Laramie (Wyoming 125th Anniversary) – In Another Minute (Week 271)
Today is Wyoming’s 125 anniversary!
On July 10, 1890, this wild west land received its statehood. What
better day to publish the video I shot of the picturesque and authentic
town of Laramie, Wyoming, this week? Congratulations, Wyoming!
Laramie
is only about an hour north of Fort Collins, via an easy and beautiful
drive up Highway 287.
I enjoyed roaming and filming the downtown area so
much – with its buildings dating back all the way to 1869, cowboy
culture, delicious food (Jeffrey’s Bistro on the corner of Ivinson and N. 2nd), authentic old-timey bars (The Old Buckhorn Bar and Parlor
on Ivinson is actually on the State Register of Historic Places!), and
incredibly friendly people – that I’m sure to head back up there more
often. Oh, and can I just gush about the trains and train tracks? Just
seeing the words Union Pacific let’s my imagination roam…
Laramie
is the seat of the only 4-year university of Wyoming, which may be one
of the reasons why old Western culture and modern alternative culture
co-exist. It has an interesting history including stories of Western
heroes and villains, first women voters and jury members. More recently,
it also became known internationally as the place where Matthew Shepard
was murdered. While since moving to Colorado, I have learned of the
theory that he was not killed because he was gay but because of dealing
crystal meth, I would like to focus mostly on the fact that his tragedy
was a catalyst for positive awareness and change regarding how
mainstream society views and deals with LGBT culture and people.
Sometimes good things come from dark events.
I sincerely hope that
no one I captured in this video will be offended by being in the video.
If you are, please let me know and I’ll replace that shot.
Soon, I
will publish a post on my personal blog with photos from Laramie,
especially because I captured a lot more than could fit into this
1-minute video. But right now I’m going to put on my brand-new “Get your
beaver buckin'” (featuring a rodeo girl riding a big beaver, oh yes) to
celebrate 75 years of Jubilee Days and 125 years of Wyoming Statehood. Whee-haaaw!!!
The song in this video is called “Tennessee Hayride” and was written and performed by Jason Shaw, who made this song available via the CC BY 3.0 license. Thank you, Jason, for all your excellent music!
If you want to see more of Wyoming, please check out these previous Moving Postcard episodes:
Devils Tower aka Bear Lodge (Wyoming) – In Another Minute (Week 228)
Vedauwoo, Wyoming – In Another Minute (Week 210)
Tri-State Marker (Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska) – In A Colorado Minute (Week 259)
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| True cowboys smoke and drink at the Buckhorn Bar in Laramie, Wyoming |
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| Laramie, Wyoming |