Torrington, Wyoming

Ruts made by early pioneer's wagons on the historic Oregon Trail in the late 19th Century in Eastern Wyoming (2007 photo)

Vintage photo of early 20th Century resident of the West using horses to pull his "horseless carriage" while "fording" a river

Situated on the historic Mormon Trail and near the Oregon and California trails[7] along the banks of the North Platte River, Torrington was founded in 1900 by W.G. Curtis (1857–1913), and named by him for his home town of Torrington, Connecticut. Originally a watering and coaling station for the CB&Q Railroad, which began passenger service in 1900, the town was a gathering place for nearby farmers and ranchers. In 1905, the first bridge was constructed over the North Platte River.[8]

A post office called Torrington was established in 1889 on W. G. Curtis' farm three miles west of the future town, with Curtis serving as Postmaster and later as mayor. In 1908, the town incorporated in Laramie County. It had a bank, three general stores, a pharmacy with a soda fountain, a land office, and two hotels (for one of which the building, although modified, still exists at 1841 Main Street.)[8] It soon became a central place of trade for Goshen County, and for surrounding areas in eastern Wyoming and western Nebraska.[8]

The town's site survey began in April 1900, by Ashland B. Smith of the Lincoln Land Company of Nebraska. The survey and plating was recorded in Cheyenne on June 22, 1900, and individual plots of the land sold to residents for one dollar each by Charles Henry Morrill, President of the Lincoln Land Company. More:The Torrington Telegram (which was still published in 2015) were established in 1911.[8] The 1900 United States Census lists only 71 inhabitants in the Torrington Precinct and does not list it as a town. All residents were stock growers, ranch laborers, cowboys or at school, except for one listed as a Hardware Clerk.

Also in 1911, Goshen County was organized.[8] The County was created from a portion of the northern end of Laramie County. The towns of Torrington and nearby Lingle—some 10 miles away—competed for designation as the county seat. Torrington prevailed after Torrington residents raised sufficient funds for a courthouse. The cornerstone for the courthouse was set in 1913, in a ceremony where a band was conducted by Hi Yoder, from whose family the nearby town of Yoder, Wyoming, takes its name.[8]

Around that time, early motor cars started showing up in town, the Goshen County Fair Association was established, and in 1915 Torrington had a population of 443. In 1919, the Trail Hotel building, which still exists at 2001 Main Street, was constructed. In 1925, the Union Pacific Railroad based in Omaha constructed a spur line from Cheyenne to South Torrington, to serve the proposed Holly Sugar Corporation plant, which began operations in 1926.[8]

Fort Laramie as it looked prior to 1840. Painting by Alfred Jacob Miller

The large, 24-hour Holly Sugar factory, which processes sugar beets, was still operating in 2015 as a major employer for the Torrington area,[6] and the preserved historic Union Pacific Depot building now houses the Goshen County Homesteaders Museum.[8]

The Torrington Livestock Commission, established in 1934,[9] still held twice-weekly livestock auctions in 2015. It is the largest livestock auction operation and barn in Wyoming, and ranks as the third to fifth largest livestock auction in the United States. Drawing cattle from a nine-state region (Nebraska, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, South Dakota, Montana and the bulk of Wyoming) the Torrington livestock auction barn attracts buyers from all over the nation. And, as of 2011, Goshen County ranked number one in Wyoming for its cattle inventory.[10][11]

Today, when traveling between Torrington and Guernsey, Wyoming, motorists will be following the path of the historic Oregon and Mormon Trail as they make their way along the banks of the North Platte River past the site of the 1854 Grattan Massacre near Lingle, and past the historic western 19th-Century U.S. Army Cavalry outpost, Fort Laramie National Historic Site.[6]

Torrington is located at 42°4′0″N 104°10′57″W (42.066542, −104.182471).[12] According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.62 square miles (11.97 km²), all land.[13] Its elevation is 4,104 feet (1,251 meters).

The United States Postal Service operates the Torrington Post Office.[17]

The Wyoming Medium Correctional Institution (WMCI) is located in Torrington.[18][19][20] WMCI, a facility of the Wyoming Department of Corrections, serves as an intake center for male inmates not sentenced to death. It was opened on January 6, 2010, and the first 75 inmates to be housed there arrived on January 13, 2010. By 2015, it housed over 300 inmates.[21]

Prize sheep lined up for judging at a County Fair

Public education in Torrington is provided by Goshen County School District#1. Zoned campuses include Lincoln Elementary School (grades K–2), Trail Elementary School (grades 3–5), Torrington Middle School (grades 6–8), and Torrington High School (grades 9–12).

Other towns and communities included in the consolidated Goshen County School District include Lingle, LaGrange, Huntley, and Yoder, among others.

Eastern Wyoming College, located in Torrington, is a two-year community college serving the area, with outreach centers serving Platte, Niobrara, Converse, Weston and Crook counties.[22]

Torrington has a public library, the Goshen County Library.[23]

• Edward Buchanan (born 1967), former state legislator and Torrington lawyer; Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives from 2011 to 2012
• Stephanie Burns (born 1955), Organosilicon chemist, businesswoman
• William Curtis, founded Torrington in 1889
• Stanley Hathaway (1924–2005), 27th Governor of Wyoming, 1967–1975; 40th U.S. Secretary of the Interior, 1975
• Jerry Hill (born 1939), former University of Wyoming and NFL football player (Baltimore Colts 1961–1970; Super Bowls III and V)
• Michael Punke (born 1964), Author of The Revenant

• City of Torrington, official website
• Torrington History, Wyoming Tales and Trails