Oxford Horse Barn, barn near Laramie, Wyoming
The Oxford Horse Barn is a large log structure built in 1887 near Laramie, Wyoming, standing on a sandstone foundation. The building measures approximately 159 feet long by 50 feet wide, features large sliding doors at both ends with original hardware, and has a distinctive earth ramp at the back for wagon access to the hayloft.
The Oxford horse ranch was established in the 1870s by Pete Johnson and later sold to two Scottish owners, Whitehouse and Stokes, under whom it gained international recognition as breeders of pedigreed horses, at times running up to 3,000 head. The barn itself was built in 1887 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The ranch was sold to two Scottish partners, Whitehouse and Stokes, who bred pedigreed horses and at times ran up to 3,000 head. The barn is evidence of how English upper-class thoroughbred horse culture was transplanted to the Rocky Mountain West. The name of Axel Palmer, a horse trainer who later became part owner, is tied to the barn's local history.
The building is easily accessible and visitors can explore the exterior and view the rustic log construction up close from multiple angles. The flat open land surrounding it provides good sightlines for understanding the full structure and its relationship to the Wyoming landscape.
Axel Palmer worked at the Whitehouse Ranch and later became part owner of it. He trained horses and used the barn loft as a kind of obstacle course for breaking teams, a detail recorded in the barn's National Register documentation.
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