Kenny Sailors Statue
The passage highlights the achievements of Kenny Sailors, an extraordinary basketball player who left an indelible mark on the game. As we delve into the story of Sailors, we gain a deeper appreciation for the history of basketball and the individuals who have made significant contributions to the sport.Sailors' legacy begins with his remarkable career as a point guard for UW from 1939-1946. During his tenure at UW, he led the team to win the NCAA tournament in 1943, and he was twice awarded College Basketball Player of the Year in 1942 and 1943, respectively. Sailors' accomplishments on the court are a testament to his skill, dedication, and passion for the game.However, Sailors' impact on basketball transcends his achievements as a player. He is most remembered for his invention and popularization of the jump shot, a technique that forever changed the game of basketball. Before Sailors, most players kept both feet on the ground when shooting with both hands, but he saw the potential for a more dynamic and effective approach. His perseverance and creativity paid off as he developed the groundbreaking jump shot, which has become an essential part of the modern game.Sailors' story is a reminder of the importance of perseverance and innovation in sports and in life. His determination to beat his older and taller brother at basketball drove him to develop the jump shot, a technique that would revolutionize the game. Sailors' two-ton bronze statue, which stands at the East entrance of the Arena-Auditorium, is a tribute to his enduring legacy as a basketball innovator. The statue was created and sculpted by artist Thomas Jay Warren and added to the 2017 $30 million renovation of the UW Athletics facility.For more information: Wyofile, "Kenny Sailors' Magical Jumpshot--A Remembrance"Thomas Warren, "Kenny Sailors"Contributed by Carissa Mosness
Chief Washakie Statue
Today, this 24 ft. tall statue commemorates Chief Washakie and his contributions to the West and Wyoming. Chief Washakie was born in the early 1800s and served as Chief of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe for ~50 years. Chief Washakie played a role in the territorial statehood development of Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and Montana. Also, as a result of his relations with non-Natives, Washakie was able to secure the Wind River Reservation for the Eastern Shoshone Tribe. When Washakie died in 1900, he was buried with full military honor--the only Native American Chief to receive this type of burial--at the Fort Washakie cemetery on the Wind River Reservation. The ceremony included a funeral process of Native and non-Natives that stretched miles. When we recall Chief Washakie, the development of the West and the push for Native American rights are fundamental elements of his identity and impact. As a figure of public memory, Washakie is remembered as a statesman, warrior, and fearless leader. These characteristics are memorialized in this statue. The inscriptions on the statue reinforce this re-presentation of Washakie and commemorate his efforts to fight for his beliefs, develop relations with Western settlers, and secure a place for his people in Wyoming. Today, Washakie’s memory is a reminder of what can be accomplished when collaboration is chosen over confrontation.For more information:Jackson Hole Historical Society and Museum, “Chief Washakie of the Shoshone: A Photographic Essay”Wyoming Videos, Chief Washakie Statue Unveiling CeremonyContributed by Makayla Kocher
Greenhill Cemetery
The Greenhill Cemetery was established in 1881, just 20 years after Laramie was officially established as a town. Before that time, many of the dead in the territory were not placed in a cemetery plot but remembered by their last words and buried where they dropped. As the city was built and the cemetery was established, bodies were reburied in the cemetery. To this day, there may still be bodies throughout Laramie that we haven’t discovered yet.With over 16,000 burial plots on site, you can see a large acreage of land that has been meticulously organized into sections. However, these sections have changed a lot over the years depending on the sexton that was in charge. Due to these changes, unfortunately, some people and their memories have been forgotten. Being open from sunrise to sunset, or 9-5 (whichever happens first) has always been a great part of the cemetery's traditions. When the cemetery was first established, it was quite far out of town; now, you can see the University of Wyoming has grown right around it. This placement next to the campus has become part of many locals' daily routines like running, dog-walking, and bird-watching. To this day there are Laramie’s most influential people buried there, feel free to explore and uncover Laramie’s history.For more information:Greenhill Cemetery WebsiteContributed by Lucy Kirkley
The University Family Sculpture
The University Family sculpture, created by the world-famous sculptor and former university professor Robert Russin in 1983, is meant to represent the unity and familial values he felt from his own family as well as from the Laramie community. That mesage has particular impact due to the site's prominent location in the University of Wyoming's Prexy's Pasture, common meeting location for students, faculty, and staff. This sculpture has become as much a part of Prexy's as it has to the university itself, but is also has been criticized due to its depiction of what most people interpret as its argument for a more limited view of the "Nuclear Family." This interpretation, paired with its name, makes many believe that it is now an outdated emblem of what a true "University Family" should be. As a site of public memory, the scuplture's location is key, as thousands pass by it on a daily basis. During warmer months, people can be found laying on the grass to study or relax, and student organizations often hold activities in this same highly trafficked space. Therefore, "The University Family"'s presence becomes enmeshed in the fabric of the university's identity through these daily, remembered interactions--what becomes our nostalgia for university life.For more information:Laramie Boomerang, "Much Ado about Russin" WyoHistory.org's "Robert Russin, Legacy in Bronze and Stone""Robert Russin" on WikipediaContributed by Eric Leister
Matthew Shepard Bench
One of the only public memorials of Matthew Shepard is a bench located in Quealy Plaza in front of the Arts and Sciences building of the University of Wyoming. Matthew Shepard was a student at the university when he was targeted and fatally beaten for his sexual orientation. This act of hate caused a nationwide uproar questioning the basic safety of LGBT+ individuals. This memorial bench was donated to the university by the Matthew Shepard Foundation and officially dedicated to him in 2008. The plaque reads, “Matthew Wayne Shepard. December 1, 1976 - October 12, 1998. Beloved son, brother and friend. He continues to make a difference. Peace be with him and all who sit here.”Often flowers and gifts are placed on the bench by visitors. The combination of gifts on the bench are constantly changing as the university community changes. This is especially true for the LGBT+ community of the university as gifts left are most often in clear support for the community. As gifts dedicated to the LGBT+ community as whole change, it is reflective of how this portrayal of Shepard's memory invites contemporary movements of the community. For more information:The Matthew Shepard FoundationContributed by Thristen
NAERCC Hallway Arapaho Journeys Exhibit by Sara Wiles
Prior to 2012 this residential building, built in 1950 and designed by Wilbur Hitchcock in the Colonial Revival Style, was just another house bordering the UW campus. Then in 2012 it was repurposed by the University to become the Honors Red House, a “home” for Honors students and studies. Then in 2017 the building was turned over to be the newly established Native American Education, Research and Cultural Center. Since its dedication on Sep. 29, 2017, the hallway has been home to 27 photographs of the Wind River Reservations Northern Arapaho Tribe. These photos, taken by anthropologist, ethnographer, and self-taught photographer Sara Wiles depict a variety of people of all ages. The subjects of the photos are children, the elderly, and cultural architects of the tribe. The photos tell the story of people living their day to day lives as well as showcase important events. While the subjects and events being shown are different, each photograph tells the story, shows the memories, of the Northern Arapaho people. In this quiet, brightly lit hallway you will see the story of resilience, strength, and pride that makes up Wind River Reservation’s Northern Arapaho tribe. This story, these memories, show us the truth of Northern Arapaho existence against the narratives and memories applied to them by outsiders.For more information:NAERCC WebpageSara Wiles WebsiteContributed by Lexi B
St. Paul's United Church of Christ
This Protestant church was the very first house of worship to be founded in Laramie, built all the way back in 1890. It still houses a congregation to this day, making it also the longest continually occupied church in town. Throughout its history it has gone by many names, though it's housed only a small number of loyal followers. Known colloquially as the Little German Church or the Shy Church in the olden days, St. Paul’s was originally formed to serve Laramie’s small German speaking community.The church has remained consistently open for over 130 years and has only ever housed congregations around 100 or less. It contributes to local charities every year and even owns low-income housing properties across the city to rent out to individuals in need. Its history is tracked in the National Register of Historic Places, and if you were to go inside, you’d be faced with beautiful architecture, stained glass windows, and paintings with all kinds of classic symbolic Christian imagery. But don’t let the church’s classical aesthetics fool you, it’s actually one of the most progressive churches in the city. It’s a place of public memory that combines outdated elements with new ideals. It mixes old school traditions with modern day beliefs, making it a wholly unique portrait of Christianity in the rural American West.For more information:St. Paul's Website"Religion in Wyoming" from Ancestry.com's RootsWeb"From Sanctified to Surplus, Some Laramie Churches Come and Go" from Albany County Historical SocietyContributed by Matthew Stacey
Louisa Swain Plaza
Wyoming's 1869 territorial constitution granted “every woman of the age of twenty-one years, residing in the territory, may, at every election to be beholden under the law thereof, cast her vote.” The first election including women was held on September 6, 1870. This plaza honors Louisa Swain, the first woman to legally cast a vote under that suffrage act. It preceded national suffrage by 50 years. Swain was born in Virginia in 1801. She had a difficult life as she was orphaned early on, but she married, lived in several locations through the midwest and northeast, and had her own thriving family. Swain's son moved to Laramie soon after the town's founding in 1868, and the elder Swains followed soon after. On the morning of the election, Swain is said to have gone on her domestic errands and voted along the way. As we recall it, Swain's vote was both remarkable and unremarkable. As a figure of public memory, she is celebrated in Wyoming yet generally unknown to other parts of the USA. Each September, the Plaza hosts a commemorative re-enactment of a bonneted town elder retracing Swain dropping her vote in the ballot box. Folks also pay Swain homage on our present election days. She reminds visitors that the power of the vote is for all of us.For more information:Wyoming State Archives, “Who Cast the First Vote?”Wyoming Women’s History HouseWyoming Historical Society, “Women’s Suffrage and Women’s Rights"Contributed by Nancy Small
Sherman Sage Mural
Wyoming has been the original home to various Native American tribes, such as the Arapaho, Sioux, Cheyenne, Shoshone, and many more, for thousands of years. The Wind River Reservation just north of Lander, Wyoming, is shared by the Northern Arapaho and Eastern Shoshone tribes and sits on over 2 million acres of land. One of the most impactful elders in the Wind River Reservation was Sherman Sage of the Northern Arapaho tribe, who left a significant historical memory. Sherman Sage, also nicknamed “Old Man Sage,” is an Arapaho Elder that lived from 1844 to 1943. In his almost 100 years of life, Sage is remembered for being present at the signing of the Fort Laramie Treaty in 1868, witnessing the surrender of Crazy Horse in 1877, and bringing the Ghost Dance back to the Wind River Reservation in 1889. In 1914, Sage went with Gun Griswold on a mountain expedition in the Rocky Mountains to identify locations with their Arapaho names. Hidden Figures Alleyway is where Sage's mural is located, which aims to commemorate lesser-known historical figures that made significant history in Wyoming but are not widely recognized. Sage is remembered for his positive impact on the reservation, specifically for bringing back the ghost dance. Sage’s mural reminds the public that Native history and culture are still present in Wyoming. For more information:Colorado National Park Trips, “Native American Tribes in Rocky Mountain National Park” County 10, “#Lookback: Sherman Sage - Old Man Sage”Contributed by Elena Stewart
The Buckhorn Bar
Located in downtown Laramie towards the end of East Ivinson Ave is the Buckhorn Bar & Parlor. The Buckhorn Bar, better known as “the Buck”, was established in 1900, only 14 years after the University of Wyoming. Despite being under a different name when it first opened, it is the longest-running bar in Laramie and one of the oldest in the state of Wyoming. The bar is two stories high, and the second floor was once an operating brothel. It is known for faithfully maintaining its old western feel in the midst of modern Laramie, and is a popular social location, particularly on the weekends, for many within Laramie both young and old. The Buck is also home to many local legends and myths of the old west, along with memories from the community. These range from the cause of the bullet hole in the mirror behind the first-floor bar to the reason why a football field goalpost hangs over the first-floor bar. The Buckhorn Bar is an important part of the Laramie community as it functions as a site to remember old Western history and beyond, while also being an active site that individuals interact with in various ways.For more information: The Dive Bar Tourist- “Buckhorn Bar & Parlor” 101.9 King- “Ten of the Oldest Saloons in Wyoming”Contributed by Janaye Hershey
