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HISTORY OF THE CITY OF LARAMIE
In 1866, planners of the transcontinental railroad chose a route through southern Wyoming. For a
while, the route closely followed the Overland Trail, south of present-day Laramie. Congress
chose the site of an Overland stage station to place a fort to protect the railroad workers; it was
named Fort Buford, but the name was changed to Fort Sanders in 1867. Laramie city was sited a
few miles north of the fort. Like most towns in southern Wyoming, Laramie began as an "end of the tracks" town. As the
tracks approached, numerous tent houses and cabins were built so that a fair-sized population was
in place when the first train came in. The first train entered Laramie on May 10, 1868. The Ivinson family, Edward, Jane, their
daughter Margaret (Maggie) and Jane's maid were on it. Mr. Ivinson had constructed a two-story building on what is now Second Street with a store on the ground floor and living quarters
above. Several permanent buildings were raised that first summer. The first summer was turbulent, with little or no effective law enforcement. In June, Melville C.
Brown was elected mayor, but he resigned after three weeks due to intimidation by the lawless
element. In the fall, a vigilante committee drove out the worst of the outlaws (a few hangings
helped!) and the town settled down. One member of that vigilante committee was N. K. Boswell,
who became the first sheriff in Albany County. By autumn, Laramie had a school, churches, stores and many permanent residents. Although it
was a railroad town, many businesses started, including rolling mills, a tie treatment plant, a brick
yard, a slaughter house, a brewery, a glass blowing plant, a plaster mill, and others. Laramie was
also one of the first towns west of the Mississippi to have an electric plant, which was built in
1886 and provided electricity to individuals and businesses who subscribed to the company. Wyoming was organized as Wyoming Territory in 1869, and a Territorial Legislature was
established. During that first legislative session, the property rights of married women were
protected. A law was passed guaranteeing women equal consideration with men for teaching
positions. Most importantly, the territorial legislature passed a general women's suffrage bill on
December 10, 1869. In 1870, Wyoming became the first place in the United States where women
could vote in every election. Laramie was the first town to hold a municipal election, on September 6, 1870. So, the first
woman who voted in the United States was a Laramie resident; she is believed to be seventy-year-old Mrs. Louisa Swain. Laramie also had the first jury upon which women served - in March and
April of 1870. Women were called again in Laramie in 1871. While none of the women's cases
were overturned (most of the defendants were found guilty), there was much scandal and
attention paid to the women. In fact, those first juries with women became the last for many years. In 1886, Territorial Governor F. E. Warren provided for the establishment of the University of Wyoming; it was to be in Laramie. The University of Wyoming graduated its first class before Wyoming became a state on July 10, 1890.
Go to more Ivinson-Related Photographs (Connor Hotel, Ivinson Home for Aged Ladies, Ivinson Hospital) IvinsonHistoryPhotos.html
Go to miscellaneous Laramie and area photographs LaramieHistoryPhotos.html
"The Road to Laramie"
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