Pump House Hero

May is Historic Preservation Month, and in honor of the occasion, I would like to post about the Cheyenne pump house. As a member of Historic Cheyenne Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to educating citizens about historic structures and sites within our community, I created a "sizzle reel," as I sometimes refer to it, about the history of the pump house. I titled it Pump House Hero and sent it to city council, the mayor, and various other local organizations.

There has been considerable effort by the city to gather information on how much it would cost to rehabilitate this civic structure ($4M). Much has been said about its architectural significance (its style is known as Richardson Romanesque--the same style as the beloved Depot and Ames monument) as well as its location being the nexus point of many other community endeavors and attractions such as the Reed Avenue Corridor, Crow Creek Revival, 15th Street Experience, the Greenway, and the Union Pacific Railroad.

What has not been articulated about this ashlar sandstone building are its human stories. Many families lived and worked at this location and their names and narratives have been preserved in archived newspapers. One story in particular is that of Andrew Artist, who was the first pump house engineer. His story is one of bravery, civic pride, and tragedy. He is just one of the many colorful characters that left their mark on Cheyenne and its reason for being: Water.

The massive steam engines of the Union Pacific Railroad needed a stopping place with access to water in order to complete the steep ascent over Laramie pass--the lowest point of the Rockies. Without Crow Creek, General Dodge would never have chosen the location that would eventually become the city of Cheyenne. Not only did the UP need the water from Crow Creek for their engines, the rapidly growing community of Cheyenne depended on it for drinking, irrigation, and fire suppression.

Before the pump house, citizens relied on water wells, which were inadequate for protecting a booming population from the constant threat of fire. Two pump houses were constructed by the city in the late 1800s. The first one could not keep up with the demand for reliable water pressure and thus a second one, the one still standing, was built. It was designed to provide citizens with consistent water pressure and filtered water for drinking. Our story begins in 1892, along the banks of the Crow Creek:

Original 1892 drawing of the back of the Pump House featuring the 2 mil gallon capacity reservoir.

Rare, early 1900s photo. Courtesy of the Stoll Family.

Current condition. 65 ft. Smokestack removed in the 70s, revealing oculus window.

Original eve bracket with rosette adornment.

Interior main room very large to house the Holly Duplex Steam Pump.

Rendering of a possible future by TDSi Architecture Firm.

Cheyenne’s first pump house, located where the State Library stands on Central Ave, was considered by citizens to be an “eyesore.”  The new pump house was planned to be “one of the handsomest civic structures in Cheyenne and will command the admiration of all who may visit that part of the city.” Upon completion, it was described as a Veritable Young Depot. 

The new living quarters for the full-time engineer Andy Artist, his wife Louisa, and their 5 children were greatly improved from the two-room living space of the old pump house.  In addition to the large engine and boiler rooms, there was a living room, 3 bedrooms, kitchen, office, and a machine shop for “concocting taps.”

George East, who was paid $5,278 ($180K today) to build the mini-depot, had his office and yard located at 18th and Seymour Ave.  Although Mr. East planned on completing the pump house in only a month’s time, he began work in November.  The inevitable delays of winter and spring weather extended the timeline to six months.

There were a great many tasks involved with managing the city’s water, one of which included shoveling coal at all hours into the massive boilers in order to keep up water pressure.  Andy Artist was also responsible for blowing the water irrigation whistle twice a day.  Eventually, the pumpman would also be required to blow the curfew whistle.  Councilman McNeill, who took up Andy’s plight, felt it wasn’t right he should run the facility 24/7.  It became an ongoing debate amongst city officials because some believed that the city couldn’t afford an assistant and that Andy was doing just fine by himself.  Thus, an assistant was periodically granted during busy times and when the budget allowed.

Andy Artist served in the Civil War in the Seventh Iowa Cavalry.  Before becoming the pump house engineer, he was one of the first locomotive engineers for the Union Pacific Railroad.  His leg was badly injured in a train wreck on the Pocatello line for which he ended up suing the UP for damages.  The surgeon left a rubber tube several inches in length in his leg and the ensuing infection left Andy nearly crippled until it was removed two years later.  His legal battles with the UP were among some of the many headlines featuring the local pumpman.

“Friends maintain that Andy Artist is a born hero, in his residence of a great many years, his acts of bravery have been frequently given to the public,” said The Cheyenne Daily Leader in 1900.  The article details how  cattle broke out of the stock yards and fell between the ties of a bridge as they tried to cross.  Andy arrived at the bridge just in time and flagged the train as it whistled from the west, saving the cattle. “It took some time to extricate the cattle.”

May 21, 1904: “An appalling wall of water swept down Crow Creek and in a moment all of the city located in the bottomland bordering the creek north of the UP railroad was under water,” said the Cheyenne Daily Leader.  Andy, his youngest daughter Jessie, and her 3 girlfriends were in the living room of the pump house around 9 pm.  They heard the “ominous roar of the rushing water.”  Andy and Jessie were trapped in the dining room and had to stand on chairs until the water reached their necks before receding.  Meanwhile, Jessie’s friends escaped by tearing out the top portion of the screen door that couldn’t be opened due to the force of rushing water.  The girls climbed onto a protruding window casement and got onto the roof.  Chilled and soaked, the girls were rescued by Chief Nimmo in a boat, which then capsized.  They all managed to stay with the boat until it washed up against a fence and they were able to be helped out of the water.  Andy himself was rescued by another boat. 

Mr. and Mrs. Brown, the neighbors across the street, found refuge in their attic as their house was swept away by the current.  They were taken along for an “involuntary cruise” before their house was lodged squarely under the 16th St. bridge.

September 25, 1905: Andy was involved in a bar brawl.  Although “he put up a good fight,” he was no match for the larger and younger Marquez, who was an employee of the UP coal chutes.  Andy suffered several serious wounds about the face including a lower jaw fracture and his left ear was nearly torn off.  His body was found the next morning, dragged to the backyard of the saloon.  Artist remained unconscious until he died from his injuries 3 days later at St. John’s hospital.  He was 60.

Andy was a Freemason, a member of the Cheyenne Elks Lodge, the McKinley club, and a member of the Iowa post of The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR).

Meanwhile, his wife Louisa Artist had been suffering for many months from cancer, and was already on her deathbed.  She was never informed of her husband’s death as hers was imminent.  She died quietly in her bed, one week after her husband.  Her obituary reads, “she was possessed of an exceptionally kind and charitable disposition.  The sympathy of the entire city will go out to her children in their double sorrow.”  She was 61, her five children were all married.

Eight years prior to their deaths, on a summer evening in 1897, Andy and Louisa held a "lawn sociable" fundraiser at their pump house residence for the Women's Relief Corps. "Mr. and Mrs. Artist had the lawn decorated with the stars and the stripes and Chinese lanterns hung on all sides, furnishing a beautiful light. The lawn in front of the residence is very large and handsome. Flower gardens are tastefully arranged at proper distances. Chairs and tables were arranged on the grass and all who attended expressed themselves as spending an ideal evening. About 150 guests were present and the ladies disposed of their entire supply of ice cream and cake at 15 cents a dish and cleared a snug sum to aid in their commendable work." --Daily Sun-Leader.

Their grave can be visited at the Lakeview Cemetery in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Upon the death of the city pumpman Andy Artist, there were ten applicants for the position.  Mayor Gill initially nominated Nicholas Stoll for the job but it was not approved by council.  Richard Wilson, a well-known engineer, was appointed instead. 

Wilson's employment as pumpman only lasted 6 months however, as he was accused of using “abusive and threatening language” during an altercation with water commissioner William Foust.  Though the majority of council urged leniency, a case was made that “to overlook such an offence would be to mar the morale and discipline of the city service.”

Nicholas Stoll, who was Mayor Gill’s original selection, secured the position and remained at the pump house with his family until it was decommissioned.

The pump house was expensive to operate. Cheyenne continued to grow, and by 1909 Round Top Reservoir was already under construction. The new system would be more efficient, relying on gravity for water pressure instead of coal. Although it was meant to be a lasting monument, the pump house became a relic almost as soon as it was built.

One century ago, this editorial brings attention to the missed opportunity of the pump house. The writer urges the public to use their imagination and envision a better use for a building of such pleasing architecture:  The uniquely American style of Richardson Romanesque.  Moreover, the land upon which the pump house was built marks the origin story of the city itself. One century later, still a case can be made to save the pump house. It is a symbol of our pioneer heritage and it belongs to the people.  We were proud of it once and we can be proud of it again.  The opportunity is not yet lost.

Source:  Wyoming Digital Newspaper Collection

By, Maren Kallas, Historic Cheyenne Inc., May 2025