Bob Homer was one of the early ranchers of the Laramie Plains. Born in Boston to an aristocratic family, he felt the lure of the West as a young man. He had been headed for California, but he stopped in Laramie and decided to stay.
He purchased the Flag Ranch in 1872. For nearly twenty years he raised sheep cut prairie grass and hauled it to Fort Sanders, where he sold it to the army. Then, after a hard winter in 1889 which killed much of his flock, he switched to cattle ranching.
Homer built a twenty-one-room hand-hewn log house on his ranch. He and his wife furnished their “Castle on the Plains” with items purchased in Europe and transported to Laramie by train. It had all of the refinement of a New England home. The Homers were known for their hospitality and the many parties they hosted. They were part of the leading social circles of the state.
Learn more about Flag Ranch by reading the Robert H. Burns papers at UW’s American Heritage Center.
For more information, visit the American Heritage Center site.