Destination
Laramie, Wyoming by Frank Weaver
Just mentioning
Laramie, Wyoming brings to mind the old west with its cattle drives, gun
fights, and wagon trains. The town is named after a French Canadian mountain
man Jacques LaRamee, a fur trapper who was one of the early Europeans to
explore Wyoming. Before the completion of the first transcontinental railroad
in 1868 settler heading west would use the Overland Trail, which ran through
the Laramie Area.
| Laramie
is about 66 km (41 miles) west of Cheyenne, Wyoming, and 2,184 m (7,165
feet) above sea level between the Laramie Range and Snowy Range. Outdoor
enthusiasts will find lots to do in, and around Laramie. Popular activities
include biking, fishing, hiking, skiing, and rock climbing. In addition,
The Snowy Range has over 225 miles of groomed snowmobiling trails and thousands
of acres of open meadows. It is said that Thomas Edison, while fly fishing
around Laramie came up with the idea for the filament light bulb, and Laramie
became the home of the first electrical plant in the Rocky Mountains.
Indoor
enthusiast can find activities like visiting museums. One of the more famous
museums is the Wyoming Territorial Prison where one thousand men and twelve
women were housed. The most well known prisoner was Robert LeRoy
Parker "Butch Cassidy" the famous western outlaw. The prison was
built in 1872, restored and renovated in 1990s. |
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Be
sure to visit the gift shop, pickup a brochure for the self guided tour,
and then head toward the prison. The stops along the way include furnished
cells, dining area, guard's quarters, the warden's quarters, the women's
quarters and next to the women's quarters is the infirmary. As you walk
among the cells, hanging on the walls are mug shots of some of the people
imprisoned there.
The
University of Wyoming in the center of Laramie has several museums like
The American Heritage Center, with its archival center for rare books,
historical manuscripts, and research material on American history, culture
and more. The Art Museum houses visual art from around the world and has
over 8,000 objects including European and American painting, prints, and
sculptures, along with Native American artifacts. The Geological Museum
features a variety of displays of Wyoming's past environment and houses
over 50,000 catalogued rocks, minerals and fossil specimens from Wyoming's
geological history along with a 23 meter (75 foot) Brontosaurus skeleton.
Laramie
has an old west flavor with a lot to offer in year round activities. The
best time to visit Laramie, Wyoming is in the summer which is short and
relatively cool, spring and fall the weather can be unpredictable, the
winters are long.
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Keywords
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