The Hart Ranch is one of the oldest ranches in Wyoming. It is located on the Laramie Plateau and is surrounded by the Snowy Range to the west and the Laramie Mountains to the east. The ranch was established in the early 1860s.

Most importantly for Laramie residents, the ranch holds the oldest water rights on the Big Laramie River, whose headwaters are in northern Colorado. After years of fighting for good water rights, the City of Laramie purchased the ranch from the Bath family in July 2022 for over $7 million. Municipal bonds will finance $7 million of the purchase price, with the remaining $583,400 being paid by the city’s water system.

“The mountains are a beautiful backdrop,” said Jay Smith, Laramie’s natural resources program manager, during a recent visit to Hart Ranch. “You can look down on the hayfields. I just saw a bull elk and a cow elk in the pastures. I’m surrounded by these buildings that we believe date back to the 1860s. They jut out from the landscape. It’s pretty amazing, honestly.”

The ranch itself is about 8,200 acres in size and is located in Albany County and was originally part of the Overland Trail. The city owns more than 4,600 acres of the Hart Ranch property, buildings, improvements, crops, timber, mineral rights and, most importantly, the water rights.

National Register of Historic Places

Remnants of life along Wyoming’s historic trails are scattered throughout the Hart Ranch property, including the old bunkhouse and blacksmith shop. The main stagecoach station building is located on the west side of the river, on the site now known as Richardson’s Overland Trail Ranch. Listing of the Hart Ranch on the National Register of Historic Places is being considered as a possibility.

“We don’t really know yet if everything is eligible,” said Mary Hopkins, former state historic officer. “We’re still investigating it and have hired a contractor to do the nomination. (State archaeologist) Spencer Pelton is doing the testing for the archaeology.”

The trail’s historical significance is even tied to the Pony Express and represents an important legacy of the American West. The United States Congress authorized the Pony Express as a mail delivery service in 1859, paving the way for a stagecoach line and a series of stagecoach stations along the route. One of these routes was operated by the Overland Stage Company and became known as the Overland Trail. The Big Laramie Stage Station was located on the west bank of the Big Laramie River and was an important overnight stop along the trail.

The construction of the Transcontinental Railroad marked the beginning of the end of the Overland Trail stagecoach route. Remnants of these stagecoach stations are still scattered throughout Wyoming, some of which are located on what is now Hart Ranch.

“We need to stabilize some buildings, so we’re applying for the National Register first,” Hopkins said. “That would open up more funding opportunities. Hopefully we can get the work done on the buildings. The blacksmith shop and bunkhouse are the two oldest buildings on the property, and they’re pretty intact.”

It was the historic buildings on the property that caught Hopkins’ interest during the recent tour of the ranch. Blue skies peek through the crumbling roof that attempts to cover the nearly 160-year-old bunkhouse. Bricks are missing from the chimney and the weathered siding hangs into the earth. Doors allow light and animals into what was once the ranch hands’ home.

In the smithy, tools of the trade still hang on the log walls under a wooden ceiling. The log cabin was also built at least 150 years ago. The outside is covered with sheet metal and the joints need to be replaced.

Hopkins’ vision is not only to preserve the old buildings in their structure, but also to tell their story as part of Albany County’s rich history. Smith, Laramie’s resource manager, agreed with Hopkins’ vision.

“Hopefully in the future we can get some sort of historical marker and maybe a historical restoration for one of these buildings to return them to their former glory and show the public what it looked like here in the 1860s,” Smith said. “The council and the community have a lot of interest in this ranch. It provides wildlife habitat, ranching culture and water rights protection. There is an opportunity in the future to create open space and recreation opportunities.”

Beyond water rights

Although the city’s primary interest in the property is the associated water rights, there are also plans to manage the property for recreational and other public purposes.

The ranch is located next to the Hutton Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The refuge, which is characterized by a sustainable water supply, is home to many species of birds and a variety of large and small game, including elk, deer and antelope.

“I’m really glad the city reached out to the Albany Historic Board because there are these historic buildings there at Hart Ranch,” Hopkins said. “They really wanted to know what they could and couldn’t do.”

Hopkins helped the city of Laramie apply for grants so a record-keeping of the historical assets on the property could be conducted. This assessment with the Wyoming State Archaeologist could determine, for example, what building stabilization is possible and identify potential educational programs for future use.

“They want a solid plan before they do anything else with it,” Hopkins said, “which I think is great. You know, you can’t really open it up until you know what you’re going to use it for and how you’re going to handle it with the public.”

As community leaders dream of what the future of the 1860s Hart Ranch might hold for Laramie, Hopkins is there to help Smith create a plan to preserve the site’s history for future generations.

Jackie Dorothy can be reached at [email protected].