Vee Bar Ranch Lodge

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Vee Bar Ranch Lodge
Stables at the Vee Bar Ranch.JPG
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Location Albany County, at 2087 WY 130, Laramie, Wyoming
Nearest city Centennial, Wyoming
Coordinates 41°17′49″N106°0′42″W / 41.29694°N 106.01167°W / 41.29694; -106.01167 Coordinates: 41°17′49″N106°0′42″W / 41.29694°N 106.01167°W / 41.29694; -106.01167
Built 1891
Architect Unknown
Architectural style Late Victorian, Other
NRHP reference # 86001468
Added to NRHP June 30, 1986 [1]

The Vee Bar Ranch Lodge was built in 1891 as the home of Lionel C.G. Sartoris, a prominent Wyoming rancher. The ranch was later owned by Luther Filmore, a Union Pacific Railroad official, and the Wright family, who operated the ranch as a dude ranch. The property comprises five historic buildings including the lodge, original corral and a stock chute. [2]

Wyoming State of the United States of America

Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the western United States. The state is the 10th largest by area, the least populous, and the second most sparsely populated state in the country. Wyoming is bordered on the north by Montana, on the east by South Dakota and Nebraska, on the south by Colorado, on the southwest by Utah, and on the west by Idaho and Montana. The state population was estimated at 577,737 in 2018, which is less than 31 of the most populous U.S. cities including Denver in neighboring Colorado. Cheyenne is the state capital and the most populous city, with an estimated population of 63,624 in 2017.

Union Pacific Railroad Class I railroad in the United States

Union Pacific Railroad is a freight hauling railroad that operates 8,500 locomotives over 32,100 route-miles in 23 states west of Chicago and New Orleans. The Union Pacific Railroad system is the second largest in the United States after the BNSF Railway and is one of the world's largest transportation companies. The Union Pacific Railroad is the principal operating company of the Union Pacific Corporation ; both are headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska.

Sartoris bought the Vee Bar lands from homesteader Theodore Brubaker in 1890. Sartoris was English in origin, and a partner in the Douglas William Sartoris Cattle Company, which in 1885 was worth an estimated $2 million. By 1892 the company had failed. Sartoris departed for South America and the ranch was taken over by Susan J. Fillmore, who from 1903 leased it to Gordon and Myra Wright. In 1911 the Wrights bought the ranch, adding a second floor to the lodge. Dude ranching began in 1912 to supplement income. [3]

The ranch is situated in a bend of the Little Laramie River with five contributing buildings and supporting ranch structures. The original log lodge was built by the Fillmores in 1901 and expanded in 1911. A modern addition dates to 1975. [3]

The Little Laramie River, often referred to simply as the Little Laramie, is one of the largest tributaries of the Laramie River, flowing 45.7 miles (73.5 km) in the U.S. state of Wyoming. The Little Laramie is formed by the merger of three smaller streams, the North Fork, the Middle Fork and the South Fork of the Little Laramie. The drainage basin of the tributaries of the Little Laramie River includes much of the eastern half of the Snowy Range as well as all steams flowing through the Centennial Valley. After leaving the base of the Snowy Range, the small river flows northeast, eventually emptying into the Laramie River.

The Vee Bar was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. [1] It continues in operation as a guest ranch. [4]

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred preserving the property.

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References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. "Vee Bar Ranch Lodge". National Register of Historic Places. Wyoming State Preservation Office. 2008-10-25.
  3. 1 2 Simnacher, Linda (November 28, 1984). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Vee Bar Ranch". National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-05-25.
  4. "Vee Bar Guest Ranch". Vee Bar Guest Ranch. Retrieved 2009-05-26.