Owen, W. O. (William Octavius), 1859-1947

William O. Owen (1859-1947) was a surveyor and mountaineer who lived in Laramie, Wyoming, when the town was first founded. In 1898, he climbed the Grand Teton. His claim to be the first person to reach the summit of the Grand Teton was disputed by N.P. Langford, who claimed to have reached the summit in 1872. After years of controversy, Owen's feat was officially recognized by the State of Wyoming in 1929.

From the description of William O. Owen papers, 1890-1930. (University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center). WorldCat record id: 28455101

William O. Owen (1859-1947) arrived in the newly-established Union Pacific railroad town of Laramie, Wyoming, on June 14, 1868, with his mother, Sarah Cullimore Owen Montgomery, and two sisters, Eva and Etta Owen. As a child, he witnessed some of the operations of Laramie’s vigilante committee. In 1874 he began work as a surveyor under the direction of William Downey, and he surveyed the boundary line between Albany and Carbon Counties in 1883. In the same year, Owen and two companions undertook a bicycle tour of Yellowstone National Park. In 1894 he was elected state auditor of Wyoming, a position he held for four years. In 1891 Owen made his first attempt to reach the summit of the Grand Teton, but his attempts were unsuccessful until 1898, when he reached the top with three companions. Upon publication of this achievement, however, he became embroiled in a bitter controversy with Nathaniel P. Langford as to whether Owen’s party was the first to scale the mountain or whether Langford had succeeded in doing so in 1872. In 1924, at the age of 65, Owen made the ascent a second time. Owen married Emma Matilda Wilson in 1888. The couple had no children.

From the guide to the W. O. Owen papers, 1890-1942, (University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center.)