Latin American Club of Laramie (Wyo.) records, 1961-1997

Organized in 1956, the Latin American Club of Laramie (Wyo.) served as a social and cultural center for the Hispanic community of Laramie at a time when the rest of the town looked down upon their culture. The club hosted activities such as dances, raffles, potlucks and bingo nights and also rented out the clubhouse to members for quincineras, weddings and anniversaries and other events. In 1961, the Wyoming Federation of Latin American Groups was formed and the Laramie group became members and hosted some of the meetings and conventions, as they were the only group to have their own clubhouse. By 1965, a National Latin American Federation had been formed and the Laramie group became a member of that also, with members traveling to the conventions and even hosting a few conventions.

In 1960, the club was able to purchase a tract of land and a house south of Laramie for $2000 and began collecting funds with which to purchase a larger building. In 1969, more land was donated by a club member and an old Union Pacific washroom was purchased and moved to the land to serve as a more spacious clubhouse. An electrical fire burnt the clubhouse down in 1968 and the entire town of Laramie turned out to help raise $3000 to rebuild. In 2004, the club was disbanded and the land and the clubhouse sold. Proceeds from the sale were used to set up a scholarship endowment for Wyoming Hispanic high school graduates, as continuing education had always been a priority for the group.