Peanut Pond
Peanut's Story
The birth of this historic landscape feature began with a simple need and a plan to beautify the University of Wyoming's campus. The date it was printed in newspaper ink with a moniker, and recognized as an independent place, not just an irrigation reservoir northeast of Merica Hall (the women's dorm at the time), its true public memory₁ began.
Peanut Pond
Photograph of Aerial view of University of Wyoming campus around 1950's, University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center, Photofile: Aerial Views, Folder 1, Negative Number 16412
Above is a photo from around the 1950s; an aerial shot of the campus that shows the pond nestled among the buildings. In the 1950s the university began draining the pond for most of the year, but making sure it was re-filled in time for the annual Tug-of-War challenge.
Peanut Pond was a place of gathering, a setting to stop and slow down, an invitation for connection and change. When first constructed it did not sit very close to any campus buildings, instead it was a unique staple of an open campus landscape. It was simple, maybe a bit rugged, an addition to the campus that invited some intrigue and competition. Like any place, there was the good and the bad. Years of tradition firmly upheld by the students of the University of Wyoming took place at this location-- namely in the form of friendly competiton between students.
Tug-of-War
Peanut Pond, with its new title on account of it being "vaguely peanut-shaped", was quite quickly absorbed into the lives of UWyo students. The very first mention of it in the Branding Iron Newspaper is in connection to its use as the site of Freshman vs Sophomore beginning of the year Tug-of-War competition. This went on to be a campus staple that the newspaper reported on year after year, always making sure to cite the results and the general happenings of the event.
Every so often a message from each class to the other would be an addition to the articles of the Branding Iron Newspaper. Tradition was not something to overlook, as much as a dip in the pond was welcomed in the summer, a toss into it during the cold was an unwelcome thought to wield.
University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center, Ludwig & Svenson Studio Photographs, Accession Number 167, Box 10, Negative Number 14517B
Other Mentions
The pond was not something that fulfilled a single purpose, however. When in its prime usage, it was enjoyed by any member of the general public, namely children and college students. It was a place to cool off and catch some sun in the summers or participate in a fly casting contest, a marker place for after-dance rendezvous, even just a spot to sit and enjoy a scenic moment on campus.
In 1939 a short little article about observing little things around campus, titled "Have You Noticed?" mentioned a "nice" new fence around the pond, though the purpose of it was called into question. It evolved as organically as the rest of campus.
Peanut Pond was a constant, for decades. A place any regular on campus would recognize and probably know a bit about.
Anthony Dodds
Though Peanut Pond was a place that was overwhelming mentioned hand-in-hand with entertaining or perhaps frivolous events, that was not always the case. Anthony Dodds, a four year old living in Laramie with his family, drowned in its waters in the summer of 1934. His father was a student and had left for campus earlier in the day. Anthony, also called Tony, managed to follow him at some point, even crossing Grand Avenue by himself. Too late his mother sent a local Boy Scout after him, John Westley. After finding him, he attempted to resuscitate the boy until help arrived.
This tragic story was detailed in one column length article in the Branding Iron newspaper. The boy was unsupervised at the time of his drowning, so only events afterward are concretely known. There has been no other information about the drowning referenced in an article I have found, but for one. Almost 30 years later, it was used as a shock-factor sticking point in attempts to support the pond being removed.
No Pond
Photograph of Aerial view of University of Wyoming campus, June 1982, University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center, Photofile: Aerial Views, Negative Number 30846
This is an aerial shot of campus from the 1980's. We can see that the site of Peanut Pond now looks like any other walking area on campus. Today it looks largely the same, with the addition of a statue and bench in the grass.
There is no indication made, in the early days of its removal or now, that a pond once stood; small, proud, and vaguely peanut-shaped, on the Western end of campus. It exists as a space between.
Once you know about this slice of history, it brings up a sense of wonder and nostalgia₆ for the past days when the pond existed. You can't help but imagine a hot summer day where laughter bounces off the oldest buildings of the university and the water beacons to you and your companions.
Without commemoration, places like these fade from public memory. Shouldn't there be some memorialization given to the pieces of our culture's fabric that existed for the sake of beauty and fun? Instead of a statue that goes mostly ignored by walkers on campus, what about a water feature? Something small: perhaps a Peanut Fountain. . .