Lovejoy’s Bar & Grill was named after one of early Laramie’s most important business men, inventor Elmer Lovejoy.

Lovejoy arrived in Laramie at the age of thirteen. He attended high school in Laramie and enrolled in the University of Wyoming. He left college after three months to work at the Callahan planning mill, learning a trade that would later put him in charge of the construction of Ivinson Hall and St. Matthew’s Cathedral.

His love of travel and mechanics prompted Lovejoy to open a bicycle and novelty shop in Laramie in the late 1800’s, where he repaired bicycles and began to dream of a modern mode of transportation. After riding his bicycle from Laramie to Chicago, he decided there should be a more comfortable means of traveling across the country. So, in 1895, he set out to create the first “horseless carriage” west of the Mississippi. Lovejoy’s first car looked much like an old beer wagon without horses. It was built around a one-cylinder, two cycle marine engine and was driven by two chains connected to both rear wheels. It had a T-bar tiller for the operator to guide it down the street.

Lovejoy invented the same steering knuckle used on today’s automobiles. When he went to his father for financing the patent, his father gave him the following advice, “Go to work, there will never be such a thing as a horseless carriage.”

Lovejoy, speeding in his car at eight miles an hour, became a familiar site in Laramie. In 1896 Lovejoy added balloon tires to his contraption, the first balloon tires ever made for an automobile. In 1920, a modern tire manufacturer stumbled across balloon tires and hailed them as the “latest automotive achievement” – long after they had become and “old hat” to Lovejoy.

1908 Lovejoy Novelty Works Machine Shop

Lovejoy’s inventions spanned far beyond his horseless carriage. Lovejoy designed a road map, pointing out places of interest around Wyoming and in particular, Laramie. The idea was a hit and the first road map in America was printed in 1912. In 1917, he invented an automatic garage door opener.

Lovejoy lived in Laramie until 1953, when he moved to the west coast. He died in California in 1960.

** Information obtained from the Dec. 5, 1952 edition of the Laramie Daily Boomerang. The article, “This is Life...in Laramie,” was written by Vandi Moore.

Greg Smith opened Elmer Lovejoy’s Bar & Grill in February, 1994. In it’s inception, the restaurant’s décor was a tribute to the history and accomplishments of early Laramie resident and inventor, Elmer Lovejoy. When Karen joined Greg in ownership in 1997, “Elmer’s” evolved into Lovejoy’s Bar & Grill, a favorite local hangout, sports bar and college hot spot. Karen and Greg worked together to offer Laramie a casual restaurant and bar with a comfortable and friendly atmosphere.

Greg began his restaurant career in 1985, when he purchased Café Jacques, a fine dining bistro in downtown Laramie. Karen spent several years in the marketing field before settling into the restaurant lifestyle. They opened Altitude Chophouse & Brewery, a successful downtown Laramie restaurant and microbrewery in 1999. Together, they have 36 years of combined restaurant experience.

Karen and Greg believe in taking a hands-on approach to running their restaurants. Their lives are centered around the hospitality business and they thrive on the busy, social atmosphere their restaurants provide. They look forward to offering good food and a fun atmosphere to a friendly crowd at Lovejoy’s every day.

We are proud to be a part of the Laramie community and we strive to support as many local organizations as possible. We have contributed to hundreds of businesses and organizations, including:

Albany County Family Planning American Legion Big Brothers Big Sisters Cathedral Home for Children City of Laramie Parks and Recreation Department Cowboy Joe Club Downtown Clinic Downtown Laramie Business Association Ducks Unlimited Eppson Center for Seniors Freedom Has a Birthday Habitat for Humanity Hapi-Ness 5K Hospice of Laramie Ivinson Memorial Hospital Jelm City Run Laramie Animal Shelter – Dog Gone Race Laramie Area Chamber of Commerce Laramie Colts Baseball Laramie Jubilee Days

Laramie Ranger’s Baseball Laramie Swim Club Mule Deer Foundation The Lion’s Club Partners in Progress Planned Parenthood Project Graduation Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Search and Rescue Snowy Range Academy Special Olympics of Wyoming St. Laurence O’Toole School United Way University of Wyoming Athletics UW Art Museum UW Cultural Programs Wyoming AIDS Walk Wyo Tech