Big Horn Academy Building
Encyclopedia
The Big Horn Academy Building was built in 1916. It is located in Cowley
, Wyoming
, United States
. It served as a high school and junior college for the students who lived in the Bighorn Basin
.
The academy was started in 1907 by Mormon
s who had immigrated to the Bighorn Basin
. The school was initially planned to be an academy offering not only high school programs, but also more advanced academics. The initial plan was to rotate the academy between the towns of Cowley, Lovell
, and Byron
. However, the school never moved beyond Cowley, so the church decided to build a permanent building. The main building, of rusticated sandstone, was completed in 1916. It operated as a church school until 1924, when it became part of the public school system. A gymnasium, built of lodgepole pine
, was added in 1936, being built by the Works Progress Administration
.
The school building was used until 1985. At that time the students from Cowley High School
began attending Rocky Mountain High School in Byron. Between 1985 and 2011 it was used as a preschool, and housed a number of small businesses. In 2011 it was remodeled and now holds the administrative offices for Big Horn County School District #1.
Cowley, Wyoming
Cowley is a town in Big Horn County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 560 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Cowley is located at ....
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It served as a high school and junior college for the students who lived in the Bighorn Basin
Bighorn Basin
The Bighorn Basin is a plateau region and intermontane basin, approximately 100 miles wide, in north-central Wyoming in the United States. It is bounded by the Absaroka Range on the west, the Bighorn Mountains on the east, and the Owl Creek Mountains and Bridger Mountains on the south...
.
The academy was started in 1907 by Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
s who had immigrated to the Bighorn Basin
Bighorn Basin
The Bighorn Basin is a plateau region and intermontane basin, approximately 100 miles wide, in north-central Wyoming in the United States. It is bounded by the Absaroka Range on the west, the Bighorn Mountains on the east, and the Owl Creek Mountains and Bridger Mountains on the south...
. The school was initially planned to be an academy offering not only high school programs, but also more advanced academics. The initial plan was to rotate the academy between the towns of Cowley, Lovell
Lovell, Wyoming
Lovell is a town in Big Horn County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 2,281 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Lovell is located at ....
, and Byron
Byron, Wyoming
Byron is a town in Big Horn County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 557 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.9 square miles , of which, 0.8 square miles of it is land and 0.1 square miles of it is...
. However, the school never moved beyond Cowley, so the church decided to build a permanent building. The main building, of rusticated sandstone, was completed in 1916. It operated as a church school until 1924, when it became part of the public school system. A gymnasium, built of lodgepole pine
Lodgepole Pine
Lodgepole Pine, Pinus contorta, also known as Shore Pine, is a common tree in western North America. Like all pines, it is evergreen.-Subspecies:...
, was added in 1936, being built by the Works Progress Administration
Works Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
.
The school building was used until 1985. At that time the students from Cowley High School
Cowley High School
Cowley High School is the name of the school that once existed in Cowley, Wyoming. It was closed in 1986. Students from Cowley now attend Rocky Mountain High School. The school was held in the historic Big Horn Academy Building. The mascot was the Jaguars....
began attending Rocky Mountain High School in Byron. Between 1985 and 2011 it was used as a preschool, and housed a number of small businesses. In 2011 it was remodeled and now holds the administrative offices for Big Horn County School District #1.
External links
- Big Horn Academy at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office