Laramie was founded in the mid-1860's as a tent city near the Overland Stage Line route and the Union Pacific portion of the first transcontinental railroad. By May, 1868, when the first train entered town, entrepreneurs were building more permanent structures and Laramie soon had stores, houses, a school, and churches.

 

Laramie suffered initially from lawlessness. Its first mayor, M.C. Brown, resigned after three turbulent weeks in mid-1868, saying that the town was "ungovernable" much due to threats he received from three half-brothers, early Old West gunman "Big" Steve Long, Con Moyer and Ace Moyer. Long was Laramie's first marshal, and with his brothers owned the saloon Bucket of Blood. The three began harassing settlers, forcing them to sign over the deeds to their property to them. Any who refused were killed, usually goaded into a gunfight by Long. By October 1868, Long had killed 13 men. However a "Vigilance Committee" was organized, taking out the three gunman and reducing the "unruly element" and establishing some semblance of law and order.

 

In 1869 Wyoming was organized as the Wyoming Territory, the first legislature in the United States to pass a bill granting equal political rights to women. On September 6, 1870, a Laramie resident was the first woman to cast a legal vote in the United States. Wyoming became the 44th state of the Union on July 10, 1890.

Note: While the date shown is 1/1/1894, this is just representative. Actual issues will vary but will be dated in 1894-1898.