Robert Holding

Holding, a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was born and reared in Salt Lake City, Utah, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the University of Utah. His parents were apartment caretakers.

In 1952, Holding began work on the first Little America west of Rock Springs, Wyoming. In 1965, Holding and his wife, the former Carol Orme, started the Little America in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and completed construction a year later. For a time they resided in a house on the grounds of this Little America. His son, Stephen, also lived there when he managed the travel plaza. In 2008, the Holdings added a large convention and conference center at Little America.

Holding owned 400,000 acres (1,600 km2) of working cattle ranch land in northern Wyoming and southern Montana.

With an estimated net worth of around $3.2 billion at the time of his death, he was ranked on Forbes's Forbes 400 list as the 155th-richest person in America.

After suffering a severe stroke in 2002, Holding was partially paralyzed, but made a sufficient recovery to continue the management of his organization until his death in the spring of 2013.

On his death Governor Matt Mead of Wyoming said:

The passing of Earl Holding is a sad day for Wyoming. He and his wife, Carol, have lived the story of the American dream. Their accomplishments growing up during the Depression, excelling in business, and giving back to the state and the country epitomize that story.

Earl was not only an icon in business, he was an extraordinary philanthropist. His is a great American success story, because, for him, the two—business achievement and giving back—were inseparable.

Cheyenne Mayor Rick Kaysen said that he could not imagine what Cheyenne might be like if we didn't have the Little America resort. The things that we don't see are the guidance that he provided as a human being, as a businessperson, [and] his relationships with many people in Cheyenne over the many decades. He treated people just like they were longtime friends. He leaves quite a legacy.