Buildings
On May 2, 1974 a potluck dinner was held at the Old Corral in Centennial to discuss becoming a Bicentennial Community and forming a Historical Association. The first meeting of that association was held on June 17, 1974. On September 29, 1974 land on the south side of Highway 130 just east of town was obtained from Emma Sundby Wilson and work began to gather buildings to move to the newly acquired land. Through the next 30 years, the museum acquired an impressive collection of local buildings:
Engen Log Barn
This log barn was originally located on the old Engen Ranch, on the south end of the Centennial Valley, and dates to approximately 1895. It was donated to the museum by the Deerwood Ranch, owned by the Cole family, on August 14, 1993. It was taken apart log by log and reassembled on the grounds by the Centennial Lions’ Club. From 1994 until approximately 2008 it was used for an annual community garage sale. It’s now home to a laundry exhibit, an original oak bench from the waiting room of the Historic Laramie Railroad Depot, and on the 4th of July weekend it’s transformed into an art gallery for the annual Centennial Valley Art Show and Sale.
Centennial Railroad Depot
On the National Register of Historic Places, this depot was dedicated on July 4, 1907. The Laramie Hahn’s Peak & Pacific Railroad was built to bring tourists to the area from Laramie’s Union Pacific line. It was donated to the Centennial Valley Historical Association by the Union Pacific on October 9, 1974 and moved to the museum grounds on May 25, 1975. It’s open to visitors and contains the majority of our displays. It originally stood directly West of the museum.
Union Pacific Caboose
This 1944 Union Pacific caboose probably never ran on the tracks from Laramie to Centennial, but it’s representative of one that might have been here.It was built by the Pullman Company and was donated to the museum by the Union Pacific and was moved from the tracks on the north side of the highway to the museum on the south side on March 21, 1985, and dedicated on July 7, 1985, the 78th anniversary of the arrival of the first train in Centennial. This caboose was built by the Pullman Company, and is open to visitors.
One Room Buckeye Schoolhouse
This one room school house was used from the early 1900’s until the early 1960’s. Originally a log building, it was covered with stucco after the students’ parents attended a Christmas program at the school in the late 1950’s and realized just how cold the building was; it was heated only by a cast iron stove which couldn’t keep up with the wind blowing in between the logs. In its original location, the school had an outhouse, and a stable out back where the students kept their horses – their only mode of transportation to and from school. The original log building was covered with stucco for insulation.
The school was moved from the original location off Hwy 11 to the museum grounds on August 17, 2007, thanks in part to grants from the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund and the Guthrie Family Foundation. The interior has been refurbished and furnished as it was when used as a school. We’ve been able to interview students who attended this school, as well as one of the teachers who arrived in Centennial when she was just 18 years old.
Jane Houston Carriage House
The Jane Houston Carriage House was built on the grounds to house some of the larger pieces of ranching equipment in the museum’s collection. It also houses a very small office and a storage room. It was dedicated in memory of Jane Houston on July 2, 2005. Jane was a founding member of the Centennial Valley Historical Association, and was a dedicated volunteer from 1975 to 2005. She died in February 2005.
In addition to the ranching equipment, and a large collection of tack and harnesses, the carriage house is home to a 1917 fire engine, originally part of the Laramie Fire Department, on loan to us from the Laramie Plains Museum, restored by the students at WyoTech, and delivered by the Centennial Valley Volunteer Fire Department on August 5, 2010.
Lars Johnson Beehive Burner
In the 1920’s, Lars Johnson, Vern Anderson, and Les Bayh built this burner from scratch. It was used as part of their lumber operation through the 1950s and originally stood on a hill 1/4 mile to the northeast on the north side of the highway, across from the museum. The sawdust and slash from the mill were burnt in the burner. Donated to the museum by Vern and Kay Anderson, it was moved to the grounds – very carefully – on June 8, 1987.
Log Blacksmith Shop
This small log building was used to house the first fire engine acquired by the Centennial Valley Volunteer Fire Department shortly after the department’s formation in 1971. One end of the building was rigged with a large pulley to open the door high enough to accomodate the truck. It was moved to the museum grounds from across the highway, and holds our blacksmith shop exhibit.
Skid Shack
The skid shack was brought down from a tie camp on Gust Elhin Road in the 1960’s. “Skid Shacks” were transportable on “skids” pulled by horses so they could be moved as active logging areas were moved.
Rec Camp Cabin
The University of Wyoming operated a summer recreation camp in the area just above and to the Northwest of Centennial. When UW’s lease from the forest service was not renewed, UW was required to clear the site. This cabin was one of several at the ‘rec camp’.
Museum Grounds
Celebrating the ranching, mining, and railroad history of our area means that some of the items in our collection are pretty big. We don’t have space on the grounds for a building large enough to hold everything, and we’re fortunate that our dry Wyoming air doesn’t rust equipment quickly. Many of these large things are outside.
The Nici Self Garden is also on the grounds. Bernice “Nici” Self was the moving spirit in the founding of the Centennial Valley Historical Association, the governing body of the Nici Self Museum. The garden was established in 1978 and re-landscaped in 1991.