Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Torrington

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
B−History
History · Torrington

Torrington’s post office opened in 1889, and 20% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 54% of U.S. towns · #15 of 28 in Wyoming. What drives it

Its Register listings are the South Torrington Union Pacific Depot and the US Post Office-Torrington Main. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1918 on, and the census since 1910.

1889first post office
2on the National Register
20%homes built before 1940
7old photos & papers
11famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Torrington’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Torrington began

When was Torrington founded?

1889

The Torrington post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1900.

First census: 155 in 19102020 census: 6,119137 years

How historic is Torrington?

B−

More historic than 54% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Torrington post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1900.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Torrington’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Torrington is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns, #15 of 28 in Wyoming. Its share of homes from before 1940 holds the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Torrington’s overall grade.
Founding era1889, from the first post office: founded 1850–1899, an older era than 37% of U.S. townsC+Homes built before 194020.0% of homes (±4.2) · typical WY town 12.0% · U.S. 8.4%B+National Register2 listings, 3.2 per 10,000 residents · typical WY town 25.1 · U.S. 2.4B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 54%
NewerOlder
Wyoming towns of 2,500+ (28)Ahead of 48%

Wyoming towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Wyoming town has 25.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Torrington’s 3.2 sits near the middle of its state (37% of Wyoming towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.2 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1900.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Torrington’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Famous sons and daughtersWilliam Kent Krueger, Michael Punke and 9 more were born here.
★ What stands out · Famous people

11 famous people were born in Torrington

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
William Kent KruegerAmerican author and novelist · b. 1950
Michael PunkeAmerican jurist and lawyer · b. 1964
Stephanie A. BurnsAmerican organosilicon chemist and businesswoman · b. 1955
J
Jerry HillAmerican football player · b. 1939
J
Jane WarrenAmerican politician · b. 1950
L
Lynda MossAmerican politician · b. 1950
The story

How Torrington came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Torrington.

Read it all →

Situated on the historic Mormon Trail and near the Oregon and California trails along the banks of the North Platte River, Torrington was founded in 1900 by W. G. Curtis (1857–1913), and named by him for his home town of Torrington, Connecticut. Originally a watering and coaling station for the CB&Q Railroad, which began passenger service in 1900, the town was a gathering place for nearby farmers and ranchers. In 1905, the first bridge was constructed over the North Platte River.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Torrington, 1889 to 1964

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1889Post officeThe Torrington post office opens
  3. 20th century
  4. 1933In the archivePhotographic reproduction of original construction drawing, ca. 1930- " Cornice detail, "…
  5. 1939Born hereJerry Hill is born here
  6. 1950Born hereWilliam Kent Krueger is born here
  7. 1955Born hereStephanie A. Burns is born here
  8. 1963On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1964Born hereMichael Punke is born here
By decade

Torrington, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s7 items
Photographic reproduction of original construction drawing, ca. 1930- " Cornice detail, "Left elevation, " and Right el…1933Photographic reproduction of original construction dr…Photographic reproduction of original construction drawing, ca. 1930- " First floor plan, " original drawing in possess…1933Photographic reproduction of original construction dr…Photographic reproduction of original construction drawing, ca. 1930- " Rear elevation, " "Right elevation, and " Left …1933Photographic reproduction of original construction dr…Photographic reproduction of original construction drawing, ca. 1930- " Section rear wall drill hall" and "Front elevat…1933Photographic reproduction of original construction dr…Photographic reproduction of original construction drawing, ca. 1930- " Wyoming National Guard Stable, " original drawi…1933Photographic reproduction of original construction dr…Photographic reproduction of original construction drawing, ca. 1930- "Front elevation" and "details of brick trin, ori…1933Photographic reproduction of original construction dr…Photographic reproduction of original construction drawing, ca. 1930- Bay Storage Building, original drawing in possess…1933Photographic reproduction of original construction dr…
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today5 recent
US Highway 26 - Wyoming2014US Highway 26 - WyomingUS Highway 26 - Wyoming2014US Highway 26 - WyomingMaverick Motel--Torrington, Wyoming2014Maverick Motel--Torrington, WyomingWY-92 end2013WY-92 endROTPTorringtonWY2009ROTPTorringtonWY
On the map

Torrington on the map, 1963 to 1990

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Torrington. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Torrington on the 1963 USGS mapTorrington on the 1979 USGS mapTorrington on the 1990 USGS map1963Torrington sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Torrington.

Every building

Torrington, building by building, 1918

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Torrington fire insurance map, 1918, sheet 11918Sheet 1 of 2
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Photographic reproduction of original construction drawing, ca. 1930- " Cornice detail, "Left elevation, " and Right el…
Retake this viewPhotographic reproduction of original construction drawing, ca. 1930- " Cornice detail, "Left elevation, " and Right el…, 1933

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Torrington’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Torrington

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
1974
South Torrington Union Pacific Depot
South Torrington Union Pacific DepotUS Post Office-Torrington Main
Buildings

Architectural styles listings

Neo-Classical1
South Torrington Union Pacific DepotBuilding
US Post Office-Torrington MainNeo-Classical

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Torrington, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5007,000192019401960198020002020Peak: 6,501

Between 155 and 6,501 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Torrington’s Wikipedia page.

Help out

Finish Torrington’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewPhotographic reproduction of original c…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Torrington’s history

What year was Torrington founded?

The Torrington post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1900.

How does Torrington rank for history?

Torrington is more historic than 54% of U.S. towns, #15 of 28 in Wyoming. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Torrington?

Two places: the South Torrington Union Pacific Depot (listed 1974) and the US Post Office-Torrington Main (1987).

How old are the homes in Torrington?

20% of Torrington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.2 points), against a typical 12% for a Wyoming town; the median home was built in 1966.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.