William Helmus Holliday (1843-1925) came Colorado in 1865 at age 22 and worked for a freighting company. In 1867, he was employed by a timber company at Sherman which he was able to buy with his brother Jethro Holliday and William R. Williams. The company provided the lumber for much of the construction of Greeley, Colo. Within two years he was able to buy out his brother and Williams and moved to Laramie.

W. H. Holliday Company, corner of 2nd Street and Garfield, looking southeast, photo by Henning Svenson.

In 1886, the W. H. Holliday Co. was incorporated. The building depicted cost $30,000 to construct. Ultimately, the business grew to occupy the entire block between 2nd and 3rd and between Garfield and Custer. Holliday was active in Democratic Party politics and served in the Territorial Legislature and was the Democratic candidate for Congress and ran for governor in 1894. The building burned on April 14, 1948.

Albany National Bank of Laramie, 2nd Street, approx. 1920, photo by H. Svenson

The Albany County National Bank was chartered in 1887 as the "Albany County National Bank of Laramie City and changed its name to the "Albany National Bank of Laramie" in 1918. Additional views of the Bank may be seen in the views of 2nd street below.

Svenson came to the United States from Germany in 1903 and joined his brother John Henning in Omaha in 1905. In 1905, he opened a photography studio in Laramie. In addition to studio photographs he made a number of photos in the 1920's documenting Laramie and its area. The studio is still in business, operated by the fourth generation of the same family. The American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming maintains over 20,000 negatives of photographs taken by the family. In addition to photography, Svenson was a beekeeper, gardener and raised Belgian hares.

Grand Avenue, looking toward intersection with 2nd Street, approx. 1920, photo by H. Svenson

Grand Avenue, 1918.

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