Heap-O-Livin': Selections from the Lora Webb Nichols Archive 1899-1962
Nicole Jean Hill
Heap-O-Livin’ celebrates the remarkable vision of Wyoming photographer and diarist Lora Webb Nichols (1883–1962). Living in the remote town of Encampment, Nichols created and collected over 24,000 negatives and six decades of diaries that offer an extraordinary glimpse into everyday life in the American West. Her photographs document not only the region’s industrial and ranching history but, more poignantly, the intimate world of women—their labor, friendships, and resilience.
In a time and place shaped by harsh winters, physical isolation, and patriarchal limitations, Nichols revealed a vibrant, female-led network of strength and creativity. Through habitual home visits, shared domestic work, and the joyful act of picture-making, women found community and self-expression amid the frontier’s challenges.
Brimming with empathy and insight, Heap-O-Livin’ invites readers to rediscover the overlooked stories of women who shaped the cultural and emotional fabric of early 20th-century Wyoming—and to see, through Nichols’s lens, the quiet beauty of ordinary lives made extraordinary.
FW Books
Publication Date: June 1, 2025
