Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Laramie Woman's Club (Laramie, Wyo.) records, 1880-2016
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Laramie Woman's Club (Laramie, Wyo.)
- Title
- Laramie Woman's Club (Laramie, Wyo.) records
- Dates
- 1880-2016 (inclusive)Date of CollectionDate of Collection
- Quantity
- 11.11 cubic ft. (21 boxes)
- Collection Number
- 00131
- Summary
- The collection contains materials relating to the LWC's operation since 1880 including correspondence, newspaper clippings, reports, minutes of meetings, scrapbooks, budgets, membership lists, convention reports and programs for the Wyoming Federation of Women's Clubs and the General Federation of Women's Clubs, miscellaneous photographs, and histories of the club and its members.
- Repository
-
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu - Access Restrictions
-
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The Laramie Woman's Club (LWC) was formed on 13 September 1898 for the purpose of cultural and civic betterment. More than 125 women attended the organizational meeting and Mrs. Melville C. Brown was elected as the group's first president. The Club's committees included the arts, music, conservation, education, home life, public affairs, community improvement and international affairs. One of the early leaders of the organization and long-time president was Mary Godat Bellamy, superintendent of Albany County Public Schools who was also Wyoming's first woman state legislator. The LWC was a member of the Wyoming Federation of Women's Clubs, which was formed in 1904 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and the General Federation of Women's Clubs, a national organization for women's clubs. In 1934 the LWC began collecting materials for a historical museum, which was often referred to as the public or city museum. The artifacts were moved into the Laramie city hall in 1941 and in 1943 the LWC helped to form the Albany County Historical Society (ACHS), on the 75th anniversary of the founding of Laramie, Wyoming. The Society took over the management of the museum materials, and in 1951 the museum collections were moved to the Albany County Courthouse, but they were asked to vacate their space in 1958 and materials were returned to donors or put into storage. In 1966 the ACHS helped to form the Laramie Plains Museum Association (LPMA), which moved into the Ivinson Mansion in 1973 after being housed at the Roach house, 1420 Grand Avenue, Laramie. The materials collected by the LWC formed the nucleus of the collections for the LPMA.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection contains materials relating to the LWC's operation since 1880. The materials include correspondence (much of it with Mary G. Bellamy), newspaper clippings, reports, minutes of meetings, scrapbooks, budgets, membership lists, convention reports and programs for the Wyoming Federation of Women's Clubs and the General Federation of Women's Clubs, miscellaneous photographs, and histories of the club and its members. Included in the collection are letters, report cards, and photographs from 1914 to 1921 relating to Edmonde Fillaire (b. 1908), an orphan in Aurillac, Cantal, France, whose education was sponsored by the LWC. Fillaire's father, E.B. Fillaire (d. 1914) was a lieutenant in the French infantry and was killed during the early stages of World War I in Belgium. The collection also contains correspondence, reports, guest registers and other materials relating to its operation of the museum, the founding of the Albany County Historical Society, and its eventual management of the materials acquired by the LWC. Eva Floy Wheeler served as curator of the club's museum, and she was also instrumental in the formation of the Albany County Historical Society and served as the Society's first president. This group of materials also contains biographies of Laramie, Wyoming, pioneers for the Society's "Who Am I?" program in which people tried to guess the identities of the person being described. Also included are contracts and other materials donated to the club's museum regarding the Wyoming State Penitentiary.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
Copyright InformationThe researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Restrictions on Use
Statement on Potentially Harmful Language and Images Found in CollectionsThe American Heritage Center aspires to approach all areas of our work in ways that are respectful to those who create, use, and are represented in our collections. For a variety of reasons, however, users may encounter offensive or harmful language or images in some of our finding aids, catalogs, and collection materials.
Note that the AHC does not censor or alter contents of the collections as they provide context and evidence of a time, people, place, or event. Therefore, we encourage users to bring questions and concerns about descriptions in our finding aids to our attention via email or anonymous web-form. For more information, read our full statement.
Preferred Citation
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The collection is arranged in three series.
Related Materials
There are no known other archival collections created by the Laramie Woman's Club at the date of processing.
Acquisition Information
This material was received from The Laramie Woman's Club from 1949-2022.
Processing Note
The collection was processed by Mark L. Shelstad in 1996 and updated by Matthew Francis in 2011 and Jamie J. Greene in March 2016, December 2017, and October 2023.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series I. Organizational RecordsReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
1 | 1 | Albany County Historical Society -- Miscellaneous |
1943-1945 |
1 | 2 | Albany County Historical Society -- "Who Am I?" biographies |
circa 1942 |
1 | 3 | Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws |
1955-1994 |
13 | 1 | Awards - Certificates and Ribbons |
1991-2008 |
21 | Board of Directors |
2019 | |
13 | 2 | Book - Lora Webb Nichols: Homesteader's Daughter, Miner's Bride |
1995 |
1 | 4 | Budgets |
1966-1994 |
13 | 3 | Budgets |
1995-2005 |
13 | 4 | Building Committee Records |
1934 |
13 and 21 | Bylaws |
2008-2019 | |
13 | 6 | The Case of Jennie Brice - Meeting Minutes and Report |
1912 |
1 | 5 | Community Improvement Programs |
1972-1994 |
13 | 7 | Community Improvement Programs |
1996-2008 |
1 | 6 | Cookbook Galley |
1992 |
1 | 7 | Corporation Board -- Minutes of meetings |
1954-1990 |
13 | 8 | Correspondence |
1950, 1964-2006 |
21 | Correspondence Received |
2017-2019 | |
1 | 8 | Executive Board -- Minutes of meetings |
1948-1953 |
1 | 9 | Executive Board -- Minutes of meetings |
1955-1975 |
1 | 10 | Executive Board -- Minutes of meetings |
1975-1986 |
1 | 11-12 | Edmonde Fillaire -- Letters sent to the LWC |
1917-1923 |
1 | 13 | Edmonde Fillaire -- Photographs |
1914-1921 |
2 | 1 | General Federation of Woman's Clubs -- Convention programs |
1915-1932 |
2 | 2 | General Federation of Women's Clubs of Wyoming -- Convention programs |
1990-1993 |
13 | 9 | General Federation of Women's Clubs of Wyoming -- Convention programs |
1992-2009 |
2 | 3 | General Federation of Women's Clubs of Wyoming -- Convention registration |
1995 |
2 | 4 | General Federation of Women's Clubs -- Convention reports |
1929-1930 |
2 | 5 | General Federation of Women's Clubs of Wyoming -- Convention reports |
1990-1993 |
2 | 6 | Guest book |
1990-1993 |
13 | 10 | Handbooks |
1942-2002 |
2 | 7 | Histories of the LWC and club members |
1899-1994 |
13 | 11 | Histories of the LWC and club members |
1972-2004 |
2 | 8 | Hostess book |
1979-1986 |
13 | 12 | Investment Reports |
2009 |
2 | 9 | Legal materials |
1906-1928 |
2 | 10 | Meeting programs |
1904-1934 |
14 | 1 | Meeting Programs |
1932, 1973-1999 |
2 | 11 | Meeting programs |
1935-1953 |
2 | 12 | Meeting programs |
1954-1970 |
3 | 1 | Meeting programs |
1970-1979 |
3 | 2 | Meeting programs |
1979-1996 |
3 | 3 | Meetings -- Miscellaneous |
1964-1973 |
21 | Meetings - president Annie Nelson's binder (agendas, minutes, and board reports) |
2017-2018 | |
3 | 4 | Membership -- Invitation letters |
1976-1994 |
14 | 2 | Membership -- Lists |
1986-2000 |
3 | 5 | Membership -- Lists |
undated |
3 | 6 | Membership -- Reports |
1925-1928 |
3 | 7 | Membership -- Reports |
1940-1945 |
3 | 8 | Membership -- Reports |
1964-1993 |
14 | 3 | Membership -- Reports |
1988, 1994-2000 |
3 | 9 | Minutes of meetings |
1898-1902 |
3 | 10 | Minutes of meetings |
1902-1913 |
4 | 1 | Minutes of meetings |
1913-1921 |
4 | 2 | Minutes of meetings |
1921-1929 |
4 | 3 | Minutes of meetings |
1929-1934 |
4 | 4 | Minutes of meetings |
1934-1941 |
4 | 5 | Minutes of meetings |
1941-1948 |
5 | 1 | Minutes of meetings |
1948-1953 |
5 | 2 | Minutes of meetings |
1955-1975 |
5 | 3 | Minutes of meetings |
1975-1983 |
14 | 4 | Minutes of meetings |
1987-1992 |
14 | 5 | Minutes of meetings |
1993-1997 |
14 | 6 | Minutes of meetings |
1997-2000 |
14 | 7 | Minutes of meetings |
2000-2004 |
14 | 8 | Minutes of meetings |
2005-2009 |
5 | 4-5 | Miscellaneous |
1880-1994 |
15 | 1 | Miscellaneous |
1992-2007, undated |
5 | 6 | Museum -- Miscellaneous |
1940-1945 |
5 | 7 | Museum -- Pelton, Clark - Mortgage |
1899 |
5 | 8 | Museum -- Wyoming State Penitentiary materials |
1890-1895 |
5 | 9 | Music |
1932-1965 |
21 | Newsletters |
2018-2019 | |
6 | 1-3 | Newspaper clippings |
1898-1991 |
15 | 2 | Newspaper clippings |
1949-1950, 1972 |
6 | 4 | Nonprofit corporation reports |
1965-1994 |
6 | 5 | Officer's duties |
1987-199 |
15 | 3 | Photographs |
1950 |
6 | 6 | Photographs |
undated |
21 | The Plainsman Herald, Senior Edition |
1939 | |
6 | 7 | Presidential correspondence |
1889-1984 |
21 | Presidential Highlights |
2018 | |
6 | 8-10 | Presidential reports |
1945-1993 |
15 | 4 | Presidential Reports |
1995-2009 |
15 | 5 | Reports -- Miscellaneous |
1936-1990 |
6 | 11 | Schoolhouse project |
1980-1993 |
7 | 1 | Scrapbook |
1943-1947 |
7 | 2 | Scrapbook |
1947-1948 |
7 | 3-4 | Scrapbook |
1961-1962 |
7 | 5 | Treasurer's book |
1923-1949 |
8 | 1 | Treasurer's book |
1950-1969 |
8 | 2 | Treasurer's book |
1970-1972 |
8 | 3 | Treasurer's reports |
1925-1939, 1948 |
8 | 4 | Treasurer's reports |
1954-1992 |
15 | 6 | Treasurer's reports |
1993-2008 |
21 | University of Wyoming Faculty Woman's Club: |
1912-2015 | |
Box | Folder | ||
21 | Bylaws, event programs and flyers |
1965-2012 | |
21 | Newspaper clippings |
1912-2012 | |
21 | Photographs |
1951-2015 | |
Folder | |||
15 | 7 | The Wyoming Clubwoman |
1994-2008 |
8 | 5 | Wyoming Federation of Women's Clubs -- Constitution and Bylaws |
1904 |
8 | 6 | Wyoming Federation of Women's Clubs -- Convention programs |
1904-1915 |
8 | 7 | Wyoming Federation of Women's Clubs -- Convention programs |
1919-1930 |
8 | 8 | Wyoming Federation of Women's Clubs -- Convention programs |
1935-1949 |
9 | 1 | Wyoming Federation of Women's Clubs -- Convention programs |
1967-1989 |
9 | 2-3 | Wyoming Federation of Women's Clubs -- Yearbooks and calendars |
1902-1927 |
15 | 8 | Yearbooks (LWC) |
1952, 1966, 1997-2009 |
Series II. Oversized MaterialsReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
16 | 1 | Biographies of Laramie Woman's Club Members |
1994 |
16 | 2 | Commemorative Key to Wyoming Territorial Prison |
1986 |
10 | 1 | Scrapbook |
1948-1949 |
10 | 2 | Scrapbook |
1949-1950 |
11 | 1 | Scrapbook |
1963-1967 |
11 | 2 | Scrapbook |
1967-1970 |
12 | 1 | Scrapbook |
1979-1981 |
16 | 3 | Scrapbook |
1981-1984 |
16 | 4 | Scrapbook |
1984-1989 |
16 | 5 | Scrapbook |
1989-1990 |
17 | 1 | Scrapbook |
1990-1992 |
17 | 2 | Scrapbook |
1992-1994 |
17 | 3 | Scrapbooks |
1994-2001 |
18 | Scrapbooks |
2009-2012 | |
20 | Scrapbook |
2012-2013 | |
19 | Scrapbook |
2013-2014 | |
20 | Scrapbook |
2014-2016 | |
Folder | |||
17 | 4 | Scrapbooks (Miscellaneous Loose Pages) |
1976-1997 |
17 | 5 | Scrapbooks - Odds and Ends |
1998-2003 |
17 | 6 | Scrapbooks - Rink of our Future, Community Improvement Program |
1978-1980 |
Series III. Safe MaterialReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Safe | |||
1 1912 letter from Booker T. Washington to Mary G. Bellamy regarding the establishment of a vocational school |
1912 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Museums -- Wyoming -- Laramie
- Pioneers -- Wyoming -- Laramie
- Women -- Societies and clubs -- Wyoming -- Laramie
- World War, 1914-1918 -- War work -- France
Corporate Names
- Albany County Historical Society
- General Federation of Women's Clubs
- Wyoming Federation of Women's Clubs
- Wyoming State Penitentiary
Geographical Names
- Laramie (Wyo.)
- Wyoming -- History -- 1890-1918
- Wyoming -- History -- 1919-1945
- Wyoming -- History -- 1946-
- Wyoming -- History -- To 1889
Form or Genre Terms
- Photographs
- Scrapbooks
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Bellamy, Mary G., (Mary Godat), 1861-1955
- Fillaire, Edmonde, b. 1908