Est. 1887

The Town of Hartville was named for Col. Verling Hart stationed at old Ft. Laramie in the late 1870's when Wyoming was still a territory. The town site of 200 acres was purchased from the Federal Government for $250.00. President Theodore Roosevelt signed the deed in 1907. Hartville was incorporated in 1911. The town originally located in Laramie County became part of Platte County in 1911. Hartville has the distinction of being the "oldest small town" still inhabited in Wyoming.
Copper ore was discovered in the area in the late 1800s: soon after a large deposit of hematite iron ore was found and the company town of Sunrise was born one mile from Hartville. The mine produced iron ore until the 1980's when the mining operation ceased and the company town of Sunrise closed although much of the iron body remains today. Currently high grade limestone is quarried in the area which is used in processing sugar beets and to reduce emissions from coal fired power plants.
Hartville was a true old west town sporting thirteen saloons/gambling halls, numerous bordellos, two newspapers (The Hartville Uplift and the Iron Gazette), an opera house which held live vaudeville productions, numerous mercantile businesses, Handwritten record of the Hartville Council proceedings show issuance of liquor licenses costing as much a $1000.00 per quarter/year.
During Prohibition the saloons became "Coffee Houses" and later Ice Cream Parlors.
Hartville has a very diversified ethnic population; many Italians, Greek, Lebanese, Irish, Mexican, Spanish immigrants came to work in the iron ore mine at Sunrise and limestone quarries.
This building was once the Hartville Grade School. In 2006 with funds from the Wyoming Business Council and the State of Wyoming, the building was renovated and became our Community Center-Museum.

Old school bell was donated by Judy Cieluch

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Show me all markers in:  Hartville, WY  |  Platte County  |  82215  |  Wyoming  |  United States of America

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