In the late 1810’s, a French trapper named Jacques LaRamie disappeared in the mountains of Wyoming and was never heard from again. His name was then given to several things in the area, including a mountain range and a river. Eventually, the town that was founded in the 1860’s as a tent city was named after him as well. There are more landmarks in Wyoming named after Jacques LaRamie than any other trapper in Wyoming history, save for Jim Bridger.

Laramie, Wyoming, like many Wyoming towns, was founded because of the Union Pacific transcontinental railroad. While it did begin as a tent city, it did not take long at all for permanent structures to appear, and these buildings housed hotels, stores, a school, and churches. In spite of these churches, Laramie was a rough and tumble town and home to many Old West outlaws.

Of course, it’s hard to even think of Wyoming without thinking of horses and imagining the Wild West that once was. Laramie’s most famous outlaws included “Big” Steve Long, Con Moyer, and Ace Moyer. Even though Long was a marshal, he and his two half-brothers caused more unrest than any others in the town. Amid gunfights, gambling debts, and outright harassment, the brothers managed to run off the first mayor of Laramie after only three weeks. By the time the Albany County sheriff, NK Boswell, caught them and lynched them with his Vigilance Committee, the gunmen had killed at least thirteen people.

Now, of course, you can see the remnants of this wild past, but you can also enjoy the beauty and nature that Wyoming offers. The turbulent past has no bearing on the relaxing and welcoming town of Laramie, though it is fun to read about it and visit all of the places where the action happened.