Women’s History Month feature: Women of Basin were founders of Big Horn County Library

In 1906, 14 women with a vision met at the home of Mrs. Chas. E. Shaw to form a book lovers club. In the back of their minds was the formation of a free library. How well received that would be and how fast things would happen was likely a surprise to all of them.
The women collected books to add to the library. Within a year, they had collected 300 books and the Basin library was open three times a week. Throughout that year by means of “various entertainments and donations,” they were able to raise $500 to help buy more books and pay Miss Marshall who was installed as librarian.
In November 1907, the group, now the Basin Woman’s Club, formally turned the books over to the county. The county commissioners consented to make it a county library under the county library law. A board of three trustees was chosen: Chas. E. Shaw, R.B. West and B.B. Morton. Mrs. Shaw later served as the first woman on the board of trustees.
In 1908, secretary of the board R.B. West wrote to Mr. Carnegie to ask for help in building a library building. The county set aside the corner of the courthouse square and promised to help pay with the upkeep.
Mr. Carnegie’s conditions were that he would donate $15,000 to build the building. The county and town would have to promise $1,500 yearly for maintenance. The
county pledged a quarter-mill levy which would raise $1,300 and the city council promised to make up the difference.
The corner stone was laid in 1909 and the building was officially opened in May of 1910. The assembly rooms were furnished by the Basin Woman’s Club and the wide cement walk was provided by the Woman’s Club.
The Woman’s Clubs around the state of Wyoming were instrumental in building libraries and forming “travelling libraries” which helped to provide books to schools and others who were not near an established library.
Today the Big Horn County Library is a multi-branch entity with the main office in
Basin and branches in Greybull, Lovell, Deaver and Frannie. And it all started with 14 women that had a vision.