History of Laramie

The Union Pacific Railroad is credited for the development of Laramie. On May 9, 1868 the Union Pacific completed the track to Laramie and sold 400 town lots, but industrialists like Edward Ivinson and Henry Wagner had already staked out their claims and started businesses before the official land sales. Within two weeks 500 buildings were erected. As Laramie began to develop its permanence, the Union Pacific constructed a round house, machine shop, rolling mills, iron foundry,

Historic Laramie

blacksmith shop, stockyards, tie treating plant and hospital. The railroad was the largest employer in the town and continued to be so until after WWII. In addition to the businesses started by the Union Pacific, many local industries began, but they all failed economically.

The town started out lawless. The first Mayor, M.C. Brown, resigned in July 1868 after only three weeks because he believed the town was ungovernable. Brothels, saloons and gambling establishments were very popular and in the summer of 1868 shootings and murders were common occurrences. In October of 1868 a group decided to clean up Laramie. They struck all of the saloons, gambling and dance halls and brothels rounding up unsavory characters. They ended up hanging four men and put many others on train cars and sent them west. Although there was still not an organized government the town progressed with the help of the Union Pacific and the shops it had established. After much labor, in January 1874 the first legal town government was established.

In 1948 the town experienced a large blow when the largest fire in Laramie’s history broke out in the Holiday building. The Laramie fire department did not have the

Historic Laramie

resources to put out the fire and they had to request help from departments in Cheyenne and Fort Collins. When the fire was finally extinguished, seven buildings and 29 had been destroyed or damaged. Throughout the years Laramie’s downtown has continued to flourish and change with time, but it has tried to keep its unique history.

Walking Tours

Walking Tour Brochures are available at the Main Street Office, Chamber Of Commerce, and the Albany County Tourism Board. A PDF of the brochure may be downloaded here.

Location and Directions

Laramie sits at the intersection of I-80 with several important local highways. To navigate to or within Laramie, please use the maps and images below.

Google Maps Link
City Map (Image)
Downtown Map (Image)

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