Today, the Overdrive 40th Anniversary Tour stops at the Petro in Laramie, Wyo.
Laramie, Wyo., was named after an early trapper, Jacques LaRamee who built a cabin at the junction of the Laramie and Platte Rivers. After he was killed in the area his name was given to Fort Laramie, Laramie Mountain Range, Laramie County, Laramie Peak, Laramie River and the town of Laramie.
There are a few crazy attractions to see in Laramie.
Ames Brother Pyramid
You’ll have to travel down a dirt road to see a stark and scary rock pyramid that stands in tribute to the Ames Brothers, who were shovel manufacturers.
Oliver and Oakes Ames were 19th century industrialists (Oakes was known as the “King of Frauds”) who, when they weren’t producing shovels, were bribing Congress to finance the Union Pacific Railroad. The Railroad decided to show its appreciation by building a pyramid in their honor in 1882, out of native granite quarried from the site. Building a pyramid also kept Union Pacific Railroad workers busy, and it gave Union Pacific passengers something to look at in Wyoming.
The pyramid was designed by Henry Hobson Richardson, a big name in the 19th century. Giant portraits of the Ames Brothers, chiseled into opposite sides near the apex of the pyramid, were sculpted by August St. Gaudens, another favored fatcat who later designed the U.S. $20 gold piece.
Directions: East of Laramie on I-80. Look for the Vedauwood Recreation Area and Ames Memorial exit. Head south and east on the dirt road.)
Giant Head of Abraham Lincoln
Over I-80 near Laramie, Wyo, a giant Head of Abraham Lincoln watches over the land.
Next stop:
Fort Bridger, Wyo.
August 21
TA
Fort Bridger, Wyo.
I-80 at Bigelow Road
