People and places that make Wyoming special

Wyoming is famous for its rugged, scenic beauty, as I discovered during a recent visit. But the state’s people and places are just as interesting as the views.

Southeastern Wyoming grew rapidly after the arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad in Cheyenne in November 1867. Cheyenne was called the “Magic City of the Prairie” and grew to 5,000 residents by 1868. Cheyenne became a center for railroad maintenance, shipping, and the cattle boom. The city became the capital of the territory and later the state of Wyoming.

Erasmus Nagle, who made his money from lumber, livestock and food, spent $50,000 in 1888 to build what is now known as The Nagle Warren Mansion. It was one of the most expensive homes west of the Mississippi, but Nagle could afford to live on Millionaire’s Row. At his death just two years later, he was one of the richest men in Cheyenne, worth half a million dollars.

Today the mansion has been restored as the Nagle Warren Mansion Bed and Breakfast. The furniture, wallpaper, cherry, mahogany and oak woodwork and stained glass windows come straight from the American Wild West era.

However, Francis E. Warren, later the state’s first governor and U.S. senator, noted the “restless” atmosphere in early Cheyenne. “Every man slept with one to half a dozen revolvers under his pillow to idolize himself [sic] Any character could be expected at any time of the day or night.” This lawlessness undoubtedly led to the construction of the Wyoming Territorial Prison in Laramie in 1872.

After Nagle’s death, the house was eventually sold to Senator Warren in 1910. General John J. “Black Jack” Pershing, Buffalo Bill Cody, Teddy Roosevelt and President William Howard Taft were all guests at the mansion.

I stayed in the Pershing room. It had red wallpaper, a huge king-size bed with a carved wooden frame, a carved wooden fireplace and portraits and photos of the general, who looked stern even with his family. The evening reading consisted of a vintage copy of Hemingway’s book “Men at War” with “the 37 best war stories of all time.”

Jas Barbe, the mansion’s owner, is a colorful character who has worked as a hotel consultant, Cordon Bleu graduate and Michelin-starred chef. After returning from Vietnam, he owned a buffalo herd in Centennial, Wyoming.

In 2021, his task became to restore the elegant residence once known as the “Duchess of Cheyenne.” As he serves the beautiful breakfast he cooks for guests, Barbe will delight you with backstairs stories about the Nagle Mansion, where the ornate hand-carved ceilings and staircase, as well as the restored library and parlor, will transport you back to the Western version of the Gilded Age.

Cheyenne is also home to Wild J Trading Hat Bar and Boutique, operated by Jennifer Thompson. Ms. Thompson helps men and women create their own custom cowboy hats decorated with hat bands, feathers, thread, stars, playing cards, fabric roses and even spent cartridges. I chose to add a coyote and a cactus as well as yellow feathers, part of an anti-suicide campaign sparked by the death of a local cowboy.

In Laramie Country, Las Vegas resident Chad Brown founded Laramie County’s first licensed distillery in Pine Bluffs. Brown came from Las Vegas to open Pine Bluffs Distilling. The growing distillery is family owned and operated. All grain is grown on site and malted on site. Variants such as 5 grain whiskey, straight rye whiskey, oat whiskey, wheated bourbon, vodka and gin can be sampled neat or as cocktails in the tasting room.

Like the Nagle Warren Mansion in Cheyene, the Laramie Plains Museum at the historic Iverson Mansion shows what life was like for the wealthy in the late 19th century^Th Century Wyoming. The mansion features a collection of Victorian furnishings, kitchenware and vintage appliances, and even a one-room schoolhouse.

I wore my new hat in Torrington, an agricultural town in Wyoming where you can watch a livestock sale in real time. It’s unlikely that Torrington is home to the Bread Doctor, a bakery that draws patrons from as far away as Montana.

The origins of the popular bakery are simple. Owner Edzan Fluckinger is a doctor who came to Torrington more than 20 years ago to provide medical services. He and his wife have a daughter with Down syndrome. Fluckinger learned to bake and eventually founded the bakery with the idea of ​​creating a place where his daughter could work.

The bakery employs many of Torrington’s young people, including his daughter. And the breads, pastries and carefully decorated cakes are delicious.

The city of Laramie is home to “U Dub,” or the University of Wyoming. In 1998, Matthew Shepherd, a gay student, was beaten to death near Laramie. One of the murals, part of the Laramie Mural Project, commemorates the “angels” who held up sheets like wings at the courthouse to protect Shepherd’s family from homophobic protesters.

Today there is a bohemian atmosphere in the city. It offers tours of breweries and murals, as well as numerous shops and restaurants that travelers will enjoy. Even the most die-hard carnivore will find something to please at Melissa Murphy’s 25-year-old vegetarian restaurant Sweet Melissa, which also features a full bar.

“What did you do to finance it?” I asked Ms. Murphy. “I borrowed $2,000 from my mother 25 years ago.” She says tourists fanatically seek out vegetarian restaurants and that the university’s students and faculty are also important customers.

Another Laramie success story is The Range Leather Company, which makes wallets, diaries, pocket books, business card holders and straps for Apple Watches. Range also makes custom pieces and stamps his leather goods with the name of a city or company. Owner Kyle Koster began leatherworking as a hobby at his kitchen table in 2014. Range now employs over 25 people. The three most important principles can be found on the website. Full grain leather, made in the USA and forever guaranteed.

Ruth Williams, owner of the Sugar Mouse Cupcake House (“a little piece of England in downtown Laramie”), also has an interesting story. The tall, elegant Williams is originally from Essex, where she met her husband, who was on a Mormon mission. They married and she followed him to Laramie. She raised her six children and took care of the children.

But Williams had a reason; She was passionate about helping girls and young women caught up in Cambodia’s sex trade. She began selling cupcakes at the farmers market to generate income, using recipes she learned in England, using rich cream and real sugar. After a rainstorm ruined hundreds of cupcakes, she knew she needed a storefront.

Sugar Mouse is now a frilly pink tea house for afternoon tea with scones, crumpets, soup of the day, English stew and of course cupcakes. A children’s tea house in the basement is under construction.

I ended my tour of southeast Wyoming with lunch at The Malt in Saratoga (“burgers, BBQ and whiskey”) and a “smooth, malty” Irish coffee. Then it was off to relax in a teepee by the mineral springs at the Saratoga Hot Springs Resort and enjoy a steak at the 130-year-old Hotel Wolf (“Discover the Wild West”) before sadly returning to Los Angeles.