Business Kemmerer, Wyoming
307-877-9761
800 Pine Avenue
Kemmerer,
Wyoming
83101
About Us
A Cowboy Town with a Prehistoric Past: An authentic Western town where nearby mines are still operating, Kemmerer's biggest claim to fame is that it's 10 minutes from the Fossil Butte National Monument, a towering geographic structure holding the world's richest deposit of freshwater fossils. Also, be sure to pay a visit to the J.C. Penney Homestead & Historical Foundation, where the famous store began.
The year was 1902 and a 27 year old man arrived by train in Kemmerer, Wyoming to start a new business. He couldn't afford the train fare twice, so he made a committment in dollars before seeing the town. A scattered mining community, Kemmerer had about one thousand residents, a company store that operated on credit and 21 saloons where a good deal of spare cash was spent.
Two revolutionary ideas - cash only and do unto others as you would have them do unto you - were the basis for James Cash Penney's new business venture. (The middle name is a family name, not chosen to express his retail philosophy). He named the store the Golden Rule.
During 1911 and 1912 twenty stores were added, bringing the total number of Golden Rule Stores to thirty-four. So it was Kemmerer, Wyoming, that gave Mr. James Cash Penney his start in business, and in 1913 the decision was made to change the Golden Rule Store to the J.C. Penney Company. The mother store is still a thriving business in Kemmerer.