Cheyenne’s First Doctor’s House Recognized for Historic Preservation Month

Homes of one of Cheyenne’s first doctors and one of the founding member of Wyoming Stockgrowers Association are featured for Historic Preservation Month.

The Crook House

One of the first doctors in Cheyenne, Dr. William Crook, arrived in 1875 after practicing in Kansas. Dr. Crook had the first automobile in Cheyenne, a 1903 Oldsmobile. The house was built in 1890. Also known as Gibbons House, the Crook House was also the Governor’s Mansion for a time. The house also was residence to the P.S. Cook family of Cook Plumbing. Known for its architectural design, the National Register of Historic Places also lists a carriage house built in 1885 with chutes in the second story from a grain bin, a coal storage house, and a former chicken house that currently is a covered patio. The house now serves as home to the Wyoming Children’s Society.

The Whipple-Lacey House

Ithamar Whipple was a wealthy merchant and a cattle baron, who along with William Sturgis, helped found the Wyoming Stockgrowers Association. He built his dream home in 1883, 7 years before Wyoming became a state. It became the Whipple-Lacey House after Ithamar Whipple sold his beautiful home to Supreme Court Justice John Lacey. Lacey was the man who defended notorious outlaw Tom Horn and infamous oilman Harry Sinclair. The Whipple-Lacey House would later become a private men’s club before falling into disrepair. It was restored to its glory days in 1986. It now serves as a private residence.