THE CALL FOR A UNIVERSITY
In 1881, the current Wyoming governor, Gov. John Hoyt, urged the Wyoming Territorial Legislature to approve the allocation of 65 acres of land to build a university. This request was not answered until 1886. The Legislature created a University Building Commission that was authorized to build a university, through purchase, donation, or otherwise, in the name of the Territory of Wyoming in or near the city limits of Laramie. The site for this University was located on 10 acres of land that once was home to Laramie's City Park. The University's first building, University Building (later called Old Main) was erected in the center of this park.
The Morrill Act of 1862
The Morrill Act established land-grant universities with the purpose of making education accessible and possible for everyday Americans across the nation. Under this act, each state was given 30,000 acres of land by the federal government. The University of Wyoming fulfilled this for the state of Wyoming.
The Construction of Old Main and its Tower
Construction of the first building located on University of Wyoming's campus began on September 27, 1886 when its cornerstone was laid. Completion of the building was achieved by September 1, 1887 and was then open to students on September 6, 1887. The entire campus was located within this one building including a library, classrooms, laboratory, engineering shop, gymnasium, and a music room. ​
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This building, being the only building on the campus until 1893, was often times referred to as the "Main Building". In 1922, UW trustees officially named it "University Hall" but to students it was known as "Old Main". This name caught on due to it being the old but main building on campus. The use of it's official name, University Hall, quickly disappeared.
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The Old Main's tower quickly became a focal point not only for the University of Wyoming but also for the town of Laramie itself.
The Demolition of the Tower
Less than a decade after Old Main's completion, the famous Old Main tower began to crack and lean. To secure it, temporary measures were taken but in April of 1915 UW trustees agreed to its immediate removal; the project was completed in May. The removal of the tower caused much unhappiness from the student body. Wyoming Student, a campus newspaper wrote a column expressing student's sorrows and even included a student written poem that is located on our Home page. An excerpt from the Wyoming Student is below...
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"Last spring there came a sad day for this most venerable of the building's of Wyoming's campus. On account of the touch of time, the tower which adorned this building, rising sentinel-like into the sky to keep watch over the campus and to gaze far and wide over the city of Laramie and the surrounding plains, was cracked, and for safety it was deemed advisable that it should be removed." - From Wyoming Student, "The Main Building With Tower Which The Class of '19 Has Not Seen"
