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IVINSON FAMILY HISTORY A Letter by Jane Ivinson Describing Pioneer Days in Laramie Edward Ivinson was born September 20, 1830, at Three River Estates on St. Croix in the Virgin Islands, where his father was a sugar planter and trader. He was educated at he Croft House Academy in Brampton, England and spent holidays at his grandfather’s farm in Yorkshire. He returned to St. Croix at the age of seventeen and after a time emigrated to New York where he started as an apprentice at Lord and Taylor’s. On April 12, 1854, Jane Wood and Edward Ivinson were married in Jersey City, new Jersey. She was born in Bolton, Lancashire, England on October 22, 1840, and was educated there. Jane emigrated to the United States in December 1853 to live with her mother and step-father. Edward met her ship, acting as a friend of the family. The two became close friends and married four months later. The Ivinsons moved west, living for a time
in Evansville, Indiana, where they became naturalized citizens of the United
States. From there they moved to Peoria, Illinois, where they adopted the
three-year-old daughter of an acquaintance, George Watson. Margaret Ellen
(Maggie) was born on He arrived in the end-of-the-tracks town now known as Tie Siding in the fall, and there had to make a decision while his goods sat on a siding. The next camp along the railroad was the present location of Laramie. Mr. Ivinson liked the area and decided that it would become the great metropolis of the Rocky Mountain region. He laid claim to Boulder ridge, west of Tie Siding, which was then heavily wooded, and made a deal with the Union Pacific Railroad to supply ties as the line moved west through the treeless area ahead. In February of 1868, Mr. Ivinson started building his house and he brought his family in on the first train. Mrs. Ivinson immediately set out to start a church and Sunday School and the first services were held in the Ivinson general store. In December 1868, the citizens had a festive party at the railroad station; Mr. Ivinson gloried in his role of Santa Claus - a role he repeated for several years.
One of the items brought into town by Mr. Ivinson was a heavy secure safe which was never breached. That, and his reputation as an honest business man led to his entering the banking profession. In 1870, he purchased the local bank. This bank became the First National Bank and is now part of the First Interstate Bank chain. He served as a contractor and lent the money to build the first courthouse which was at the same location as the present one. His many other interests included a partnership in the Buckeye Ranch in Centennial Valley and a large share in the Laramie, Northpark, and Pacific Railroad, which he promoted with great enthusiasm! Mr. Ivinson was named to the first Board of Trustees of the University of Wyoming and served as its treasurer for several years. A devout Episcopalian, he and his wife were active in bringing that church to Laramie. They gave money to build the first Episcopal Church here, and helped to bring the cathedral to Laramie. In 1870, the Ivinsons bought the lot upon which they were to build the Ivinson mansion in 1892. In 1878, on her twenty-first birthday, Margaret married Galusha Grow. They had three daughters.
W.E. Ware, an architect who designed many buildings in Laramie before moving to Salt Lake City, designed the Ivinson Mansion. Frank Cook was the contractor who built the home for the then princely sum of $40,000. The house had central heating, electric lights, and running water, as well as the most elegant appointments of any house in town. Mrs. Ivinson designed the interior of the house. She visited Chicago in 1892 and 1893 to select furnishings, hardware and fixtures, including doorknobs, light fixtures, the bathroom appointments, and stained-glass windows. The house was completed in late 1893. In 1904, the Ivinsons celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary with a gala event at Maennerchor Hall. Four years later, they traveled to Europe, returning with many treasures they had purchase during their travels. In 1914, the Ivinsons celebrate their sixtieth anniversary with another gala bash. Sadly, Mrs. Ivinson became ill soon afterward, and died later that year. Upon Jane’s death, Edward endowed Ivinson Memorial Hospital, feeling that his dear wife would have been spared much it there had been an adequate hospital in Laramie. He also completed the tower and gave money for chimes and the clock at St. Matthew’s Cathedral, as well as a pair of stained glass windows in Jane’s memory. Mr. Ivinson also donated the War Memorial (WWI) which now stands on the northeast corner of Courthouse Square, diagonal from the front door of the Ivinson Mansion. In 1921, Edward gave his home to the Episcopal Missionary District of Wyoming. The house was to be used as a school-home for teenage girls who lived on ranches and had trouble getting to town to attend high school. Shortly after, in 1922, he had a brief marriage to Mrs. Ora Haley, widow of his former business partner. When that ended, he spent his winters in Denver, living in the Brown Palace or the Shirley Savoy, and his summers at the Connor Hotel in Laramie. Mr. Ivinson died on April 9, 1928, at the age of 98; he was two years short of his goal of 100. He gave his money to build and endow the Ivinson Home for Aged Ladies, a longtime dream of Jane’s. He also endowed a pair of stained glass windows in the Cathedral in his memory. A Letter by Jane Ivinson Describing Pioneer Days in Laramie (Click on Thumbnail for Larger Picture)
Parallel History: Historical Events Concurrent with the Lives of the Ivinsons |
In 1869, Mr. Ivinson was appointed by the
governor of the territory to a committee of three. This committee chose and
acquired the site of the penitentiary on the west bank of the Laramie River.
This is the building which is now the centerpiece of the Wyoming Territorial
Prison State Historic Site (
In 1892, Mr. Ivinson embarked on two great
projects: he ran for governor on the Republican ticket, and began to build his
home on the lot he purchased in 1870. While he lost the election, the home was a
great success.
