News
Two Wyoming Properties Added to the National Register of Historic Places
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- Category: News
- Published: Wednesday, 21 January 2026 18:16
CHEYENNE, Wyo. – Jan. 21, 2026 – On Dec. 29, 2025, the National Park Service added two Wyoming properties to the National Register of Historic Places: the Clinker Stone House, located north of Gillette, and the Ormsby Home in Casper. Though very different in form and history, both properties represent significant chapters in Wyoming’s past and are valuable additions to the National Register.
Constructed circa 1940, the Clinker Stone House was listed for its distinctive construction using clinker stone—a naturally occurring metamorphic rock common throughout the Powder River Basin. Formed by the intense heat of underground coal fires, clinker stone gives northeastern Wyoming’s hills their characteristic red coloration. With physical properties similar to porcelain, the stone is difficult to shape into uniform building materials.
During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps worked to suppress coal seam fires in the region, creating large deposits of newly formed clinker stone. Local residents repurposed the material for construction, including the Clinker Stone House. The property represents a rare example of hyperlocal building materials and reflects the ingenuity and resilience of northeastern Wyoming residents during the Great Depression.
The Ormsby Home in Casper, constructed between 1915 and 1916, was listed for its association with James Major Ormsby, a prominent early-20th-century Casper resident. Ormsby first achieved success through sheep ranching before becoming involved in a wide range of business and technological ventures. His contributions included downtown construction projects, development of Casper’s first wireless telegraph—used in ranching operations—and the establishment of an airfield and commuter plane service in the early 1920s.
The Ormsby Home represents the life and legacy of an influential community leader whose contributions to Casper’s development had not previously been formally recognized. Its listing helps document and preserve that legacy.
The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official list of historic properties worthy of preservation. Managed by the National Park Service, the National Register includes more than 600 buildings, districts, archaeological sites, and objects in Wyoming that reflect significant achievements in American history, culture, engineering, architecture, and archaeology. More information about Wyoming listings is available at wyoshpo.wyo.gov/index.php/programs/national-register.
For more information about the National Register program in Wyoming, or about the Clinker Stone House and Ormsby Home, contact National Register Program Coordinator Casey Woster with the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office at (307) 777-7530 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Figure 1: Clinker Stone House, Campbell County, Wyoming. Photograph taken by Jennifer Sams
Figure 2: Ormsby Home, Casper, Wyoming. Photograph taken by Elizabeth Rosenberg.
Contact: Casey Woster, (307) 777-7530; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.