The paper said it was selected “with a view to giving the greatest pleasure in its shapeliness.” It was to be lighted only on Christmas Eve and Christmas. It is a time of all the seasons of the year, when men lay aside all differences of opinion, forget the past and seek to enter upon the merry spirit of the day.”Īs the week progressed, the tree arrived in town and was erected at its appointed place. The newspaper announced, “Of all the holidays that grace the calendar, none is so largely beloved as the Christmas season. The committee also enlisted city churches for a Christmas Eve program and the newspaper for collection of items for those in need. Sanderson of the “Intermountain Railway Light and Power Company” (as the city’s electric plant was then called) would furnish the men to provide the power to light the tree. The Mayor met with Supervisor Duthie of the Medicine Bow forest reserve and President Green of the Colorado, Wyoming and Eastern Railroad to select and transport the tree to town.

The committee, headed by UW Professor Ruth Adsit, involved the town’s churches and the city government with Mayor Shoemaker responsible for obtaining the tree. The centerpiece was to be a large Christmas tree placed on the corner of Third and Thornburgh Street (now Ivinson Avenue). Plans were announced on December 13 for a community wide celebration. Overall, residents were eagerly anticipating the Christmas season. He also donated enough money to complete the construction of St. Edward Ivinson donated a sizeable sum to Albany County that would pay for the complete construction of a modern hospital. The Gentleman Bandit, Bill Carlisle, had robbed three trains in April and was finally caught in May and sentenced to life in prison (later paroled, becoming an infamous and respectable Laramie motel operator). Turner was noted as the captain in charge of the medical detachment. The men were encamped at Deming, New Mexico, to provide support for General Pershing’s force south of the border. US entry in the war was looking more likely.Ĭloser to home, the Wyoming National Guard had been called up and sent to the Mexican Border to deal with Pancho Villa. German U-boats were again attacking American shipping. The Great War was raging in Europe with the Battle of Verdun alone tallying over 300,000 dead in the 10 month long struggle. They had reasons to be concerned about the international situation. As Christmas 1916 approached, the citizens of Laramie were wrapping up a year of mixed blessings.

Edward Ivinson by Kim Viner