By Photo: Nyttend / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Laramie was born in 1868, when the Union Pacific Railroad reached the Laramie Plains on its way west. The town that grew beside the tracks still has one of Wyoming’s best-preserved historic downtowns, and it is easy to see on foot in an afternoon. Here is a loop that starts at the railroad and works east.
Start at the depot
Begin at the Laramie Railroad Depot, a restored brick depot on the west edge of downtown, along First Street. The Union Pacific main line still runs alongside it, and trains pass often. The depot hosts exhibits on the railroad’s role in founding the town.
Cross the footbridge
A few blocks away, the Garfield Street Footbridge, built in 1929, carries pedestrians over the rail yard. From the top you can see the tracks, the town and, on a clear day, the Snowy Range to the west. Farther west, across the Laramie River, is the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site, which opened in 1872 and held prisoners from across the territory. It is now a museum, open seasonally.
The commercial blocks
Back on the east side of the tracks, walk the blocks of First, Second and Third streets and Ivinson and Grand avenues. The two- and three-story brick and stone buildings date mostly from the late 1800s and early 1900s, and many have been restored for shops, restaurants and offices. The district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Look up at the cornices and the painted ghost signs on the side walls. Murals added in recent years cover many walls downtown.
Where women first voted
On September 6, 1870, a Laramie resident named Louisa Swain cast a ballot in a general election, the first woman in the United States known to do so under a law granting women equal suffrage. Wyoming Territory had passed that law in 1869. A statue and marker downtown honor her. Laramie was also where women first served on juries, in 1870.
Grand Avenue and the Lincoln Highway
Grand Avenue, which runs east toward the University of Wyoming, carried the Lincoln Highway, America’s first coast-to-coast auto route, through town in the 1910s and 1920s. A few blocks east of downtown, the Ivinson Mansion, completed in 1892 for the banker Edward Ivinson, now houses the Laramie Plains Museum.
End at the university
If you have energy left, continue east to the University of Wyoming campus, founded in 1886, with its sandstone buildings around Prexy’s Pasture and the American Heritage Center and art museum.
Practical notes
Laramie sits at about 7,200 feet, so bring water and sun protection, and dress in layers; wind is common. Downtown parking is free in many areas. For another regional figure tied to Wyoming’s suffrage history, see our profile of Nellie Tayloe Ross.
Sources
- Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office; National Register of Historic Places, Downtown Laramie Historic District.
- Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites and Trails: Wyoming Territorial Prison.
- Laramie Plains Museum (Ivinson Mansion).
- Albany County Tourism Board (Visit Laramie).
