Laramie County Library

Established in 1886, when Wyoming was still a territory, the Laramie County Library System (LCLS) located in Cheyenne is the oldest continually operating county library system in the United States. Territorial citizens of Cheyenne rallied for five years to fund the first library building, opened in 1886. It was located on the third floor of a business building on Carey Avenue and after that in the basement of what was then known as the Central School. When Wyoming became a state in 1890, state statute dictated library service should be provided for residents by the county government. With funding being withdrawn from city resources, American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie offered $50,000 toward a new building in 1899. Three years later, the Laramie County Library opened on May 19, 1902, on the southeast corner of 22nd Street and Capitol Avenue, offering 10,000 square feet of space. Almost sixty years later, the need arose for a larger building, and on October 19, 1969, a new building