Lourdes Grottos in Wyoming

I have only been able to find two Lourdes grotto replicas in the state of Wyoming, although I’m hoping to find more–please contact me if you know of others in Wyoming. Thanks!

Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Glendo (extant)

Our Lady of Lourdes Church was built in Glendo (pop. 346) in 1952-53 (replacing an earlier church), and it’s possible that the small grotto on the street corner of the church property was built at the same time as the church. I could not find any information online or in newspaper articles about its construction or dedication.

The grotto, shown above, is a shrine built of regularly shaped blocks of stone or concrete, and with an interesting stepped pattern at the top that matches several stepped buttresses on the exterior sides of the church. A statue of Our Lady of Lourdes stands in the light blue-painted niche.

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Buffalo (c.1956, extant)

I could not find any photos of the grotto at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Buffalo, Wyoming online, only a glimpse of part of it from Google Street. But that glimpse was enough to confirm that it is indeed a Lourdes grotto.

It was built around 1956, according to the history of the church on their website:

The foundation for the new hall was laid in June of 1956 with Ray Williams of Sheridan as contractor…. The 96’ x 60’ hall, constructed under the supervision of Father Power, cost $46,000. It was formally dedicated in October 1956 by Bishop Newell before a large gathering of parishioners and guests. Father Power also had a grotto for the Blessed Virgin erected at the northeast corner of the church. This grotto was the setting for ceremonies for the crowning of the Blessed Virgin by parish children on Mother’s Day for a number of years.

HISTORY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHOLIC CHURCH Buffalo, Wyoming 1851-2023