Natrona County, Wyoming - The whole text, 1923 (part 5 of 15)

Casper lodge No. 15, Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons, was the first benevolent organization in the town of Casper. It was organized September 13, 1893, and on December 27, 1893, it was instituted, constituted and consecrated. Grand Master E. F. Stahl of Cheyenne presided. The officers to serve for the first year were: Emerson H. Kimball, worshipful master; J. K. Calkins, senior warden; P. C. Nicolaysen, junior warden; M. P. Wheeler, secretary; D. A. Robertson, treasurer; James H. Bury, senior deacon; B. B. Brooks, junior deacon; J. J. Hurt, senior steward; Wm. Hines, junior steward; R. J. Devenport, chaplain; Samuel A. Currier, tyler. The lodge meetings were held in the room over D. A. Robertson's saloon, on the west side of Center street, on the corner of the alley south from Second street. Regular meetings were held in this building until 1896, when the meetings were held in the Odd Fellows building, which had just been completed, until December, 1914, when the Masonic Temple, on the corner of Center and Third (now First) streets was completed. The cornerstone of the temple was laid under the auspices of the Masonic grand lodge of Wyoming on August 26, 1914. A lead box was placed in the receptacle of the stone, and in the box were the original plans of the temple, copies of the proceedings of the Masonic grand lodge bodies of Wyoming, together with copies of the constitution and bylaws of the local Masonic and Eastern Star bodies, a history of the local Masonic lodge, a panoramic view of the town of Casper taken in 1914, copies of the three local newspapers (the Natrona County Tribune, the Casper Record and the Casper Press), various American coins of different denominations, a copy of the directory of the town of Casper, small sacks of corn and wheat and a head of native wheat. The temple is used exclusively for the Masonic organizations with a club room for the members in the sub-basement, a reading room for the men and a card room for the ladies on the second floor, a splendid radiophone and dance hall on the same floor, with banquet room and lodge rooms on the third floor.

A meeting was called by John F. Leeper on October 3, 1894, for the purpose of organizing Fort Casper chapter No. 4, Order of the Eastern Star. At this meeting, there were sixteen members of the Masonic lodge present and fourteen ladies eligible to membership in the order. After it was decided to organize a chapter, officers were selected as follows: Mrs. Edness J. Kimball, worthy matron; John McGrath, worthy patron; Mrs. Anna M. Calkins, associate matron; Mrs. E. M. O'Neall, secretary; Mrs. Anna M. Seely, treasurer; Mrs. L. E. Townsend, conductress; Mrs. A. D. Robertson, associate conductress; Mrs. E. M. McCalmont, marshal; Miss F. C. Butler, warder; J. E. Daine, sentinel; Mrs. Sarah A. Bristol, chaplain; Mrs. Laura E. McGrath, organist; Mrs. Anna W. Denecke, Adah; Mrs. Berta N. Wheeler, Ruth; Mrs. R. A. Sprowll, Esther; Mrs. Belle Patton, Martha; Mrs. M. Hiestand, Electa. J. A. J. Stewart acted as deputy grand worthy patron and instituted the chapter on Thursday evening, November 29, 1894, with a membership of fifty-six, twentyfive ladies and thirty-one gentlemen.

Capitol chapter. No. 8, Royal Arch Masons, was organized on December 27, 1897, and instituted December 28, 1897, with officers as follows: C. H. Townsend, high priest; DeForest Richards, king; E. P. Rohrbaugh, scribe; E. F. Stahl, captain of the host; H. Bungar,

By authority from the illustrious grand master of the Royal and Select Masters, on the evening of April 30, 191 8, C. H. Townsend communicated the Cryptic degrees of Masonry to fifteen companions, and at a meeting held on May 8, 1918, Wyoming Council, No. i, Royal and Select Masters was organized in Casper, with the election of the following-named officers: C. H. Townsend, thrice illustrious master; E. P. Rohrbaugh, deputy master; M. P. Wheeler, principal conductor of the work; L. B. Townsend, treasurer; V. W. Mokler, recorder; H. F. Shaffer, captain of the guard; Lew M. Gay, conductor of the council; Oscar Hiestand, steward; W. F. Shaffer, sentinel. Casper lodge No. 22, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was the second benevolent society to be organized in Casper. During the early part of February, 1894, the organization was perfected and for several weeks the members attended a school of instruction, and on Tuesday evening, February 27, 1894, the lodge was instituted and officers installed as follows: A. T. Seymour, noble grand; J. H. Bury, vice grand; H. A. Lilly, secretary; Lew Seely, treasurer; J. E. Dain, warden; Peter Heagney, conductor; Robert White, L.S.N.G.; Robert Crosthwait, R.S.N.G.; Frank Bull, R.S.V.G.; Dan Mc- Kenzie, L.S.V.G.; John McClure, R.S.S.; Charles P. Dasch, L.S.S.; P. A. Demorest, chaplain; George Walker, junior P.G., and D.D. G.M. The Odd Fellows building was constructed during the year 1896, and the laying of the cornerstone occurred on September 22 of that year. The services were under the auspices of the Odd Fellows, Masons and Order of the Eastern Star. The cornerstone was cut by Dan McKenzie, and in the center of the stone was placed a brass box made by Lewis D. Seely, the box containing copies of the by-laws of the Odd Fellows and Masonic lodges and a history and list of members of the Odd Fellows, Masonic, Encampment and Eastern Star lodges of Casper, together with copies of the town ordinances, the Natrona County Tribune, the JFyoming Derrick, the

Lodges And Clubs Of Casper I4I

Cheyenne Sun-Leader and the Wyoming Tribune, a one dollar silver certificate of 1896, presented by John McGrath, a silver dollar of 1894, the year of the organization of the lodge, and a nickel of 1896, both being presented by M. P. Wheeler, and a Columbian half dollar, presented by Robert White. The formal opening of the building was held on Christmas night of 1896, with a grand ball, to which the general public was invited.

Enterprise Encampment No. 9, I.O.O.F., was instituted on December 18, 1895, and the following-named officers were elected to serve for the first year: James H. Bury, chief patriarch; J. E. Dain, high priest; L. C. Seely, senior warden; Colin Campbell, junior warden; M. P. Wheeler, scribe; Robert White, treasurer.

Natrona Rebekah lodge No. 13 was organized December 5, 1901, and instituted on December 22, 1901, with the following officers: Mrs. M. P. Wheeler, noble grand; Mrs. L. C. Seely, vice grand; Mrs. E. B. Shaffner, secretary; Mrs. Hannah McClure, treasurer; Mrs. W. C. Ricker, conductor; Mrs. E. A. Johnson, chaplain; Miss Adah Turner, warden; Mrs. Frank Jameson, inside guard; Mrs. C. B. Miller, organist.

W. L. Kuykendall Rebekah lodge No. 39 was instituted on June 19, 1915. The officers for the first term were: Eva Sawyer, noble grand; Mable Keith, secretary; Rola Luxon, vice grand; Dorothy Lloyd, treasurer; Mary Keford, warden; Alice Ward, conductor; Myrtle Buxton, R.S.N.G.; Daisy Hubly, L.S.N.G.; Emma Kocher, L.S.V.G.; Mayme L. Davis, L.S.V.G.; Belle Henry, chaplain; C. M. Walker, inside guard; P. D. Cunningham, outside guard; Amy Deisher, musician.

The Imperial Order of Muscovites, Kremlin Azov, was instituted April 16, 1921. The first officers elected were: Royal regent, A. T. Phillips; czar, E. Richard Shipp; royal counsellor, Lyle C. Garner royal grand duke, W. T. Bigler; royal governor, E. D. Hoffman minister of records, Ira W. Naylor; minister of finance, Elof Engdahl royal custodian, Oscar D. Miller; royal inspector, Byron Reid; inner guard, Arthur Kosanke; outer guard, George Rummel.

Natrona Camp No. 331, Woodmen of the World, was organized in Casper on Saturday evening, November 28, 1896, with thirty-one charter members. The officers chosen for the first year were: Council commander, Alex. T. Butler; adviser lieutenant, S. W. Conwell; banker, Henry Bayer; clerk, A. E. Case; escort, Colin Campbell; watchman, George Moyer; sentry, Oscar Truax; physician, T. A. Dean; managers, E. B. Shaffner, E. D. Norton, and Patrick Sullivan.

Eunice Temple No. 16, Pythian Sisters, was instituted by Grand Chief Mary Paterson, April 8, 1920, with forty-one charter members, twenty-two sisters and nineteen knights. The officers for the first year were: Past Chief, Elva Anderson; M.E.C., Mina Whisenhunt; E.S., Zedda Hemry; E.J., Besse Collier; manager, Ethel Bunce; M. of R.C., Minnie Twiggs; M. of F., Lizzie Evers; protector, Lillian Hawes; guard, Sylvia Bauer.

Abbas Temple No. 242, Dramatic Order Knights of Khorassan, was instituted by Deputy Imperial Prince Finis Bentley, February 25, 1922, with a charter membership of 116. The officers elected to serve for the first year were: Royal viser, F. S. Price; grand emir, W. J. King; sheik, Byron Reid; mahedi, Clayton K. Reed; secretary, L. T. Hall; treasurer, H. E. Hawes; satrap, W. R. McMillian; sahib, Thomas Mulligan; mokamia, B. H. Holmes; saruk. Dean Wolcott; master of ceremonies, W. G. Schultzline; escorts, A. R. Jameson and Sam Weller; royal princes, E. E. Fitch, Laramie; J. H. Giroux, Sheridan; O. A. Sholz, Basin; W. P. Holman, Sr., Casper.

The Loyal Order of Moose No. 11 82 has a large membership In Casper and in the early spring of 1919 purchased a building site on the northwest corner of A and Wolcott streets and appointed a committee to devise ways and means for the erection of a modern four-story building. The basement for the building was finished during the first year, but the main building, which cost in the neighborhood of $200,000, was not finished until the early months of 1923. The first two floors of this building are used for an auditorium, which has a seating capacity of about 2,300 people. The third floor is occupied by the lodge rooms and on the fourth floor are forty-six office rooms. The basement is used for club rooms for the members.

Lodges And Clubs Of Casper I43

Denver and Omaha were present, and about forty men were initiated into the order. The following were the first officers: J. P. Cantillon, grand knight; Jeremiah Mahoney, deputy grand knight; W. F. Dunn, financial secretary; W. H. Maly, recording secretary; J. C. Kamp, chancellor; Edward Schulte, warden; C. E. Wheeler, treasurer; W. G. Noonan, inner guard; G. L. McKeever, outer guard; J. E. Schulte, advocate; T. B. McDonough, James McFadden and P. J. O'Connor, trustees.

Casper Lodge, B. P. O. Elks No. 1353, was instituted May 18, 191 8. Officers of Cheyenne Lodge No. 660 instituted the Lodge. There was a charter membership of sixty. The first officers were: A. E. Stirrett, exalted ruler; W. W. Keefe, esteemed leading knight; Edward J. Schulte, esteemed loyal knight; A. M. Garbutt, esteemed lecturing knight; Robert Cohen, secretary; W. J. Chamberlain, treasurer; C. W. Thomas, tiler; trustees, M. P. Wheeler, Oscar Hiestand and Jeremiah Mahoney. The meetings were held in the Odd Fellows hall until late In the fall of 1921, when they were held in the Elks' home on the corner of Seventh and Center streets, which was erected at a cost of about one hundred thousand dollars.

Caledonian clubs in Casper have been organized and re-organized, but after a short life of activity interest in these clubs began to wane, until early in the spring of 1920, when the members of the Caledonian club perfected the organization of Clan Stuart, No. 248, Order of Scottish Clans, for the purpose of keeping interest in the club. The Stuart Clan is under the jurisdiction of the Royal Clan, Order of Scottish Clans, in Boston, Massachusetts. Meetings of the local clan are held on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Following is a list of the first officers of the organization: Peter Holden, chief; James Eraser, lanist; A. M. Weir, secretary; John Glendenning, financial secretary; David Eraser, treasurer; A. P. Kennedy, senior henchman; Wm. Duncan, junior henchman; Thomas Rutherford, chaplain; John Latta, seneschal; M. C. Keith, physician; Colin Sutherland, warder; Robert Little, sentinel; Ninian Duncan, piper.

The Rotary Club of Casper, Wyoming, was organized on March 12, 1919, with the following men as charter members: J. T. Gratiot, Earl C. Boyle, J. W. Johnson, J. C. Kamp, W. W. Keefe, Julian Lever, L. E. McMahon, Geo. B. Nelson, L. A. Reed, E. J. Schulte, Carl F. Shumaker, A. E. Stirrett, O. L. Walker, Ira G. Wetherill and M. P. Wheeler. The charter was granted on May i, 1919. J. T. Gratiot was elected president; O. L. Walker, vice-president; L. F. McMahon, secretary, and Carl Shumaker, treasurer. On April 12, 1920, O. L. Walker was elected president; L. A. Reed, vice-president; C. F. Shumaker, treasurer, and Geo. B. Nelson, secretary. On April 11,

1 92 1, L. A. Reed was elected president: A. E. Stirrett, vice-president; Geo. B. Nelson, secretary, and C. F. Shumaker, treasurer. On April 10, 1922, A. E. Stirrett was elected president; B. B. Brooks, vice-president; Geo. B. Nelson, secretary, and C. F. Shumaker, treasurer. During the life of the club the members have contributed to many worthy undertakings, among them being the Boy Scout cabin at the foot of Casper mountain, which was paid for entirely by the Rotary club and donated to the Boy Scouts. In 1921 the club equipped two playgrounds in Casper with apparatus at the expense of about $700 and also contributed $450 to the municipal swimming pool. In 1921-22 the Rotarians gave gold medals to the best drilled private of Natrona County High school cadets, and gold medals to the girls in high school making the best record in domestic science. They have also contributed toward a college fund to help worthy boys and girls through college by lending them money without interest. Up until 1923 two boys have been helped through college. Luncheons are held once each week for the purpose of taking up matters of interest to the community and promoting good fellowship. The club has the unique feature of having but one member from each line of business or profession. The motto of the club is: "He Profits Most Who Serves Best." On January i, 1923, the club had a membership of forty-one.

The organization meeting of the Kiwanis club of Casper was held at the Henning hotel March 10, 1921. Preliminary work tending toward the organization of the club had been previously done by International Field Representative Edward C. Bacon, and at the time of the first meeting the charter membership roster had been closed with 103 names of Casper business and professional men, not more than two of whom were selected from one classification, and no two of whom represented the same firm. The first officers of the local branch of Kiwanis International were elected as follows: Charles A. Cullen, president; G. R. Hagens, first vice-president; H. R. Lathrop, second vice-president; Harry L. Black, secretary; L. B. Townsend, treasurer. A board of directors composed of the following members served during the first year: Hugh L. Patton, B. L. Scherck, Arthur K. Lee, Herbert J. Peterson, A. J. Cunningham, W. J. Bailey and George W. Campbell. The installation requirements of the international organization were quickly complied with and on the evening of July I, 1921, the body was converted into a full-fledged branch of the Kiwanis International by the formal presentation of its charter by District Governor Clem W. Collins of Denver. From the time of its organization the Kiwanis club has devoted the interest and the influence of its membership on behalf of the civic good of the com- munity. It has participated in every civic enterprise and rendered notable service to every worthy cause. No campaign for the support of the Casper Chamber of Commerce, Boy Scouts, Salvation Army, Red Cross, or other pubHcly supported organization, has been without one or more Kiwanis teams in the field. The most notable singlehanded effort of the club has been the operation of the annual summer camp for girls of Casper, in which the club met all the expense over and above the camp fees of the girls. The local club has carried out faithfully the program of the international organization. It fostered and sponsored the organization of a Kiwanis club at Douglas. Its official organ is The Casper Kiwanian, issued bi-monthly by the club, publishing Kiwanis news, both of local and national interest. The live interest evinced by members in matters pertaining to the welfare of the community has made the Kiwanis club of Casper a strong factor in the civic life of the city.

The Casper club of the Lions International was organized at the Henning hotel in Casper on April 23, 1922, with thirty-six charter members and the following-named officers: Burke H. Sinclair, president; M. C. Keith, first vice-president; John B. Barnes, second vice-president; Homer F. Shaffer, third vice-president; Robert N. Ogden, secretary; William H. Lloyd, Guy A. Holmes, Carl A. Taylor, Ray Cook, directors. Since the organization of the club it has had a very active career. The weekly meetings take the form of a dinner every Wednesday night and at this dinner, various questions pertaining to local civic affairs are discussed. During the time since the organization of the club the members have participated in all of the local public movements. In all drives for the purpose of raising funds for such organizations as the local Boy Scouts, Y. W. C. A., Salvation Army, Chamber of Commerce, etc., the club has been represented by an active working committee. The club has always entered into discussion of civic problems with a constructive spirit and has attempted at all times to be in the forefront whenever action was demanded. Specifically, it might be mentioned that the club took the leading part and accomplished the greatest result in the Near East drive, which was held during the summer of 1922. Again, the club accepted the proposition of the Chamber of Commerce to provide funds for and look after the installation of one of the ornamental lights for the Platte river bridge near the city. These funds have been provided and the club chose as its pioneer after whom to name its light, Ezra Meeker, the famous traveler through this section of the country in the early days. One of the greatest achievements of the club has been the initiation of the community chest plan. The general objects and purposes of the Lion club in Casper, as in all other localities where such clubs exist, may be summed up by the following: To promote the theory and practice of the principles of good government and good citizenship. To take an active interest in the civic, commercial, social and moral welfare of the community. To unite the members in the bonds of friendship, good fellowship and mutual understanding. To provide a forum for the full and free discussion of all matters of public interest, partisan politics and sectarian religion alone excepted. To encourage efficiency and promote high ethical standards in business and professions; provided that no club shall hold out as one of its objects financial benefits to its members.

The organization of the Casper Boy Scout council was fostered and promulgated by the Casper Chamber of Commerce. Within a short time the preliminary work was completed and March 24, 1920, a formal charter was granted to a representative group of Casper citizens for the conduct of a local council of Boy Scouts. Funds for the promotion and maintenance of this council are raised by popular subscription and the citizenship at large are satisfied that the money they contribute to this organization is one of the very best investments they can make, for after two years they are convinced that the scout movement is character-building and the training for good citizenship among the boys, and it is sure to make real men out of the real boys. In August each year summer camps for the members of the troops are held in the mountains, lasting two weeks, and these camps are visited by many of the business and professional men of the city who show a deep interest in the welfare of the boys. The first year's budget, amounting to $8,000, was subscribed in less than two hours and each succeeding year the business men of the city have considered it a privilege and a pleasure to contribute for the support of this worthy organization. The Casper council has the largest membership of any council in the state.

A "system" of water works was first proposed for the town of Casper in the late autumn of 1890. The proposition was the "construction of a large irrigation canal, three miles long and twelve feet wide at the bottom, to be taken from the Platte river west of town, and carried over as much of the Carey land as possible, with laterals leading into and through the town." An engineer from Cheyenne surveyed the ditches, and if the scheme was carried to a successful conclusion, it was said by the citizens that Casper and the CY ranch would "blossom as the rose." The scheme was never carried out, however, and the people continued to pump the water from the wells that had been dug and to haul it from the river and Garden and Elkhorn creeks. The matter was officially brought up again in the early spring of 1891, when a notice was published in the newspapers of the town to the effect that "the citizens of Casper are requested to meet with the town council, at the town hall, on Monday evening, March 16, at 7:30 o'clock, to discuss the feasibility and advisability of providing a system of water works for the city. The council desires to ascertain the true sentiment of the town, not only as to the advisability and practicability of securing a water works system, but concerning the kind of system to be adopted, in case the sentiment of the meeting is favorable for the construction."

The water supply for the town in those days was furnished by shallow dug wells in the residence section, and on Center street there were three wells and two on Second street. The wells in the business part of town were mainly for fire protection. They were equipped with a force pump with double handles, so that four men could operate them, and thus keep the bucket brigade supplied with water in case of a fire. Luckily, however, there were few fires.

The water in the wells in all parts of the town became polluted in a short time, and sickness and death resulted, especially among the children. Then the water that was used for drinking and cooking was hauled in barrels from Elkhorn and Garden creeks.

At the meeting held on the date mentioned above, the local newspaper said that a "large number of citizens met with the council," and it was stated that "it had been found that the water could be piped a distance of five and one-fourth miles to a reservoir on a hill one mile southeast of town, from which a main pipe could be laid to the city." No one at the meeting could give any definite figures as to the cost of the system, "but it was thought ^10,000 would be ample." A committee, consisting of P. A. Demorest, A. McKinney, C. K, Bucknum, P. C. Nicolaysen and William Kranish was appointed to secure estimates on different systems and ascertain which was the cheapest and best.

In about two weeks this committee met with the town council and made its report to the effect that it "favored a windmill and tank system, the tank to be located just north of town, on a line with Center street (where the court house is now located). From the tank it was proposed to lay a water main to First (now Midwest avenue) and Center street, thence east one block. The line was to be extended east on Second street to Durbin street and west to David street. The tank was to be 16x24 feet, on a forty-foot tower, and to have a capacity of 16,000 barrels, which would give sufficient pressure to throw a stream fifty feet high. A twenty-foot wheel windmill was

It was proposed to issue bonds in the amount of $5,000 for the construction of such a system, and accordingly a proclamation was issued by the town council for an election to be held on May 12, 1891, to vote upon such bonds. Before the election was held, however, there was a remonstrance circulated and numerously signed by citizens and taxpayers against the issuance of the bonds on the grounds that such a system was inadequate.

At the election fifty-one votes were cast for the bonds and thirtyone votes against, but the vote proved to be irregular and illegal on account of the fact that there was not one vote cast in accordance with the instructions on the ballot, and the bonds failed to carry. Thus the matter of water works was held up for a number of years and the people continued to pump the water from wells and have it hauled in barrels from the river and the creeks.

On Monday, September 4, 1893, at a meeting of the town council, Mayor C. K. Bucknum entertained a motion from Councilman John McGrath to the eflPect that the town of Casper vote water bonds to the amount of $30,000, and on Tuesday following a special meeting of the council was held and an ordinance and proclamation were read and approved calling for a special election on Tuesday, October 10, 1893, submitting the proposition to the qualified electors of the town to issue bonds in the amount of $30,000, for the purpose of constructing, purchasing, extending, maintaining, and regulating a system of water works to supply the town of Casper with water for the extinguishing of fires and for the supply of the inhabitants thereof with water for domestic, manufacturing, and other purposes.

The election was held and the bonds were carried, and a survey was made for a gravity system and the estimate of the cost submitted, the estimate providing for a reservoir 60x132 feet, twenty feet deep, to contain 1,188,000 gallons of water, sufficient for a town with a population of 2,000. Twenty-five fire plugs to be distributed throughout the city were also provided for and the entire cost was estimated at $26,670.

The bonds were advertised to be sold at 12 o'clock on December 15, 1893, but no bids were received on that date. Consequently, the bonds were not sold.

At an adjourned meeting of the town council held on Saturday, December 16, 1893, an option was taken from Adam & Williams for water right number one from the east fork of Elkhorn creek, the contract calling for a perpetual supply of water to the volume of sixtenths of a cubic foot per second, which would be adequate for a population of over 3,000. The amount agreed upon for the payment of this water right was $1,500, the option on the right to hold good until July i, 1894. Two hundred fifty dollars of the purchase price was paid in advance.

On February 8, 1894, J. A. Jones, representing the Michigan Pipe Line company of Bay City, Michigan, submitted a proposition to the town council to survey the line, furnish and lay the pipe, build the reservoir, and furnish the whole system for the sum of $30,000 in 6 per cent gold bonds of the town of Casper, the work to commence as soon as the frost was out of the ground, and continue without interruption until completed.

The proposition was accepted by the town council and a contract was to be drawn up and signed before March 15, 1894. The contract was not signed, however, on account of Jones failing to put in an appearance, and the town council thereupon rejected the proposition of the Michigan Pipe Line company. Another effort was made to sell the bonds, but on account of the stringency in the money market and the unsettled condition generally, the bonds were not sold.

A petition was circulated among the people of the town asking them to subscribe for the bonds, but at that time the people felt that they could not spare the money, and the money was not raised. Again the water works system for Casper failed to materialize. With all hope gone, the town council ordered that the five town wells, with their hand pumps, be put in shape to afford fire protection with the bucket brigade, and water was hauled to town in barrels with team and wagon for domestic purposes and sold at very reasonable prices, as will be noted from the following advertisement which appeared in the local newspapers:

"On July 24, 1895, ^- E- Seeley will commence delivering pure mountain water in the city. This water is as soft as rainwater and is taken from Garden creek, only a short distance this side of the falls, and is free from alkali and all impurities. For washing or drinking purposes it will pay to use this water. Mr. Seeley will run his wagon daily and he should receive a liberal patronage. He will deliver in either barrel or halfbarrel lots, to suit the customer. The price is fixed at 35 cents per barrel."

On June 12, 1895, a special election was called for July 13, 1895, authorizing the issuance of bonds to the amount of $23,000, for the purpose of "constructing, purchasing, extending, maintaining and regulating a system of water works to supply the said town of Casper with water, for the supplying of the inhabitants thereof with water for domestic and manufacturing purposes." George B. McCalmont was mayor, W. A. Denecke, J. A. Warner, P. C. Nicolaysen and John

McGrath were members of the council when the election proclamation was issued. At the special election 236 votes were cast for the bonds and there were only two votes cast against the proposition.

The bonds were sold on August 24, 1895, and bids for the construction of the system were advertised, to be opened at 12 o'clock, September 16, 1895. C. E. McGarvey, of Cheyenne, was the successful bidder, his price being ^23,000 in water bonds, $6,000 in town warrants, payable in one, two, and three years, and $3,000 in cash. Work was commenced at once, beginning at Elkhorn creek, about seven miles south of town. At the intake a dam fifty feet in width and nine feet high backed the water up 150 yards, and below this dam was built the setthng basm. For the first 9,000 feet, the mains were of eight-inch pipe, and then for 18,000 feet, the pipe was six inches, after which a four-inch pipe carried the water to the town. The fall from the dam on the foothills of Casper mountain to the level of the town is about 900 feet, and three pressure regulators were installed and the pressure was to be reduced to seventy-five pounds. Work progressed very slowly on account of digging the ditches in some places through solid rock, but in the early spring of 1896 the mains were being laid in the streets of the town, and on Tuesday, May 26, 1896, the water was in the pipes in the town. In the evening on that date a test was made by the firemen before the town council and a large number of citizens. The first connection was made at 6:30 at the corner of First (now Midwest avenue) and Center streets and when the water was turned on a two-inch stream shot into the air 120 feet; the stream was turned on the Natrona hotel and the adjacent buildings, as well as on a considerable number of people who did not succeed in getting a safe distance away. After half an hour's thorough test at this point, the hose was then connected at the corner of Second and Center streets, and the stream of water was shot on top and over the Grand Central hotel; the full force was turned on the roof of the Metcalf store (where the Rialto theatre is now located) and hundreds of shingles were ripped off from the roof of the building by the force of the water; a great many more of the spectators were drenched, and when the mayor and town council pronounced the demonstrations satisfactory and signified that the system would be accepted, pandemonium broke loose, and it was not the water from Elkhorn creek that was drunk by most of the male population that night, but the next morning the cool and refreshing HoO was in great demand.

There were nine saloons on the west side of Center street at that time and the crowd lined up in front of the bar six deep at the first saloon. After all had participated in the libations, they went on to the next saloon, and then to the next and the next, adding to their numbers a great many people as they progressed down the row to the last saloon. If a man refused to buy, his body was hoisted onto the bar, and his valuables and clothing were stripped from him and held as security for payment of the round of drinks. There were not many who refused to buy, and none refused to partake.

The main celebration was over before midnight, and those who could walk, wended their way home, and those who could not navigate, and there were many in that condition, were allowed to rest wherever they might fall until their minds cleared and their legs became less wabbly and then they too, found their way home and slept off the effects of their over-indulgence.

At that time Casper's population was less than 1,000 and the amount of water consumed was amply supplied by this system for a number of years.

November 6, 1897, a contract was awarded Noel R. Gascho and Charles Atmore by the town council to put in about 1,700 feet of additional water main to the city water plant, the pipe to be laid on First and Maple, and Third and Beech streets, to be completed by December i. Their bond was duly approved and the work of putting in the pipe was begun at once. Their bid was to put in the pipe for 14^ cents per foot, the town to furnish the pipe.

The reservoir about a mile south of town was built in the summer of 1899 at a cost of ^3,455. The construction is brick and concrete; the wall is four feet thick at the bottom and two feet thick at the top, and it is 12 feet deep.

In less than three years after the system had been installed the alkaline in the water had eaten its way through the steel spiral pipe in more than a hundred places; there were leaks all along the line from the reservoir to the town, and the mains throughout the town were continually bursting. Several men were kept busy all the time making repairs and replacing the pipe. In the summer and fall of 1900 more than $7,500 was expended in replacing the steel spiral pipe, which had become so rusted and rotten that it was useless, with cast iron pipe, and in the summers of 1901 and 1902 all the spiral pipe in town was torn out and replaced with cast iron pipe.

In July, 1905, there were 244 residences supplied with water from the municipal water works, 82 private stables, 25 private baths, 47 closets, 9 saloons, 3 blacksmith shops, 3 barbershops, 4 apartments, 3 meat markets, 2 laundries, 4 hotels, 6 restaurants, i boarding house, 15 stores, 18 offices, i bottling works, i tobacco manufacturer, i tailor shop, 3 lodging houses, 2 banks, 3 motors, i electric light plant, I oil refinery, I depot tank, 3 churches, i reading room, 2 school houses and 4 livery stables.

Clarence T. Johnston, the state engineer, made a survey and located the site for the Sage creek reservoir in June, 1906. The estimated cost for the construction of this reservoir was between $5,000 and $6,000. A great many improvements had been made in the water works system this year, and the steel spiral main leading from the reservoir to town had been replaced with 30,000 pounds of cast iron mains. The Sage creek reservoir, about four miles south of Casper, was finished in the fall of 1907. With these improvements it was thought that Casper was provided with a water works system that would supply the demand for a great many years, but on July 2,

191 1, and during the summer of that year the money was expended for new pipe and other improvements. But the population of the town increased so rapidly that bonds were voted on May 17, 1914, in the amount of $75,000 for the purpose of purchasing and installing a pumping plant, the securing of water rights and the laying of a teninch main to the lower reservoir. Fifteen thousand dollars in bonds were voted at the same time for the extension of Casper's sewer system, but in less than five years it was found necessary to issue bonds in the amount of $260,000 for water bonds, and $60,000 for sewer bonds, the special election being held on March 19, 1919, for this purpose. A new pumping plant, a new water gallery in the Platte river a mile west from town and new mains doubled the capacity of the water system, and when these improvements were completed in December, 1920, 2,500 gallons of water a minute could be supplied the city. In 1919, 204,452,131 gallons of water was used by consumers in Casper, against 141,784,700 gallons used in 1918. On October 4, 1920, a chlorination plant was ordered installed for the purification of Casper's water supply. In 1921 practically $35,000 was expended by the city for water works improvements and extensions.

At the beginning of the year 1922 Casper's water works system was estimated to be valued at about $705,000. Included in this property are the two engines and pumps, valued at about $32,000; the pumping station, filter galleries, traps, land, etc., valued at $138,000; dams, reservoirs, pipe, etc., valued at half a million dollars; with a thousand and one odd articles of sufficient value to bring the whole up to the above estimated value. Water bonds amounting to $914,000 were outstanding against the city of Casper on January i, 1922.

During the year 1921, water rents collected from consumers amounted to $90,381 .91, and the disbursements for this department was $71,273.84, thus showing a profit to the city from the water department of $19,108.07.

Casper'S Fire Departments I53

Nine citizens of the town of Casper met in Henry A. Lilly's office at 7:30 in the evening of October 12, 1895, for the purpose of organizing a volunteer fire company, the duty of the members of which, according to a resolution adopted at the first meeting, was the "fighting of fires, if any should occur at any time."

The meeting was called to order by H. A. Lilly, and, upon motion, Mr. Lilly acted as the regular chairman during the evening, and W. S. Irwin was the secretary. The others who were present at this meeting were W. C. Ricker, Sam Demorest, Emanuel Erben, B. F. Blair, J. B. Miller, E. Jones and C. E. Nichols. Mr. Lilly was elected chief, or foreman of the company; W. C. Ricker, assistant chief; Sam Demorest, hose captain; W. S. Irwin, pipeman and nozzleman; Emanuel Erben, treasurer, and W. S. Irwin, secretary.

The next meeting was held on the 19th of October, when the constitution and by-laws were adopted. A ruling was made that all those who became members in the future should pay fifty cents as initiation fee, but those who were already members should be exempt from the payment of this fee. A collection was taken up among the members at this second meeting to purchase stationery for the department, and ^1.95 was donated. At this meeting the names of Thomas Clark, Charles Warner, C. H. Townsend and R. R. Phoenix were added to the membership list. It was decided that the firemen's uniform should consist of a blue shirt with red collar, with the initials "C. F. D. No. I." worked on the front of the shirt in white. A red belt, with ordinary trousers, completed the uniform. At the meeting held October 26 the names of J. E. Lovejoy, W. F. McMillen and Henry Bayer were added to its membership roll, and at the meeting held on December 28, Patrick Sullivan and W. A. Denecke were admitted as members. On January 4, 1896, Colin Campbell, John T. McGrath, Douglas Fuller, Walter Trotman, W. S. Kimball, R. C. Swift, Oscar Hiestand, George Rhoades, Carl Sommers, Albert White, and George Moyer were elected as members. At this meeting C. H. Townsend was elected chief; John McGrath, assistant chief; Colin Campbell, second assistant chief; H. A. Lilly, captain; J. E. Lovejoy, secretary, and W. S. Kimball, treasurer.

The first dance given by the fire company was on New Year's eve, 1895, snd the report of the committee showed that fifty-six tickets were sold at ^i.oo per ticket. The expense items were: Music, ^12.50; piano, $5.00; printing, $3.00; wax, 50c; distributing bills, 50c; dray and caller, $2.00. Total, ^32.50. The next dance was given on Saint Valentine's day, February 14, and it was the custom of this company for the first few years to give a dance on the evening of Saint Valentine's day, but in later years the date of the annual ball was changed to Washington's birthday. Every business man in Casper bought at least one ticket and some of them bought a dozen, and it was by this means the members of the company secured the money with which to purchase their paraphernalia and apparatus. In addition to the money raised by this means, some of the business men made an annual donation and the town council would occasionally m.ake a small appropriation for the benefit of the company.

One hose cart, with 150 feet of hose, and a nozzle and a trumpet for the chief, was the complete list of the property first purchased by this company, but how the firemen at that time used the hose is a mystery, for there were no water works in Casper then and when a fire occurred the flames were fought by a "bucket brigade." The water was pumped from the town wells by means of hand pumps and the buckets of water were passed from man to man from the pump to the scene of the fire.

After the water system was in operation the hose cart and the 150 feet of hose were put into use and after a few years a second cart and more hose were purchased. The alarm of fire was sounded by ringing the bell which was in the town hall tower and the house for the hose carts was immediately south of the town hall. These hose carts were transported from the hose house to the scene of the fire by about a dozen men who pulled on a long rope fastened to the front of the cart and about six men would take their places behind the cart and push. It was hard work and the quick time could not be made that is made nowadays with the auto carts and trucks and engines, but the town was small and the distance to the farthest house within the town limits was not much more than four or five blocks from the hose house.

This hose company was the winner of many prizes in contests of "hose racing," defeating the Douglas company as well as other companies in the state. A dozen men belonged to the racing team, eight of whom wore a harness and they were hitched to the front of the cart. Two men ran behind the cart, but they were not allowed to push, but after running a given distance one of the men in the rear stretched the hose to a fire plug and the other man made the connection of the hose to the plug. When a certain length of hose had been reached the nozzle was connected with the hose and the water was then turned on and when the stream of water spurted out of the nozzle, the time was taken from the time of the start. The team doing all this in the least time was the winner. These contests were

Casper S Fire Departments I55

When Casper grew to be quite a large town and the dwelling houses were built as far as ten and twelve blocks from the hose house, arrangements were made with the draymen to haul the hose carts to the fires; the first drayman to arrive at the hose house after an alarm had been turned in got the job and he was paid two dollars for his services.

New equipment was added year after year, and Casper's fire department was the chief pride of her citizens. On May 3, 1910, a new auto truck was purchased, costing $4,500, and the people were satisfied they had the last word in the way of fire protection. B. A. Elias was paid $75 per month for the housing of this truck, and for this amount he also kept a man on duty day and night to operate the truck when an alarm might be turned in. A few years later the town hall was fixed up for a fire house, where the auto truck with all the other fire fighting apparatus was kept, and one fireman was hired to remain at the station. His salary was $100 per month, and he was given living apartments upstairs for his family.

As the new equipment was added from time to time the duties of the members steadily increased until there were two paid firemen on duty both day and night, and on May 4, 1917, the volunteer fire department, by resolution, transferred all of its paraphernaHa and apparatus to the city of Casper, and petitioned the city government to immediately establish a fire department under the provisions of the law for such purpose, Casper having been declared by the governor of the state a city of the first class. There were but seventeen members of the department when this action was taken, and, it seems, that some of the membership were opposed to any new members being added, for every applicant to become a member received a sufficient number of negative votes to reject his application, and this, no doubt, was the cause of the m.ajority of the members being in favor of the company's dissolution, for the department was reorganized on June 8, 191 7, with sixteen charter members.

During this year thirty-five fire alarms were answered by the department, and there was an estimated loss of ^130,200 during the year, which was the greatest loss by fire of any single year in the history of the town.

The last meeting of record of this company was held on December 12, 1918. At this meeting officers were elected for the ensuing year as follows: Chief, Oscar Hiestand; assistant chief, S. W. Conwell; secretary, John T. Scott; treasurer, Wilbur Foshay. The membership when the last meeting was held included the names of Oscar Hiestand and S. W. Conwell, who joined the organization in 1896, and to these two members were given the highest honors that it was possible for the membership to bestow upon them - chief and assistant chief. Although no more official meetings are held, the organization has not dissolved and will not until disposition is made of a fund of about $2,000 which will be expended for a memorial that will appropriately serve as a reminder to the citizens of Casper that this body of men freely gave their services in a cause where there was no hope of reward except the satisfaction of saving the people's property from destruction by fire.

The city had grown so rapidly and the duties of the firemen were so many that the members of the volunteer company could not meet the demands required of them, and at their request the city council installed a paid department, and the volunteers then retired. Insofar as fighting fires was concerned.

In April, 1920, a special committee was appointed by the city council for the purpose of investigating into the advisability of purchasing a La France aerial ladder truck, a 750-gallon pumper, a Gamewell fire alarm system, providing for sixty fire alarm boxes, five police alarm boxes, and two gong signals, the erection of a fire station and a municipal garage, the new building to be on David street, between West Yellow^stone Highway and Midwest avenue. The committee, after a thorough investigation, reported that all these things were necessary for the protection of the city, and the city council, by resolution, authorized the purchase of the apparatus and ordered plans drawn for the fire station and the municipal garage, and a bond issue of $85,000 to raise funds for the payment of the above, was ordered to be voted upon at a special election. At the special election the bonds received a favorable vote and the apparatus was purchased and the new building erected, and Casper today has a fire fighting apparatus and buildings to house the equipment and the nineteen firemen which are second to none in the state and equal to that of many cities with a population of 150,000.

The first fire of any consequence to occur in Casper was on the morning of August 24, 1893, at 1:45, when the house in which Dr. L. G. Powell was living was totally destroyed. Marshal John Merritt discovered the flames and aroused the people in the town by firing six shots from his revolver. The flames had gotten under such headway that nothing could be saved except a few pieces of furniture. The house was valued at about two hundred dollars, and the furniture at two thousand dollars. There was no insurance on the house, but there was nine hundred dollars insurance on the furniture. "It fortunately happened," says a newspaper item, "that Mrs. Powell had arranged to leave for Chicago the same morning, and her trunk, containing considerable wearing apparel, was at the railroad station. She also left some pictures and other things of value with some of the neighbors a few days before the fire occurred." About four weeks later Dr. Powell was arrested upon the charge of arson. The trial was had before Justice A. J. Irwin on October 5. G. B. McCalmont, county attorney, prosecuted the case, and Alex T. Butler appeared for the defense. The trial consumed half the day, at the end of which the prosecuting attorney announced that on account of some of the main witnesses refusing to answer certain questions, because they might incriminate themselves, the prosecution had no case, and in justice to the taxpayers itwas useless to hold the defendant to the district court for trial. The case was thereupon dismissed, and in the evening a dance was given in compliment to Dr. Powell and his attorney.

On the night of July i, 1899, about fifty Casper citizens engaged in a friendly fight with fire works from 9:30 until i o'clock in the morning. H. L. Patton started the fight with the discharge of a thirty-ball Roman candle into J. S. VanDoren's confectionery store. Mr. VanDoren returned the fire, but instead of hitting Mr. Patton, H. L. Duhling's store received the full charge, and this brought Mr. Duhling out of his store with an arm load of fire works which he distributed to every man that came along. Mr. Patton and Mr. Duhling and their force of men were lined up on the west side of Center street and Mr. VanDoren gathered a force of men on the east side of the street. An occasional dash was made by a dozen men to the center of the street with Roman candles and close range firing resulted, until one or the other side was repulsed and retreated to shelter. More than a thousand Roman candles were fired and many of the participants were burned. In time the supply of Roman candles was exhausted and sky rockets were then used as weapons. Boxes were piled up on the sidew^alk and from behind these boxes the rockets were fired across the street. The fight brought out a large number of people to witness the display of fire works and the heroism of the participants. In order that the spectators should be thoroughly satisfied both sides finally fired into the non-combatants, and they were chased up and down the streets and alleys until they found protection in some building or made good their escape in some dark corner of an alley. When the fight ended there was not a Roman candle or a sky rocket left in the town, and in order to supply the demand of the citizens to properly celebrate the Fourth, fire works were shipped in by express from Douglas, Chadron and Cheyenne.

The warehouse belonging to the Chicago & Northwestern Railway company in Casper was destroyed by fire at about ii o'clock in the forenoon, March 14, 1917. Up to this time this was the most disastrous fire that had occurred in Casper, the loss amounting to about $30,000. Many of the local stores had goods stored there which had been shipped in from wholesale houses. The origin of the fire was unknown.

At about 5 o'clock in the morning January 14, 1918, fire broke out in the plant of the Natrona Electric company and the building and machinery was almost wholly destroyed. Many of the business houses in Casper were heated by this plant and they were without heat or light except that which was furnished by the Wyoming Electric company, w^ho connected the wires and heating plant with their system that same day, but the load was so heavy for this system that the stores and all business houses were ordered not to open before 8 o'clock in the morning and close at 5 o'clock in the evening, and use as little light as possible. The picture shows, churches and lodge rooms were closed, and but one light in each residence in town was allowed to be used. Only the hospitals and newspaper offices were allowed to use the current without restriction. The lighting restrictions were lifted in the business district on February 23, but it was a month later before the residence districts were allowed to use more than one light in each house.

Fire in the Wyoming Electric company's plant on September 5, 1918, caused a loss of $7,500 to the machinery, but had no effect on the lighting system about town.

stroyed by fire at noon on June 18, 1919. The shops were entirely destroyed in about fifteen minutes after the fire was discovered. The loss was estimated at about ^60,000.

The spectacle of a half million barrels of oil blazing forth in the night time from seven huge steel tanks is one of the most magnificent sights that nature can afford. The sweeping streaks of fire, the lament flames, the billows of smoke, black as jet, rolling hundreds of feet high, and through this smoke the glare of the flames, the reflection of the brilliant light in the clouds, the flitting forms of a thousand men working in the tank farm among the many other tanks, where millions of barrels of oil are stored, to save them from being ignited by the seething, fiery furnaces, is a scene of truly terrible sublimity that baflfles description. But this was the scene witnessed by more than twenty thousand people in Casper during the nights of June 17 and 18, 1921.

At about 2:30 in the afternoon of June 17 seven of the tanks, located in the Midwest tank farm, on the north side of the river, about half a mile west from Casper, were ignited by lightning striking one of them and the bolt being carried from one to another until the seven large containers were ablaze. There was a heavy downpour of rain, almost equal to a cloudburst, when the bolt came from the sky, but the heavy downpour had no effect whatever on the burning oil. But little effort was made to subdue the flames in the burning tanks, but a thousand men worked both night and day throwing up dykes around the other tanks and keeping a stream of water pouring over them and using every other known means to keep them from igniting.

After burning for about sixty hours the twisted and gnarled piles of smoke-blackened steel were all that remained of the property that represented more than five hundred thousand dollars. This was the most disastrous blaze that ever occurred in Natrona county. In fact the loss amounted to more than all the fires combined that had occurred since the organization of the county.

On July 2 another tank, located almost in the center of the refinery plant, on the south side of the river, was struck by lightning. Fanned by a brisk southwest wind, the blaze jeopardized not only the other tanks in its proximity, but the entire refining plants of the Midwest and Standard companies, whose valuation was at least twenty millions of dollars, were in jeopardy. The flames shooting skyward, the burning timbers from the wooden top of the tank falling into the flood of burning oil, the prevailing high wind, and the tank being full of oil to the very top and the foamite failing to have any effect, were causes enough to lead the oflficials of the company to beheve that the seven tanks of oil destroyed only a few weeks before, would be a small loss, compared to this one, but in half an hour the wind swerved to the northwest, the oil in the tank had burned down about four inches, and the foamite was effectively used, and then the blaze was under control, and in a short time was entirely subdued, with very small loss.

Another tank, on the north side of the river, containing 80,000 barrels of oil, was struck by lightning on July 13, at about 6 o'clock in the evening. About 50,000 barrels of the oil was drawn from the bottom of the tank and salvaged, but the loss of the oil and the destruction of the tank amounted to about ^50,000. And again on July 18 two more tanks on the north side of the river were struck by lightning. Out of the 155,000 barrels of oil in these two tanks 85,000 barrels were salvaged by being pumped out. The fire in one of the tanks was extinguished after considerable oil had burned, but the other was a total loss, the oil burning for about sixty hours, and during those sixty hours the stupendous sight of the rushing blasts, caused by the rarefied air, roared and whirled forth the flames in impetuous wreaths, the scene of the sheets of flame and clouds of lurid smoke, which, in the night time, resembled the craters of volcanoes, were awe-inspiring and a scene never to be forgotten.

The four fires, from June 17 to July 18, all of which were caused from lightning, resulted in a loss of fully a million dollars, and dispelled the axiom that "lightning never strikes twice in the same place," which, no doubt, originated before there were any oil tank farms.

During an electrical storm on Sunday afternoon, June 18, 1922, lightning struck two tanks containing crude oil belonging to the Midwest Refining company, one of the tanks containing 55,000 barrels of oil and the other 85,000 barrels. They were located on the north side of the Platte river, northwest from the city of Casper, where seven tanks were totally destroyed by lightning and fire on June 17, 1921, just a year and a day previous. The fire in the larger tank was extinguished in a very short time, but the oil in the 55,000-barrel tank burned for an hour or more before the flames could be subdued with foamite. The loss sustained was about ^10,000. Again, on August 4, 1922, at 12:30, after midnight, two thunderous claps of lightning in quick succession struck two oil tanks, one on the north side of the North Platte river, in the Midwest tank farm, and one in the southwestern portion of the Standard refining works on the south side of the river. The crash of the lightning and the tongues of the flames which shot high into the sky, lighting up the surrounding country for several miles, caused hundreds of people to rush from their beds to the scene of the conflagration, for it looked as though the whole of the refining plant would be burned, and it was estimated that fully 5,000 people had made their way to the plant where they could view the flames. The sky was a living red, the flames leaping upward in great rolling masses; the jagged tongues of flames turned the sky into a livid sea of orange and scarlet, and great black clouds rolled up for hundreds of feet into the air, but soon the foamite pumps were put in action and the intense light commenced to sink, and within an hour the glare of light was extinguished and the fire was under control, with a loss estimated at about $12,000. This brought the total up to sixteen tanks that had been struck by lightning in two years, eleven in 1921 and five in 1922.

For more than twenty years the Casper postoffice was located in about the middle of the block on the east side of Center street, between Second street and Midwest avenue, but in September, 1910, it was moved into the north room of the Townsend block on the west side of Center street on the corner of the alley, where it remained until July 20, 1914, when it was moved into the Smith building in the middle of the block on the south side of Second street, between Center and Wolcott streets. Here it remained until May 28, 1916, when it was moved into its new quarters in the federal building on the corner of Second and Wolcott streets.

From seven o'clock in the morning until nine o'clock at night were the hours that Casper's postmasters were on duty during the first ten years of the town's existence. The salary ranged from fifty dollars to one hundred dollars per month, the amount of salary being increased as the town and the business in the postoffice grew. There was but little mail to handle in those days, but the people who received mad felt that it was fully as important then as it is nowadays. In the early days the stockman and the cowboy came to town on an average of about four times a year and when they came they always received the mail that had accumulated since their last visit, or since their neighbor had brought it to them. One man generally did all the work in the postoffice, and in addition to "running the postoffice," he generally had in connection with it a small store, his line of goods consisting of groceries, dry goods, hardware, ammunition, candy and chewing gum, but he always found time to wait on the patrons of the office and all the customers of his store without being overworked,

James A. Hartman was Casper's first postmaster. The date of Mr. Hartman's appointment or the length of time he served the publ62 HISTORY OF NATRONA COUNTY lie is not obtainable. O. C. Abbott succeeded Mr. Hartman. Mr. Abbott remained until the spring of 1889, but the exact date of his retirement cannot be given. Mr. Abbott's name was always signed as postmaster to the list of "uncalled for letters" that was published in the Casper Weekly Mail until June, 1889, when the name of James A. Casebeer appeared as postmaster, and it is not unlikely Mr. Abbott retired and Mr. Casebeer was appointed the latter part of May or first part of June.

In connection with the postoffice Mr. Casebeer was publisher of the Mail and was the postmaster-editor until the latter part of May, 1890, when he left his deputy in charge and started on a visit to the Yellowstone National Park, but he never returned.

Oakley K. Garvey on June i, 1890, was appointed postmaster. By this time to be postmaster was no mean position, for the responsibilities had rapidly increased and there was a slight raise in the salary. In October, 1890, Mr. Garvey received instructions from the postoffice department "to qualify in the sum of $5,000 additional bond, preparatory to Casper being declared a money order office, where postal notes may be obtained for any sum up to and including $4.99, by depositing such sum with the postmaster and paying him an additional fee of three cents." Mr. Garvey acted as postmaster until September I, 1892, when Marvin L. Bishop was appointed by President Grover Cleveland. Mr. Bishop attended to his multitudinous duties until August 2, 1898, when Mrs. Ida A. Hewes accepted the responsible position, to which she was appointed by President William McKinley. By this time the business had grown to such proportions that an assistant must be employed, and there was no store in connection. Mrs. Hewes held the position for twelve years, or until September i, 1910, when James McFadden was appointed. Mr. McFadden resigned January i, 191 1, and Miss Elizabeth Mc- Donald was appointed, and she remained until July 15, 1914, when President Woodrow Wilson appointed J. S. VanDoren. On January 10, 1919, Mr. VanDoren resigned, and asked to be relieved as soon as possible, and on March i, 1919, W. W. Sproull was appointed as acting postmaster. Frank T. Frawley, postoffice inspector, relieved Mr. Sproull December 10, 1920, and acted as postmaster until May 15, 1921, when Edwin M. Bean was appointed by President Warren G. Harding.

Senator Francis E. Warren in December, 1907, introduced a bill in the United States senate which authorized an appropriation for the purchase of a postoffice site in Casper, and in due time the bill was passed. In November, 1908, five lots, on the corner of Wolcott and Second streets, were bought from Mrs. Lucy Moore and

Alex T. Butler, the price paid being ^11,000. This ground is 125 feet front on Second street and 100 feet deep. The buildings were moved off the land, and the lots were vacant, except for weeds, tin cans and other rubbish which accumulated until the summer of 1914. The plank sidewalks around the lots rotted and were broken in, but the federal government would do nothing toward keeping the walks in repair or the lots free from weeds and rubbish, but the town council and the people who owned property in that part of the town, on account of their civic pride, put in a new sidewalk and cleared the lots of the rubbish at their own expense.

On March i, 1910, Senator Francis E. Warren introduced another bill in the senate calling for an appropriation of $75,000 with which to erect a public building on its site in Casper, but this amount was reduced to $55,000, and on June 25, 1910, the bill was passed, and the act authorized the construction of a building, the limit of the cost being $55,000. In February, 1913, the postoffice department advertised for bids for the construction of this building on the basis of a one-story and basement building with mezzanine at one end; floors and partitions fireproof; ceiling and roof non-fireproof; stone faced to first floor, with brick above and terra cotta trim and cornice; tin roof.

Bids were received from five parties and opened on April 7. They ranged in amounts from $56,000 to $69,295 for limestone and from $57,518.85 to $61,750 for sandstone. The appropriation for the building was $55,000, but the entire amount was not available for construction, as it was necessary to set aside the estimated cost of lock boxes, shelving, etc., amounting to about $5,000, which would leave but $50,000 for the construction contract. As the lowest bid received was considerably in excess of the amount available, all the proposals were rejected and the drawings and specifications revised. The revised drawings and specifications called for a one-story and basement building with the mezzanine at one end; first story only fireproof; brick facing with wood cornice. Under this advertisement five proposals were received, ranging from $52,980 to $59,845 for limestone and one bid was received for sandstone in amount $59,952. As the lowest bid was still in excess of the amount available, supplemental bids were invited from the lowest bidder for alternates to reduce the cost. The alternate figures submitted were held by the department to be unreasonable and to have awarded the contract on the basis of these supplemental bids it would have been necessary to make the building entirely non-fireproof, and the proposals were again rejected.

sandstone it was to be entirely of brick, and again bids were submitted, and in July, 1914, C. R. Inman was awarded the contract for the construction of the building for ^49,785. Work was commenced on the excavation July 21, 1914, and the building was completed and accepted by the government in May, 1916, and on May 28 the new building was occupied.

When the building was first occupied there were plenty of lock boxes and an abundance of room, but within two years it was necessary to put an alcove in the lobby and add several hundred new boxes, and in the fall of 1921 a stairway was cut into the basement and the basement was remodeled for the installation of 814 additional lock boxes in order to provide accommodations for the immediate demands, but with these improvements there is not now enough room and it is not unlikely that within a few years an addition will be put on the building.

Free mail delivery was established in Casper April i, 191 5. There were two carriers then, and two deliveries daily were made in the business district and one delivery each day in the residence district. In 1922 there were twelve carriers who delivered on an average 850 letters and 300 papers and parcels each day. This, however, is only a small portion of the mail received in this postoffice, more than two-thirds of which is distributed into the 1,825 lock boxes.

From January i, 1921, to and including December 30, 1921, there were 3,500,000 outgoing letters cancelled in this postoffice, and this did not include the 36,000 registered letters which were sent out. During the same period 31,736 registered letters were received in this office. In addition to this wonderful amount of first-class mail handled there were several million packages and papers sent out and received.

Nothing indicates the growth and business that is transacted in a town more than the mail received and sent out through the postoffice, and when the business here has multiplied seven times from 191 5 to 1922, it can be safely estimated the business in general has multiplied an equal number of times, and if the population has increased in the same proportion, and it is only fair to presume that it has, Casper, in 1922, would have a population of 28,280 as against 4,040 in 191 5.

At the beginning of the year 1922 there were twenty-one clerks, twelve carriers, and one assistant postmaster and the regularly appointed postmaster carrying on the business of the Casper postoffice. The postmaster's salary is ^3,500 per annum and the combined monthly salary of the clerks was ^3,129, and the combined monthly salary of the carriers was $1,884. The average monthly receipt the first two months of 1922 was $10,000.

A local welfare council was organized on February 7, 1922, among the employees of the postoffice, with D. F. Gadberry as chairman and Miss Lillian Faulkner, secretary. The council is composed of seven members, three from the clerks, three from the carriers, and one from the supervisory force. Monthly meetings of this council are held at which matters are discussed that have a tendency toward the betterment of the service to the public and the improvement of conditions for the employees, and among other things that have been accomplished by this council were the installation of a new lighting system in the building, the building is kept cleaner and in a more sanitary condition, the securing of a first aid kit for the use of the postal employees, and the lawn around the building was, during the summer, re-seeded and much better care was taken of it than in previous years.

In the fall of 1922 drawings were made for an addition to the original building, increasing the size from 47 x 85 feet to 85 x no feet and adding another story to the structure, thus more than doubling the present capacity of the building. The extension and improvements, when completed would include rooms for the bureau of mines and the internal revenue offices and a federal court room. The superintendent of construction of the treasury department in Washington made a visit to Casper in November, 1922, and after familiarizing himself with the conditions, returned to Washington and recommended that the suggested extensions be made, but on account of the "red tape" policy of the government in such matters it will require at least a year to secure the necessary appropriation and make the other arrangements incident to the commencement of the construction work, but on January 3, 1923, the postmaster general at Washington recommended that, among other appropriations, $350,000 be appropriated for the improvements recommended in the Casper postoffice by the superintendent of construction, and in due time there is no doubt but a federal building will be erected that will be suitable for Casper's needs for many years to come; until that time, however, the patrons must get along as best they can with the present building and the best possible service to be rendered under existing conditions.

The following items that were published in the Casper newspapers in the early days are today especially interesting to many people living in this city:

Twin boys were born on January 7, 1889, to Mr. and Mrs. M. A. Faverty. Mr. Faverty was roundhouse foreman of the F., E. & M. V. Railway company. In 1922 the parents were living at Norfolk, Nebraska, and one of the boys, A. C, was living at Nemo, S. D., and the other, A. A., was living at Smithwick, S. D. These were the first children born in Casper. . . Born, in Casper, Wednesday morning, January 23, 1889, to the wife of W. F. Dunn, a daughter (now Mrs. Arthur Schulte), who was the first girl born in Casper. . . Born, February 18, 1889, to Mr. and Mrs. C. K. Bucknum, a daughter (now Mrs. Mark Davis). . . The first real Fourth of July celebration to occur in Casper was in 1889. The program consisted of singing and speaking, and a baseball game between Casper and Douglas, in which Douglas won by a score of 24 to 16. Horse racing and broncho busting concluded the day's program and there was a dance in the evening. The towns of Bothwell and Bessemer also celebrated the day, . .Engineers J. B. Bradley and E. H. French on July 15, 1889, began the work of taking the levels of the streets of Casper preparatory to the grading that was to be done before winter set in. . . The first wedding to occur in the town of Casper was on Thursday evening. May 29, 1890, when Joseph L. Barnett and Miss Nellie Gillespie and J. B. Wegman and Miss Elizabeth Baird were united in the holy bonds. Rev. J. J. Hancock of Lusk officiated. . . The Casper Board of Trade was organized in 1890 with the following officers: W. E. Hawley, president; W. F. Dunn, secretary; George Mitchell, J. J. Hurt, George Weber, A. McKinney and H.A.Lilly, directors; CharlesO'Neall, treasurer. . . The cattlemen of Wyoming in the summer of 1890 offered rewards amounting to $22,000 for the conviction of any person stealing, defacing, unlawfully killing, or altering brands on their stock. Newspapers in all parts of the state claimed "that the cattlemen have made every effort in an attempt to secure convictions for cattle stealing, but each attempt has proved a failure, not for the want of proper evidence, but from a lack of principle in the men who are drawn as jurors. The maverick rustlers and cattle thieves are becoming alarming and the officers should show their ability to control these violations of the law."

Early News Items Of Interest Today 167

Casper's first brass band was organized the latter part of December, 1890, with the following named members: James Robinson, Alex Weber, W. Melia, W. S. Kimball, C. F. G. Bostleman, C. W. Wixcey, H. A. Lilly, Fred Padden, Major Palmer, L. A. Ross, Dr. Joe Benson and C. W. Evans. . . A boy was born on Tuesday, September 22, 1891, to Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Hogadone at Eadsville, on Casper mountain. This was the first child to be born in the new mining camp and all the miners took a day off to celebrate the occasion. . . The Grand Central hotel was formally opened on Monday evening, April 30, 1894. At that time it was announced that the "Grand Central was the largest, finest, and best equipped hotel in the state of Wyoming and the only hotel in Casper running a bus to and from all trains. When the guests were shown through the building exclamations of surprise and admiration greeted the ear on all sides.". . On August I, 1899, proprietors of the mercantile houses of Casper agreed to close their places of business Saturday nights at 11 o'clock and remain closed until Monday morning at 7 o'clock. Heretofore, the stores were kept open on Sundays from 8 o'clock in the morning until noon. . . Commencing the first of August, 1900, a daily stage mail service was established between Casper, Wolton, Thermopolis, and Lander. Heretofore, the service was three days each week. . . The mail arriving in Casper during the year 1901 averaged 400 pounds per day. This included mail to Lander, Thermopolis, Freeland, Alcova, Independence Rock, and other towns west which was delivered by stages going from Casper. . . On the 12th of May, 1903, bonds for ^14,500 were voted by the people of Casper for the purpose of building sewers in the town. O'Brien and Rhoades of Denver were awarded the contract for laying the pipe, and Thomas B. Sheppard of Denver was the engineer who made the survey. The contract for the construction of the sewer system was awarded to the above named firm for ^11,137.50. The work was commenced about the first of April. Fifty men were employed and there were fourteen carloads of material. The work was completed on June 2 and was accepted by the mayor and the members of the town council. This was Casper's first sewer system. . . The Natrona County Racing association was organized on June 3, 1903, capitahzed at $2,000. A track was built near the east end of Second street and a grandstand, judges' stand and other improvements were ordered made on the ground which had been leased for twenty years. . . Christian Twisty, a cabinet maker of Casper, worked eight years on a "palace car," which was completed in September, 1903. On October 4, Twisty, with his wife and child, started for Salt Lake with a four-horse team hitched to his "palace." Flags were flying from the vehicle; Twisty was in the boot driving the team, and Mrs. Twisty and the baby occupied the observatory. The "palace" contained all the comforts and conveniences of a home, but it was so heavy the horses could not pull it over the hills and through the sand, and it was abandoned after travelling about three miles. Twisty made arrangements with Guy Trevett to haul the vehicle back to Casper, and later it was taken to the Trevett ranch, about six miles west from town, since which time it has been used for a bunk house. Two light buggies were hitched behind the "palace" when it was first taken out of town, and in these Twisty loaded his bedding, provisions and his wife and child, and hitching his teams to the lighter vehicles, proceeded toward the setting sun, and he never returned. . . Casper's Commercial club was organized in March, 1903, with a membership of about 150 business men, the executive committee being W. S. Kimball, A. J. Mokler, Patrick Sullivan, A. J. Cunningham, M. P. Wheeler, and W. A. Denecke. J. M. Hench was the temporary secretary. At the first meeting many committees were appointed and there was a variety of sentiment on all propositions for the advancement and prosperity of the town. It was predicted that those present would live to see five and six story buildings on our main streets, the streets paved, a sewer system, beautiful parks, a fine court house and city hall, a fine federal building, a trans-continental railway, and the town having a population of 15,000. The prediction has more than come true and all those on the executive committee, except one, have shown their faith in the town by remaining here and doing their bit toward making it not only the largest, but the most progressive and prosperous city in Wyoming.

At the meeting of the town council of the town of Casper, held the first part of April, 1890, it was decided by unanimous vote that it was necessary to have a town hall, and accordingly plans and speci- fications were drawn by Chris Baysel for a building 25x74 feet. This was to be the first brick building to be built in the town. On April 21 Emanuel Erben was awarded the contract for the construction of the building at a cost of $1,985. Mr. Erben did the carpenter work and W. T. Evans did the work of laying the brick. The building was finished during the summer of that year. This building was located on the west side of Center street, between Second and First, in about the middle of the block, being on the south half of lot 15, in block 8, having a frontage of thirty feet, and 140 feet deep. A small frame building, or rather a shed, was built on the lot immediately south of the town hall, in which the fire department kept its apparatus. This was on the north half of lot 14, block 8, with a frontage of thirty feet, and 140 feet deep. Later this frame building was converted into a corrugated iron covered building, and was used for the purpose of housing the fire company's property. Thus was the town the owner of two half lots, with a frontage of sixty feet and 140 feet deep, which now bears the street numbers of 132. to 142 South Center.

The town council at its meeting in January, 1895, decided to rearrange the town hall and make a first-class opera house out of it. The stage was to be brought forward several feet, a solid arch front put up and the footlight arrangement constructed after the most approved plan. A new drop curtain and a full set of scenery was to be added, doors cut from the back of the stage and a suite of dressing rooms built on the end of the hall. "All these changes were made," said a local newspaper, "at a nominal expense, and when finished would give Casper the finest opera hall in Central Wyoming." The Casper Dramatic company, under the auspices of the Casper band, was at the time rehearsing several new plays which were to be put on as soon as the stage was ready. This hall, in the early days, was where nearly all the public gatherings were held, such as mass meetings, where the citizens met to discuss matters of public interest; political meetings, dances, church services and school sessions were also held in this building; the board of trade. Commercial club, or Chamber of Commerce, held meetings here that were of vital importance to the business men and professional men of the town; sessions of the district court were held here and many a decision has been rendered by the court, and many a verdict returned by a jury, that meant financial success or failure, and sometimes liberty and even life to a defendant.

The new drop curtain, heretofore mentioned, depicted a mountain peak, a slough, with huge cat-tails along the edge, a large, lightning-splintered tree, and many other things that could be conjured only in the fertile brain of an artist and produced with a brush, paint and palette. On the border of this unusual painting were advertising signs of Casper's leading business and professional men. What a treasured relic that curtain would be today for our historical society, but like many other things that would now be valuable as keepsakes, but at that time were considered of no value at all, it was cast aside and destroyed. Theater troupes, barnstormers and home talent companies performed on this stage in a manner that brought tears to the eyes of many people in the audience, and sometimes made their blood boil with rage. The tragedies and comedies that were enacted in the old buildmg, by theater companies and otherwise, were many, and it would require pages and pages to enumerate them.

In 1910 the moving pictures commenced to come to Casper, and the town hall was rented for a moving picture house. It was then given the name of the Bell Theatre, because there was a bell in the cupola on top of the front part of the building. Shortly after midnight on the 8th of January, 191 2, fire broke out in this building and the roof and front part of the structure were destroyed. The loss to the building was estimated at $i ,000. In the summer of that year the roof and the front were rebuilt and the building was remodeled into a fire house, with offices in the rear where the meetings of the town council were held, with living rooms upstairs.

In 191 7 the buildings and the two half lots, which were then considered among the most valuable sites for business buildings in the town, was traded by the mayor and members of the town council for a triangular piece of ground in the rear, or south of the federal building, with Wolcott street on the west and East Midwest avenue on the south. It was proposed by the town council at that time to erect a town hall on this three-cornered piece of ground, and bonds in the amount of $55,000 were voted in August, 1917, for that purpose, but before the bonds could be sold the city administration was changed, and at a meeting of the new administration on February 28, 1918, it was decided to build the new city hall on the block 300x300 feet square, with Center street on the east, David street on the west. Seventh street on the north and Eighth street on the south, and the triangular lot in the rear of the postoffice was seeded with grass, a little brick rest room was built, a drinking fountain was put in, seats were placed under the trees, and in the summer time the seats are filled with idle men, and discarded newspapers and rubbish are scattered about the lawn, making a real "homey" looking place for the men who spend their time there.

Wkst SiDi: OF Center Street, Between Second and Firsi, Jllv 4, iqoi The building with the bell and tower was Casper's town hall, built in 1890. The building to the left ot the town hall was Casper's "tire" house, where the hose carts were kept.

Casper S Electric Light Plants I7I

laid by the Masonic order on August 28, 1918, and on April 23, 1919, the building was completed, and a thorough inspection and survey of the structure was made by the members of the city council. At the time this inspection and survey was made, the architect, George E. McDonald, made the statement to the members of the council that "he was exceptionally proud of the interior arrangement of the building, and that its perfect construction would be a monument to his architectural ability." This statement seemed to satisfy the members of the city council, for at a regular meeting held on May 5, the building was accepted from the contractors. On the evening of May 29 the new building was formally opened to the public, and a great many people were present, who enjoyed the music of the orchestra, participated in the dancing and partook of the refreshments that were served. Within a few days the building was occupied by the city officers, since which time many defects have been discovered, both in the architectural arrangement and the construction, and it is a monumental botch, at least a century out of date, and the palmmg off of this building upon one of the most prosperous and progressive cities in the middle west was equal to the transaction wherein the valuable building site, in the heart of the city, was exchanged for the triangular piece of ground, worth less than half the original site of the town hall and fire station.

"In the beginning God created the Heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said. Let there be light; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness."

Immediately after W. S. Kimball delivered the above quotation from Genesis, on June 12, 19CO, at 10 o'clock at night, Mrs. Kimball pressed a button which for the first time lighted a number of buildings and the streets in the town of Casper with electricity. A large number of guests had assembled in the dining room of the Grand Central hotel where a banquet was served in honor of C. H. King and Dr. F. Salathe, who had established the lighting system. The honor of lighting Casper with electricity for the first time in its history was accorded Mrs. Kimball by reason of the fact that Mr. Kimball was mayor of the town when the Casper Electric company was given its franchise.

After the room had been lighted by electricity, Rev. J. H. Gillespie invoked the blessing of the Deity on those assembled and upon the enterprise. Speeches were made after the banquet by many of the business men and, lastly, Mr. King gave a description of the plant which consisted of two forty-horsepower engines, two dynamos of i,ooo light capacity and one eighty-horsepower boiler. The building which housed the plant was a small frame structure located where the present plant of the Natrona Power is now located. Light was furnished to about twenty business houses and 150 residences. There were four arc lights which lighted the streets of the town. This company was incorporated September 23, 1908, under the name of the Casper Electric company. The capacity of the plant was increased from time to time as the town increased in growth, and on October 6, 1913, a second company was granted a franchise under the name of the Wyoming Electric company. This company's plant was formally opened to the public February 24, 1914. Both plants were in operation until January 4, 1918, when the original plant was destroyed by fire. New machinery was purchased and the plant was rebuilt. On January 18, 1918, the two companies were consolidated under the name of the Natrona Power company, which now supplies the city with light, power, and heat.

A comparison of the plant when it was first put in operation with the plant in 1922 is an indication of the growth of Casper since June 12, 1900.

The Natrona Power company's plant today consists of a modern steam generating station located on the site of the original plant, and an oil engine plant located a few blocks away. The steam equipment comprises a boiler plant, steam turbines and engines of an aggregate capacity of 1,800 horsepower. The steam for the central steam heating system, covering the entire business district of the city, as well as a portion of the residential district, is supplied from this plant. The oil engine plant contains five machines, with a total capacity of 1,500 horsepower, which, with the steam plant, makes a total system generating capacity of 3,300 horsepower.

The company's service lines cover every section of the city, and practically all of the city inhabitants have electric service available. Over 5,000 electric customers are now served and about 100 customers are availing themselves of the steam heating service. A commercial office and salesroom is maintained in a building adjacent to the steam plant where all modern electrical appliances are obtainable.

Casper S Telephone Service I73

Saturday, March 22, 1902, the Rocky Mountain Bell Telephone company established telephone service in the business houses and residences in the town of Casper, the system established being known as the "Geneseo" type. Forty-nine instruments were in service, but it was announced that the company was assured of at least a dozen more patrons after the system was in thorough working order. The cost of establishing the system was about ^5,500. The central office was located on the second floor of the Stock Exchange saloon building, in one room, about sixteen feet square. The Stock Exchange was located on the west side of Center street, between Second and Midwest avenue. Miss Elizabeth McDonald was the day operator and Miss Jo Scherck attended the night calls. Each of these operators worked a twelve-hour shift, but they had plenty of time between calls for rest and recreation. There were no outside connections, and consequently no long-distance calls at that time, but work was to be commenced in the early summer on the Lander and Thermopolis lines, and the line was already being built from Cheyenne to Casper, and it was hoped that connections could be made before the end of the year.

The manager of the Casper exchange left with each subscriber a card, printed by a local printing office, bearing the name of each subscriber and his number, together with the following instructions:

"To get central, remove the receiver from the hook and place it to your ear. Wait until central replies, then state the number you desire. Wait until the party answers, then deliver your message. When you have finished talking, hang the receiver back on the hook, with the small end up, which signals central you are through."

By following these instructions the patrons found the service very convenient and satisfactory, and it was highly appreciated. Before the inauguration of the telephone in the town when a business man or anyone else desired to deliver a message or transact any kind of business he was compelled to leave his store, office or shop and walk a number of blocks, and if he was fortunate enough to find his party in, after transacting the desired business and remaining the usual half hour or more visiting, his absence from his own business cost him seldom less than an hour's time.

By the time the system was in perfect working order the dozen more patrons, who had promised to install telephones, had made good their pledge, and with them came a dozen more; with this encouragement the company was hopeful of having at least one hundred subscribers in the town before the first of the coming year, 1903.