Fremont Libraries Get LIFT

I’m not sure how many Carnegie libraries remain in the state. I know of two: Lusk and Lander. I know that Cheyenne demolished its Carnegie Library way back when. Other Wyoming towns did too.

I’ve been to the Niobrara County Library in Lusk several times. It’s a nice-looking old building with a small space for readings and other events. I once attended a Tumblewords event here with roster artist John Nesbitt. We’ve sponsored other events there, some in tandem with writing workshops at the State Women’s Prison.

Before last week, I hadn’t been in the Fremont County Public Library in Lander. Not even once. I can’t say why. I usually make it a point to drop into every library I pass by. The Lander Library is located a few blocks off the main drag, so maybe it slipped my mind when I was in town.

The library has an addition built in 1975. Soon, courtesy of the county’s ongoing Library Improvements for Tomorrow (LIFT) project, it will get another one. When I was there Jan. 10, workers were trimming trees and drilling test holes in advance of construction of the 12,000-square-foot addition. The old house next door is coming down, as well as some of the trees. The century-old Carnegie Building will be improved. Contractors will stabilize and waterproof the walls, re-point the stonework, and upgrade the plumbing and electrical wiring.

Library Manager Barbara Oakleaf is justifiably proud of the library – past, present, and future versions. She showed me around the Carnegie Room. Lots of groups hold their meetings in the spacious room with its big fireplace and Bierstadt painting of the Wind River Range. Preservation isn’t always easy. Barbara said that the painting once was carelessly stored away and had a hole poked in it. Now restored and insured, it highlights the historic aura of the room.

That evening, I attended the open house for another restored Lander building. The National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) recently completed the renovation of the Noble Hotel. I wandered around the old brick building and talked to a woman who once worked in the hotel’s restaurant. NOLS alumni circulated through the building, revisiting a past when they were young and rugged and the lodging was a lot more rustic.

Lander doesn't save all of its old buildings. A coterie of citizens wanted to save the old high school for a performing arts center. But it still went the way of the wrecking ball when the new high school was built.

Labels: libraries

- posted by Michael Shay @ 2:52 PM