Ivinson Avenue*
Edward Ivinson (1830-1928) was a native of the Virgin Islands and educated in Britain. He emigrated to the United States.
Prior to the Civil War, he and his wife moved to Memphis, Tennesee, where they
spent the war. Following the war, he arranged to borrow funds for the purpose of
establishing a general store in California. In 1868, Ivinson, his goods, and family arrived at the
end of the line at Tie Siding, south of Laramie. There he arranged a contract to provide railroad ties to
the Union Pacific.
Tie Siding, approx. 1920, photo by Henning Svenson
Henry T. Williams in his 1876 The Pacific Tourist, Williams'
Illustrated Guide to Pacific R.R., California, and Pleasure Resorts across the Continent described
Tie Siding:
Tie-Siding, -- 555.2 miles from Omaha; elevation, 7985 feet. This is a
telegraph station, with side tracks for the accommodation of the numberous cars which are
loaded with ties, fencepoles and wood. Vast quantities are hauled from the
mountains in the vicinity of the Diamond Peaks to this siding. There are a
few houses, and the inevitable saloon -- houses occupied mostly by woodchopers and
teamsters -- while the saloons generally take the most of their money. A short
distance from this station two soldiers of an Iowa cavalry regiment were
killed by Indians at the overland stage station, in 1865. The pine board and mound
which marks their resting place will soon disappear, and there will be
nothing left to mark the spot where they fell. Near Tie-Siding are extensive ranches occupied by sheep during the summer.
Indeed, from the above photo and Williams' description, little has changed. On the west side of
U.S. 287, there remains the inevitable combination general store, saloon, and post office. On the
east side of the highway, on a side road, are several houses.
Ivinson determined that Laramie City showed great potential for growth and therefore
decided that he would establish his new general store there. Thus, Ivinson
arrived in Laramie on the first passenger train in 1868. The following year, he served on a committee which
brought the territorial prison to Laramie and in 1870 purchased the local bank located on the corner of
Third and what is now Ivinson. As a banker he financed the construction of Laramie's first courthouse located on the site
of the present one. In 1892, Ivinson commenced the construction of his home depicted in the next
series of photos.
Ivinson Residence, 603 Ivinson Ave., 1910.
Note horse and carriage in driveway and Mr. Ivinson in yard.
The house was designed by architect Walter E. Ware and was constructed by Frank
Cook at a cost of $40,000. The home was equipped with the most modern amenities including
electricity. Ware subsequently moved to Salt Lake City where he became one of
Utah's most reknown architects designing, among other things, the Salt Lake City 1st Presbyterian
Church, the 1st Church of the Christ Scientist, the Westminster College
Payne Gymnasium, the University Club Building, and the Utah State Fair's the
Horticulture Building and the Mining and Manufacturing Building.
Ivinson Residence, undated
In 1892, Ivinson ran for governor, but was defeated by John Eugene Osborne, a Democrat from
Rawlins. Osborne is now more noted as being the one who skinned Big Nose George Parrott, had his hide tanned and turned
into a medical bag and a pair of shoes, see Photos V, which Osborne would wear on special occasions. The rest of Big Nose's remains were kept in a whiskey barrel
in Osborne's medical office until disposed of in a landfill. The shoes are now in the Carbon County Museum.
In 1914, Ivinson's wife of 60 years, Jane, died. In her memory he constructed the Ivinson Hospital. In
1921, he donated the house to the Episcopal Church for use as a girl's boarding school. As will be observed on other
pages, schools were instituted with the first settlements in the 1850's. The first legislature provided for the
auditor to be the territorial superintendent of public instruction and
made provision for uniform texts. Provision was made for school districts and certification of
teachers. In 1874, teachers' institutes were begun and by 1882 all teachers were
required to attend at territorial expense. In 1886, Cheyenne adopted a two-track system of high school eduation, college
preparatory track and a three year "business" track. The latter omitted Latin and some science.
Granite Canyon School, approx. 1900
Mandatory school attendance for students between the ages of 6 and 18 was instituted in
1873, although because of practical difficulties this may not have been
strictly enforced as to older students.
In rural areas, local schools, frequently only one or two rooms with one
teacher, would
go only through the 8th grade, although occasionally some high school programs would
be offered in the smaller schools. Conditions in the one room schools, heated only by a wood burning
stove, could in the winter be somewhat trying. In some schools, as an example,
penmanship was taught in the afternoon, so as to give the ink in the inkwells an opportunity to thaw.
High schools existed only in the major cities. As late as 1895 there were only
five high schools in the state. As a result of the distances involved, students from
rural ranches and outlying areas would, in order to attend high school,
board with relatives in cities in which high schools existed. Although, school buses had come into use by the 1920's, in some rural areas, in
the winter, teams and wagons remained in use as late as the 1950's. Thus, until the advent of
good roads and school buses, Ivinson's contribution made a high school education available when it
might otherwise have been impossible. The house is now the Laramie Plains Museum.
Ivanson Mansion
In 1922, at the age of 92, Ivinson married the widow of Ora Haley. Haley owned the Haley Livestock
and Trading Co., headquartered in Maybell, Colorado. Haley is sometimes regarded as the
last of the "Cattle Kings." The marriage, however, did not last long, ending in
divorce. Thereafter, Ivinson wintered in Denver staying at the Brown's Palace Hotel or
the Shirley Savoy. In summers he stayed in the Connor Hotel on Third Street. Upon Ivinson's death in
1928, he left money for the construction of the
Ivinson Home for Aged Ladies at the corner of 20th and Grand. In addition to his other contributions to
Laramie, he provided funds for the tower and chimes in St. Matthew's Cathedral and the
World War Monument.
*Photo of Ivinson Avenue from
The Landscape Overheard: Campuses, Conversations, and Cultures at the University of Wyoming.
Laramie Photos continue on next page.
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