By Katherine Kasckow
May 17, 2017
With the introduction of the railroad, homes were necessary for the surge of workers and families in the region. This led the way for the construction of businesses and social organizations such as churches. The West Side neighborhood in Laramie, Wyoming is a good example of how a typical Wyoming town grew around the railroad. The West Side became a hub for working class immigrants from Sweden, Denmark, and Norway. These populations created The First Scandinavian Evangelical Lutheran Church on August 13th, 1884, conducting services in Scandinavian languages.[1] Newly arriving immigrants who were experiencing the same cultural changes were able to support each other in the shared space of the church.
The modest Gothic Revival church can be seen crossing over the foot bridge to the West Side, partly thanks to the belfry that stands prominently over the entrance of the church. The building itself is only one-story, providing limited space to the once small congregation. The church has a rectangular footprint with a gabled roof. The façade of the building faces to the west and still retains good historic integrity.
The Trinity Lutheran Church moved to their new location on 7th Street in 1925
