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American Heritage Center, Laramie History Subject Guide: Highways

This guide serves as a brief overview of some of the collections and exhibits that were used during the American Heritage Center's Summer Exhibit Series for Laramie's 150th Anniversary in 2018.

Highways in Laramie

The railroad is what most of Laramie’s early history is focused on as it allowed new peoples and industries to grow the burgeoning city. Even so, a few decades after the railroad first came to Laramie, a new form of transportation came through that would cause Laramie to be a stop on a major highway system.

The historic Lincoln Highway started as one of the earliest transcontinental highways in 1913. Cutting across the southern part of Wyoming, it allowed travelers to go from East to West with a new-found freedom that came with the invention of the automobile. Laramie was just one of the many stops in southern Wyoming but held a claim to fame with the highest point on the highway being only miles outside of the growing town.

By the late 1950s, the historic Lincoln Highway was set to be replaced by the new Interstate 80. The second longest interstate in the country, I-80 would wind its way through southern Wyoming, bringing with it large truck travel and various others that wanted to make the trek cross country.

Both highways boasted fast travel but the weather in Wyoming could either help or hinder that travel. Large amounts of snow and wind called for special structures to keep roads clear, although it wasn’t always effective.

 

Image: Men Standing Near Lincoln Highway Sign, undated, AHC Photo Files, University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center.

Highways Collections

Payson Spaulding Papers, 1886-1980

Acc. #1803

Payson W. Spaulding established himself as a notable attorney in Southwest Wyoming, serving the community and state for 70 years. He was counsel for the Lincoln Highway Association, Union Pacific Railroad Company, and John D. Rockefeller’s Snake River Land Company; involving Spaulding in the establishment of the Lincoln Highway and the Jackson Hole National Monument. Payson W. Spaulding was born in Bingham, Maine in 1876; however, he spent most of his youth growing up in the Midwestern states of Minnesota and Illinois. Spaulding attended Kent College and the University of Colorado law school, where he earned his law degree in 1901. Shortly after graduation he moved to Evanston, Wyoming, opened a law office, and married Nelle Johnson Quinn. Spaulding was interested in automobiles and road travel. He was the first person to own an automobile in Evanston and in 1908 he joined J.M. Murdock and his family on a transcontinental automobile tour to New York. He also took a personal interest in oil drilling; investing time and money mining Southwest Wyoming and Nevada. He continued practicing law in Wyoming until 1971 and died in 1972 at the age of 95.

The collection contains legal case files regarding civil, divorce, corporate, criminal, land, water, and probate cases from Payson W. Spaulding’s private practice. These files contain correspondence, legal documents, and financial records concerning the case and/or clients; including his work with the Lincoln Highway Association, Union Pacific Railroad, and the Jackson Hole National Monument and involvement of Rockefeller’s Snake River Land Company in acquiring land for the monument. The collection also contains his law firm records of correspondence, research and reference publications, and financial records; documentation about transcontinental automobile tours in the early 20th century; personal correspondence, photographs, news clippings, publications, and maps of Wyoming and Utah; and correspondence and legal documents regarding Spaulding’s personal interests in oil drilling and mining.

Exhibit Images

Highways Exhibit