The Union Pacific did for Wyoming and the United States what the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails had done 20 years earlier. It took months and much hardship to travel the trails, but it only took days if you traveled on the railroad. About 40% of the original construction of the Union Pacific was through Wyoming. During the construction from 1865 to 1869, Wyoming was still a territory. Due to the construction of the railroad, towns like Cheyenne, Laramie, Rawlins, Green River and Evanston sprung up.

The railroad was a great stimulus for Wyoming’s economy, in the 19^th as well as the 20^th century. As late as the 1950’s to 1960’s, the Laramie rail yards averaged 36 trains every 24 hours. Laramie was one of the major hubs for maintenance as we had a large round house for maintenance on the locomotives. Some of the small towns along the railroad only existed as long as train and maintenance crews remained in those locations, then they turned into ghost towns.

Between the University of Wyoming and the Union Pacific, Laramie was exposed to culture from the Orient and Asia in the west as well as Europe and Africa from the east.

http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/uprr-chr.shtml

http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/maps/graphics/goldspik.gif

http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/photos/celebrities/index.shtml

http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/museum/index.shtml

All above in this.

http://www.uprr.com/aboutup/history/index.shtml

Trip

http://www.uphs.org/

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/bigboy/

http://www.linecamp.com/museums/americanwest/western_clubs/union_pacific_railroad/union_pacific_railroad.html

Photos of museum

http://bchs.kearney.net/depot.html