Monuments

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Ames Monument

OUR EXPERIENCE WHILE ON SET

The Ames Monument was created by the Union Pacific Railroad Company to honor the Ames brothers, Oakes and Oliver. The monument was intended to be seen by all of the railroad passengers travelling out west, marking the Ames important contribution to railroad and U.S. history. Oakes, however, was accused of a scandal involving the financing of the railroad, tarnishing the family’s reputation and that of the railroad company itself. In 1901, the railroad was relocated several miles south of the monument and passengers were too far to see its magnificent grandeur.

OUR ADDITIONAL TIP

The monument itself was a little tricky to get to! Once you exit the I-80 highway, you need to take Lincoln Highway which will lead you to Monument Road. Don’t be thrown off by Monument Road…it’s a dirt, but it will get you where you want to go! Once you get to Ames Monument, you can finish off the Legends of Laramie Tour on your smartphone or just take a little walk around the monument.

NEED MORE IDEAS???

We did a lot of research for the show! Though we couldn’t visit every destination, we did want to show you what else we found.

While you are in the area of Ames Monument, keep your eyes out for an enormous bust of Abraham Lincoln along I-80. The bust is located near the highest point of the Lincoln Highway. The bronze bust is 13 ½ feet tall and is mounted on a 35 foot granite base. You can’t miss it! The Lincoln Highway was the first transcontinental highway for cars in the USA, starting in NYC and ending in San Francisco.

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