus. It was built during a time where many veterans from the Second World War began to influx the student population on the UW campus. The dormitory was also the proposed home to UW athletes throughout the…
Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site Listed on the National Register, the Wyoming Territorial Prison was a United States Federal Penitentiary in 1872 and later became Wyoming’s first State Penitentiary. Territorial Governor John Campbell, in his first message to the Legislature, pointed out the necessity of a penal institution to care for the lawbreakers of the new territory. Wyoming Territory…
Remembering Barbara Dobos, 1929-2021 By Mary Humstone, founding board member We were saddened to learn that Barbara Dobos, co-founder of the Alliance for Historic Wyoming, died this past spring. Barbara was a teacher, legislator and activist who became involved in historic preservation to protect the public lands at Martin’s Cove along the Oregon/California/Mormon Trail. She and Lesley Wischmann formed the…
Through the Ages: Saving Wyoming’s Historic Mining Heritage By: Gina Clingerman Nestled at the southern end of the Wind River Mountains in central Wyoming is a collection of log structures, cabins, saloons, and mills that were once part of the bustling South Pass and Lewiston Mining Districts. The buildings are mute sentinels of time, silently watching countless generations ebb and…