Laramie resident’s trophy display showcases passion for huntin

By EVE NEWMAN / even@laramieboomerang.com Sunday, January 12, 2014

Its called the trophy room, and it sits on the west side of the longtime West Laramie business, The Boardwalk.

Inside, more than 50 trophies of all shapes and sizes are mounted on the wall and displayed in cases, along with saddles, antique guns, Native American artifacts and family heirlooms. The room is open to visitors who pass through the store.

Owner William Rob Vogel, an Albany County native, has run the family business for more than 45 years. The trophy room is his museum of memories, and it shows off his passions for hunting and history.

Some of my most fond memories of my younger life were getting out. No telephone, no cars, no nothing, he said. I have a lot of good memories.

Vogel, 63, was born in Rock River, where his father, Bud, served as mayor and ran a lumberyard and motel. His grandfather homesteaded near Arlington, where his grandmother was the postmistress.

The Vogels moved to Laramie in the 1960s and opened The Boardwalk in 1967, remodeling the original building and constructing additions as they expanded. Inside, custom woodwork adorns the rafters and doors. A back room with one wall made of logs reflects the teenage Vogels desire to live in a log cabin, his wife, Crystal, said.

Today, the Vogels sell and repair saddles and tack, repair shoes and boots and run a Western-themed gift shop.

In the trophy room, a collection of rifles dating back to the 1800s hangs on one wall. One belonged to Vogel as a child living on a Rock River ranch. His mother gave him five bullets at a time, and he had to make them count.

I couldnt just shoot them all up. There were a lot of jackrabbits around the ranch, and theyd just eat you out of house and home. I had to shoot a couple of jackrabbits, he said.

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Laramie resident's trophy display showcases passion for huntin