Copper Boom #348: Lora Webb Nichols Papers

Published January 9, 2024 at 6:00 AM MST

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Photo of Frank J. Lordier Druggist building, Encampment, Wyoming, 1899. Box 3, Lora Webb Nichols papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

American Heritage Center

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Page of a manuscript titled “I Remember”, about the boom days of copper mining town Encampment. Box 2, Lora Webb Nichols papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

American Heritage Center

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Photo of the New Bohn Hotel, Encampment, Wyoming, 1906. Box 3, Lora Webb Nichols papers, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

American Heritage Center

In 1897, copper was discovered in the Sierra Madre mountains, in south-central Wyoming. A trickle of miners made their way to the area. The first mines appeared just above what was to become the town of Encampment.

Soon, a newspaper office opened and produced a 12-page promotional brochure touting the wonderful investment opportunities. Twenty thousand copies were printed and distributed across the U.S. and overseas.

Investors, businessmen, and hangers-on all made their way to Encampment. In three years, the town grew from nothing to three thousand people. There were suddenly thirteen saloons and hotels couldn’t be built fast enough to accommodate visitors seeking their fortunes. A smelter opened with the capacity to process 100 tons of copper ore a day. A sixteen-mile-long aerial tramway was constructed to bring copper ore from the mines down into town for smelting.

You can learn more about the copper mining boom days in Encampment by reading the Lora Webb Nichols papers at UW’s American Heritage Center.

For more information, visit the American Heritage Center site.