County History - Lincoln County, Wyoming

The Lincoln County Courthouse is one of the architectural landmarks within the town of Kemmerer, Wyoming. Constructed in 1925, the Salt Lake City architectural firm of Headlund and Watkins designed the building. Compared with other historic Wyoming courthouses, Lincoln County's structure is unique because of its distinctive neoclassical facade. The mixture of classical detailing, such as the dome and entablature, with the large brick parapet walls is an unusual combination of architectural elements. The Courthouse embodies the distinctive characteristics of Classic Revival construction as adapted to a small western community's tastes and budget. The building is associated with coal development in southwestern Wyoming and the mineral investments which ignited economic growth in the region leading to the eventual establishment of the county seat in Kemmerer.

The J. C. Penney Home in Kemmerer is a rectangular, barely two story, gable roof, clapboard building. It is thought that it was already in existence when in 1903 or 1904 the Penney family first occupied it. It originally was located toward the back of a long and narrow lot of the original townsite of Kemmerer in the commercial district. In the 1970s when the Town acquired a suitable piece of property as a gift from the Union Pacific Railroad Company, the house was moved to a prominent location on the downtown triangle. The house was Penney's home from about 1904 to 1909, the years when the basic organization of his nation-wide store system was formulated.

The J. C. Penney Historic District is situated near the eastern edge of Kemmerer, Wyoming's business section. James Cash Penney opened his first store, which he named the "Golden Rule" in Kemmerer in 1902. By following rigid economies and selling for cash, Penney made substantial profits and eventually established a chain of such stores, which by 1913 were known collectively as the J. C. Penney Company. By 1928, Penney's firm was operating 1, 023 stores and doing an annual business of $176,695,989.14. The secret of Penney's rapid success was the fact the he confined his stores to small communities, refrained from expensive locations, had no fancy fixtures and handled only merchandise that created a general demand. Penney's success in turn spawned a host of imitators. Although several buildings and residences associated with Penney and his company are extant in Utah, Missouri, and New York, the Kemmerer structures are more significant not only because they show the humble origins of the Penney Company, but because it was here that Penney formulated the merchandising ideas which enabled him to create the first truly nationwide department store chain.

The Haddenham Cabin is located in the southeast portion of Fossil Butte National Monument, 10 miles west of Kemmerer, Wyoming. It is located on the Quarry Trail, which is a 2.5-mile loop leading to the south face of Fossil Butte. The cabin has local significance for its association with the quarrying of fossils in the Green River Formation. The cabin was built by David C. Haddenham ca. 1918 to serve as on-site shelter for himself and his family during their seasonal quarrying work. He actively quarried in the area of the present monument from the late nineteenth century to his death in 1968. From this work he provided universities, museums, and private collectors with specimens of rare fossils dating back 40 million years. The period of significance dates from 1918 to 1950. The cabin was used after the historic era into the 1960s.

The old rock church in Auburn, Wyoming is one of the oldest buildings in Star Valley. Permanent settlers moved into Star Valley in 1879. In the spring of 1888 these hardy pioneer farmers and ranchers surveyed the townsite of Auburn into twenty-four, ten acre blocks. In the late summer and fall of 1889, the rock church was erected on the public square in the center of the new townsite. The building served as a place of worship for the Latter-day Saints and a meeting place for the entire community. Activities in the building included dances, plays, operas, parties, bazaars, reunions, picnics and patriotic and holiday celebrations. Three larger houses of worship have been built in succession in Auburn but it is the old rock church which stands as a local landmark. The solid walls symbolize the strengths and values of those who built, live in, and served in the community. The building is a monument to the early pioneers of Star Valley.