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NR By County Test (3)

Wheatland

 

Brian Beadles
Historic Preservation Specialist
(307) 777-8594

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  • Platte County Courthouse

     

     
     

    Read All About It:

    Constructed in 1917, the two-story, brick and stone masonry courthouse is eligible because it represents the early twentieth-century political growth of Platte County, which was created in 1911. The courthouse is also an outstanding example of early twentieth-century Neo-Classical Revival architecture in a public building. The functions for the Platte County Courthouse have remained the same for the past ninety years, documenting the activities of its citizens, establishing a permanent record of births and deaths, marriages, divorces and adoptions, real estate and vehicle records, probate and court records, election and business conducted by county commissions. As such, the courthouse acts as an archive for the history of the Platte County and represents a symbol of the sense of community and permanence for it citizens. The building also serves as an important gathering place for the numerous public activities required of its citizens.

     
    Platte-County-Courthouse

    Date Added to Register:
    Wednesday, October 15, 2008
     
    Location:
    Wheatland
     
    County:
    Platte County
     
    Smithsonian Number: 
    48PL1643  

     

  • Robert Grant Ranch

     

     
     

    Read All About It:

    The Grant Ranch is situated north of Richeau Creek in the rolling hills of Platte County, Wyoming. Surrounding land is used for both grazing as well as the production of hay. Irrigation canals, reservoirs, as well as the creek provide water for farming purposes. The trees that surround the original buildings are cottonwoods, blue spruce and the vegetation is mature with large lilac bushes and native grasses. Corrals constructed from barbed wire and vertical log slabs are an integral part of the ranch. The buildings, structures, land and vegetation create a cultural landscape which was started in 1890 and is still used in the same manner over 100 years later. The Grant Ranch is an interesting mixture of hand crafted vernacular buildings along with buildings that were moved in and modern buildings that help maintain the economic vitality of the ranch. Within the ranch's historic district there are a variety of buildings as well as structures such as an irrigation ditch, the remnants of a lime kiln, and a dipping vat. The district also contains a small family cemetery.

    The Grant Ranch is a representative Wyoming ranch which was established by Scottish immigrants in 1891. At the time the Grant Ranch was started on 160 acres of land, ranching in Wyoming had begun to change from large herds grazed on the open-range to smaller herds of cattle grazed on both public and private land. The founder of the ranch, Robert Grant, used his expertise from working in coal mines in Scotland, where he built drifts and supports, to construct very solid buildings at his ranch. He constructed an eight room stone house, a barn and other out buildings. Grant used skills he learned in Scotland to create lime in his lime kiln. The house, outhouse, barn and even the chicken coop were constructed with limestone and mortar made from Grant's own lime kiln.

    Robert Grant joined relatives and friends who settled around Chugwater and what later became Slater. He was not one of the wealthy Scottish investors who came to the West to enlarge his holdings but instead was a man of modest means who used local materials to create his ranch. Grant slowly enlarged his holdings in what was Laramie County but eventually became Platte County. He and his wife Margaret helped expand the ranch by filing on land using among other legislation, the Desert Land and Homestead Acts. When Slater was no longer viable as a agricultural support community, the Slater Bank Building was moved for reuse to the Grant Ranch. The Grant Ranch is still in operation by the Grant family.

    1917 Photo of Grant Ranch on file at the State Historic Preservation Office

     
    imageComingSoon

     

    Date Added to Register:
    Thursday, September 07, 1995
     
    Location:
    Wheatland
     
    County:
    Platte County
     
    Smithsonian Number: 
    48PL901  

     

  • Wheatland Railroad Depot

     

     
     

    Read All About It:

    The Wheatland Depot, constructed in 1895, is situated at the east end of Wheatland's original ''main street'', Gilchrist Avenue, at its junction with the tracks. The Depot consists of four rooms laid out in a row. The waiting room is on the north, the Station Master's office with bay window next, then the express room for packages, ending with the large freight room on the south. The town of Wheatland and the neighboring farming district owe their existence to two events: the bringing of irrigation water through the Wheatland tunnel and the arrival of the railroad. Water made crops grow. The railroad made crops profitable. The Wheatland Depot was the point of arrival for most settlers and the point of departure for the area's products, sugar beets, wheat, cattle and produce. Until its closure in 1969, the Wheatland Depot was a focal point of commerce in the community.

     
    imageComingSoon

     

    Date Added to Register:
    Friday, February 16, 1996
     
    Location:
    Wheatland
     
    County:
    Platte County
     
    Smithsonian Number: 
    48PL995  

     

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