LARAMIE, Wyo. – July 29, 2026 – On July 16, 2026, the National Park Service listed the Abraham Lincoln Monument, located at the Sherman Summit Rest Area off I-80 east of Laramie, to the National Register of Historic Places. The Monument was listed as a work of art and a significant example of the work of Robert Isaiah Russin, an art professor at the University of Wyoming and arguably one of the state’s premier monumental sculptors.

From his arrival in Wyoming in 1947 until his death in 2008, Robert Russin had a profound impact on the advancement of sculpture as an art form in the state. Russin stood apart from most of his contemporaries, generally avoiding stereotypical Western themes and focusing on public art for the appreciation and contemplation of the masses. As a professor at the University of Wyoming, Russin taught and trained hundreds of students, many of whom went on to become successful artists themselves. Due to the high-profile nature of his work and his role as a professor, Russin was perhaps the most well-known Wyoming sculptor of the 20th century.

The Abraham Lincoln Monument is Russin’s most visible and best-known work and was among the artist’s largest and most personally meaningful projects. Completed in 1959, Russin designed the monumental bronze sculpture and granite base to grace Sherman’s Summit, the highest point on the transcontinental Lincoln Highway. It was Russin’s hope and intention that the sculpture would inspire travelers to contemplate the ideals and life of the nation’s 16th president. Though moved in 1968 when I-80 redirected traffic away from the former Lincoln Highway alignment, Russin initiated and oversaw the monument’s relocation to a similar vantage point: the summit of I-80, at an elevation of 8,686 feet. Viewed by thousands of motorists each day while traveling through Wyoming along I-80, the monument is one of Wyoming’s most high-profile works of public art.

The National Register of Historic Places is the nation’s official list of historic places worthy of preservation and is managed by the National Park Service. Over 600 buildings, districts, archaeological sites, and objects in Wyoming are listed on the National Register, representing significant achievements in American history, culture, archaeology, engineering, art, and architecture. If you are interested in learning more about the Wyoming listings, please visit wyoshpo.wyo.gov/index.php/programs/national-register/.

For more information about the National Register program in Wyoming, or for information pertaining to the Abraham Lincoln Monument, contact the National Register Program Coordinator, Casey Woster, at the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office.

Figure 1: The Abraham Lincoln Monument, located at the Sherman Summit Rest Area off I-80 east of Laramie.

Contact:

Casey Woster, National Register Program Coordinator 

Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office

Phone number (307) 777-7530 | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.