Town file
Hillsdale, Wyoming
Hillsdale, Wyoming (Laramie County, Wyoming) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 291, "Nicknames Of Death" (11 June 2022). In July 1985 Lawrence DeGroff, known to everyone as Diggy, was living east of Cheyenne, Wyoming, in the unincorporated area the episode calls Hillsdale.
- Town
- Hillsdale
- County
- Laramie County
- State
- Wyoming
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 291
- Approximate location
- 41.208, -104.474
Episode 291 / 11 June 2022 / 63 min / express
Nicknames Of Death
"I'm gonna call it Hillsdale... this is Wyoming we're going to... it's around Cheyenne; Hillsdale wasn't even a town until about 2013, and the story took place on unincorporated land east of Cheyenne" about 0:02:48
The case: Murder of Lawrence 'Diggy' DeGroff (October 2, 1985). Read the case file.
History, in brief
- Hillsdale was not a town until about 2013; in the 1980s the area was unincorporated land east of Cheyenne. about 0:02:39
- The settlement began as a railroad stop, a place where engineers could take a break. about 0:05:21
- The area was built on agriculture and livestock, especially cattle, and 'other types of animal husbandry also occurred'. about 0:05:29
- German immigrants started the farming in the area. about 0:06:22
- The town sits at 5,600 feet in elevation, about a mile high. about 0:04:23
The reviews read out
3 stars
"The county can be beautiful, but the community and culture are a bit withdrawn; it is hard to get into anything or meet anyone, especially if you have just moved there."about 0:06:33
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Carr, Colorado30 miles
- Greeley, Colorado57 miles
- Scottsbluff, Nebraska62 miles
- Wheatland, Wyoming63 miles
- Longmont, Colorado79 miles
- Estes Park, Colorado80 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.