I never know if I should be elated or disgusted when I discover new details as part of my research and realize I got it wrong in a book I already published. Such was the name of Laramie City. Surprisingly, in my book, Ellie, part of the Runaway Brides series, I got the name of the city right. However, in a later book, Lauren, part of the Rescue Me-Mail-order Brides series, in the few scenes which referred to the city, I called it Laramie—the name by which the same municipality is known today—rather than Laramie City, which was the name the same city was known by for decades, including in the 1870s.
Where did the name Laramie come from? It is believed that in 1817, a French-Canadian trapper named Jacques La Ramee, sometimes spelled La Ramie, arrived in the area and explored around the Laramie River.
The next known Euro-American habitation of the area came when Ben Holladay established a station for his Overland Stage line in 1862. He named two of his stage stations Big Laramie and Little Laramie—both of which were along the Laramie River.
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| UPRR flatcars, machine shop, roundhouse, abt 1868 |
The location now known as Laramie City was chosen in 1868 by the Union Pacific Railroad when it built its track and this location as their western rail maintenance center as well as a station.
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| Laramie 2nd Street, about 1913 |
Like most Union Pacific Railroad end-of-track tent cities, Laramie City had a rough start. It was said that in 1868, there were twenty-three saloons and no churches. The city was taken over by a corrupt city marshal and his two half-brothers, who reputedly killed thirteen men under suspicious circumstances. On October 28, 1868, the trio was hanged by a vigilante committee led by Albany County’s first sheriff, rancher, N. K. Boswell. Other outlaws were advised to leave town. As the "unruly element" left, a semblance of law and order was established.
The first church, established in 1869, was the Methodist Episcopal Church.
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| Snippet from 1872 Wyoming Territory map |
Why call it Laramie City and not just plain Laramie, as it is called today? My guess? It is because there were so many other places in what became southeastern Wyoming Territory given the name Laramie. The snippet from the 1872 map of Wyoming Territory details many of these communities and land features that bear the name Laramie.
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| Laramie Mountains in distance |
Although they are not shown on the above map, there is also the Laramie Mountains, which are just north of the range labeled as the Black Hills (Yes, there are Black Hills in Wyoming as well as in South Dakota. Most modern maps show them as the southern edge of the Laramie Mountains.)
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| 1872 Wyoming Territory Map |
Also, here is the full 1872 Wyoming Territory map. Notice that the county on the far east of the territory, which later became a state, is Laramie County. Some might wonder why Laramie City did not end up in Laramie County. That was just the way the territorial fathers drew the lines. Of course, today in Wyoming State, there are many more counties than these original five.
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| 1854 Fort Laramie by Casper Collins |
Another factor to keep in mind is, when Laramie City was formed by the Union Pacific Railroad, FORT Laramie was still an active and well-known military fort until it was abandoned in 1890.
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| 1887 "Old Bedlam" at Fort Laramie |
Although by 1869-1870, railroad travel replaced many of the wagon trains that used the Oregon-California-Mormon Trails that all passed through Fort Laramie, for years afterward, the fort still to provided protection from hostile Native American and outlaw attacks. It also operated as a resupply center and a way-station for freighters and stagecoaches. Back then it was probable that if someone said “Laramie,” the assumption was they were referring to the fort, not the city.
The following are some other land features that bear the name Laramie.
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| Laramie River near Fort Laramie |
Laramie River, North Branch and Main Branch. Its headwaters are in the Medicine Bow Mountains. After the two branches join, it flows through a pass between the Laramie Mountains and what was then known as the Black Hills, and ends where it joins the North Platte River by Fort Laramie.
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| Laramie Peak, southern face |
Laramie Peak. After leaving Fort Laramie, Laramie Peak was one of the landmarks along the Oregon-California-Mormon Trails.
Laramie Plains. A semi-arid area, it was used by cattle ranchers and sheep ranchers.
Laramie Mountains. Tree studded slopes like those where this ranch is located are green in the spring, but grow dry as the year progresses.
My recent release, which is set primarily in 1874 Laramie City, Wyoming Territory, is TheBride Who Invades Saloons. To find the book description an d purchase options,
please CLICK HERE
Sources:
https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/brief-history-laramie-wyoming
https://www.visitlaramie.org/things-to-do/arts-and-culture/historic-downtown/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laramie,_Wyoming
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