Natrona County, Wyoming - The whole text, 1923 (part 1 of 15)

Collection History Of

True Portrayal of the Yesterdays of a New County and a Typical Frontier Town ofthe Middle West. Fortunes and Misfortunes, Tragedies and Comediesj Struggles andTriumphs ofthe Pioneers

TO SEE Natrona county grow from the smallest in point of assessed valuation to the very highest of any county in the state of Wyoming, to see Casper rise from a frontier village, with a population of less than five hundred to a progressive city of twenty-seven thousand, to see our resources developed from almost nothing to a stage that supplies the product for factories and refineries that cost more than thirty millions of dollars, where more than three thousand men are employed, and to worthily record the events that have occurred in these years is the author's pride, and to be familiar with them is the duty, and should be the delight of every patriotic citizen.

In presenting this work the author's aim is to supply the demand for a true portrayal of a great and eventful period of more than three decades, wherein the progress has been most exciting and dramatic. What struggles and triumphs, what discoveries and revelations, what disasters and reforms, what tragedies and comedies have characterized the wonderful advance since the first tent was put up where the city of Casper is situated and since Natrona county was organized. This work is not a mere history, for it contains details of commonplace occurrences and graphic descriptions of everything notable that has occurred since Casper was a mere village and since Natrona was organized as a county. The pages are filled with the most interesting and useful material for reference, illustration, entertainment and instruction, and in the fullest sense is stimulating, romantic, true.

More than three laborious years have been devoted to the preparation of this work, and the author has obtained rare and valuable information hitherto inaccessible. County and city records, libraries, private diaries, newspapers and journals of the pioneers are the sources of the author's information. From eye witnesses and participants in thrilling scenes have been secured interesting facts never before in print, and the work may be relied upon as authority upon all subjects of which it treats. The illustrations are rare and of a value beyond financial consideration, and many of the envii gravlngs will convey a clearer idea of some of the subjects than a whole volume of words. Bias or prejudice and a garbled version made of distorted fact and malicious gossip are not included in these pages, but details, events and incidents are recorded as nearly correct as has been possible to obtain them.

THERE is no place in the great MiddleWest more replete with interesting history than Central Wyoming and Natrona county . It was in this part of the country that John Colter, in 1808, while trapping along the streams and wandering over the plains, had thrilling experiences with the Indians that seem almost incredible; it was here that Robert Stuart, in 1812, with his small party of men, who, after traveling for many months through the mountains and over the plains, on their way from the Columbia river to Saint Louis, and having been overtaken with early winter, put up the first white man's cabin that was built in what is now the state of Wyoming; it was here that General Ashley, in 1823-4, explored the Big Horn mountains and the Sweetwater valley and gave its name to the "Sweetwater" river; it was here that Captain Bonneville, in 1832, spent much of his time in his most interesting explorations, which are so ably described by Washington Irving; it was here that Father DeSmet, in 1840, spread the gospel among the Indians and trappers, and through his goodness no doubt averted many a clash between the red man and the whites. This great man chiseled his name on Independence Rock, which he gave the name, "The Register of the Desert"; it was here that John C. Fremont, "The Pathfinder," in 1842, with Kit Carson as his guide, explored the country along the Platte and Sweetwater rivers, and finally ascended one of the highest peaks in the Wind River range that bears his name, and from this lofty peak discovered the lake that was then named and since bears the name of Fremont lake; he, too, chiseled his name on Independence Rock. And after Fremont came the sturdy pioneers in 1843-8 to settle the Oregon Country; in 1847-55 the Mormons passed through to the Great Salt Lake country; in 1849-55 the California gold seekers passed over the wellworn trail; and up until 1869 the emigrants and homeseekers, by the thousands upon thousands, traveled from the extreme east to the west end of the county on their westward journey, many of whom experienced hair-breadth escapes and bloody encounters with wild beasts and hostile Indians; ix

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WYOMING derived its name from the historic Wyoming valley of Pennsylvania and is supposed to be a corruption of the Indian name Maughwauwame, meaning in the Indian language Large Plains. With the state 365 miles in length by 276 miles in width, making an area of 97,883 square miles, its surface is equal to the states of New York and Pennsylvania. Part of Wyoming, west of the Rocky mountains, was included in the Oregon Country and belonged to Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Idaho. The lower Green River country, about Fort Bridger, pertained to Mexico and became American soil after the treaty of 1848. Most of Wyoming was included in the Province of Louisiana, purchased from the French in 1804, the Territory of Louisiana after 1805, the Territory of Missouri after 1812, the Indian Country after 1834, Nebraska after 1854, Dakota after 1861, Idaho after 1863, and Dakota again after 1864. To Dakota, therefore, our earliest pioneers looked for what little law and justice was given them; and it was the rule, rather than the exception, that citizens at this long distance from the seat of government waited either very long or else hopelessly for even such little satisfaction as might be given by law. More revenue was gained by the territorial treasury from this isolated section than from all of eastern Dakota, while the taxation here laid by the United States aggregated very handsome amounts. In 1868, however, a new era was inaugurated, and the enterprising settlers who laid the foundation for our new state made vigorous efforts to secure an organization nearer home. These were baffled until July 25, 1868, when the act to provide a temporary government for the "Territory of Wyoming" became a law.^ The boundaries designated for the foundling were the forty-first and forty-fifth degrees of north latitude and the twentyseventh and thirty-fourth meridians of longitude west from Washington. This gave the territory the generous dimensions of 365 miles in length by 276 miles in breadth, and, besides taking a large proportion of Dakota's domain, carved smaller areas from Colorado and Utah.

was in complete working order, with Cheyenne as the capital. The gentlemen who first filled positions of trust were: J. A. Campbell, governor; Edward M. Lee, secretary; Church Howe, marshal; J. M. Carey, United States attorney; John M. Howe, chief justice; J. W. Bingham and W. S. Jones, associate justices; C. D. Ruger, surveyor general; Frank Wolcott, receiver public land office.

The first legislative assembly in Wyoming was organized at Cheyenne October 12, 1869, with Wm. H. Bright as president of the council, and S. M. Curran, speaker of the house. The legislature adjourned sine die on the loth of December, after having given the first laws that were considered really binding by the people of this section. Succeeding sessions have been held biennially, meeting, according to enactment, on the second Tuesday of January of each alternate year.

The vote of 1869 was greatly out of proportion to the permanent population on account of the great many people who were in the new railroad towns along the Union Pacific railway, which at that time had just been completed. This floating population disappeared with the flush times of the earliest days, and it was 1874 before a permanent population was brought up to the figures of '69.

The act approved by President Benjamin Harrison at 5:30 p.m., July 10, 1890, under which the state of Wyoming was admitted into the Union, consists of twenty-one sections, introduced by the following preamble:

Wyoming As A Territory And State 3

"Whereas, The people of the Territory of Wyoming did, on the 30th day of September, 1889, by a convention of delegates called and assembled for that purpose, form for themselves a constitution, which constitution was ratified and adopted by the people of said territory at the election held therefor on the first Tuesday in November, 1889, which constitution is republican in form and is in conformity with the Constitution of the United States; and

"Whereas, Said convention and the people of said territory have asked the admission of said territory into the Union of states on an equal footing with the original states in all respects whatever; therefore, be it enacted,

"Section i. That the state of Wyoming is hereby declared to be a state of the United States of America, and is hereby declared admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original states in all respects whatever; and that the constitution which the people of Wyoming have formed for themselves be, and the same is hereby accepted, ratified, and confirmed."

Section 2 defines the boundaries, which are the same as at the present time; section 3 fixes the representation in congress as two senators and one member of the house of representatives; section 4 sets apart the sections of land numbered 16 and 36 in each township for the support of a public school system; section 5 relates to the same subject; section 6 grants "fifty sections of the unappropriated public lands within the state for the purpose of erecting public buildings at the capital," etc.; section 7 donates 5 per cent of the proceeds of all sales of public lands within the state to the school fund; sections 8 to II relate to the land grants under previous acts of legislation, for the penitentiary, fish hatchery and agricultural college, etc., to-wit: For the insane asylum in Uinta county, 30,000 acres; for the penal, reform, and educational institution in course of construction in Carbon county, 30,000 acres; for the penitentiary in Albany county, 30,000 acres; for the fish hatchery in Albany county, 5,000 acres; for the deaf, dumb, and blind asylum in Laramie county, 10,000 acres; for the poor farm in Fremont county, 10,000 acres; for the miners' hospital in Sweetwater county, 30,000 acres; for public buildings at the capital, 75,000 acres; and for state charitable, penal and reformatory institutions, 260,000 acres, making a total of 500,000 acres, in addition to the specific land grants already mentioned. The act also contains a provision that none of the lands granted should be sold for less than ten dollars an acre.

The next three sections prescribe the manner in which all lands granted to the state should be selected. Section 15 appropriated ^3,000 to defray the expenses of the constitutional convention.

Sections i6, 17, and 18 provide for the establishment of a United States district court for Wyoming, and fix the time and place of holding terms of the United States district and circuit courts. Section 19 relates to the election of United States senators, and the last two sections authorize the territorial officials to remain in office until a state election could be held, and declare that the laws of the United States shall apply to the state of Wyoming.

The following table exhibiting the population and assessed valuation of the five original counties of the territory in 1870 and 1877, which is compiled from the official returns, will be of interest:

With Natrona county's assessed valuation in 1921 of ^61,070,426, it will be observed that this count}^ alone now has more than five times the assessed valuation that the whole Territory of Wyoming had in 1877, and it is more than eight times greater than the whole territory was assessed at in 1870.

The territorial governors of Wyoming were appointed by the president of the United States, and in 1869, when Wyoming became a territory, President U. S. Grant appointed John A. Campbell our first governor. Mr. Campbell served as governor of the new territory until 1875, when he resigned and John M. Thayer was appointed and served until 1878. John W. Hoyt was the third governor, whose term was from 1878 to 1882. William Hale served from 1882 until 1885, and died while in office. Francis E. Warren succeeded Mr. Hale and served from 1885 to 1886. George E. Baxter was appointed in November, 1886, and served until December of that year, when Thomas Moonlight was appointed and served until 1889. Francis E. Warren was again appointed in 1889, and upon the organization of the state government was elected its first governor, assuming the office under the state organization October 11, 1890. Having been elected United States senator he resigned and was succeeded by Amos W. Barber, then secretary of state, as acting governor on November 24, 1890. At the election held in November, 1892, John E. Osborne was elected governor to complete the original term of Governor Warren. William

Wyoming As A Territory And State 5

A. Richards was elected governor in November, 1894, assuming office in January, 1895, and served the four-year term. DeForest Richards was elected chief executive in 1898, taking the oath in January, 1899. He was re-elected in 1902, assuming office in January, 1903. Governor Richards served but a few months of his second term when death overtook him and Fenimore Chatterton, secretary of state, became acting governor. In the election of 1904 Bryant B. Brooks was chosen to complete the term of Governor Richards. In 1906 Governor Brooks was chosen his own successor, for the regular term. Joseph M. Carey was elected in 1910 and was inaugurated in January, 191 1. John B. Kendrick was elected in 1914 and became governor in January, 1915. In the campaign of 1916 he was elected United States senator, resigning the governorship February 26, 1917. Frank L. Houx, by virtue of his office of secretary of state, became acting governor on the same date. At the gubernatorial election November, 1918, Robert D. Carey was elected and took office January, 1919, and served until January, 1923. William B. Ross was the people's choice at the general election held in November, 1922, and was inaugurated January i, 1923.

THE first step toward the segregation of Carbon county and the estabhshment of a new county to be known as Natrona was taken when a bill was presented in the Wyoming territorial legislature in 1888, entitled: "An act making divers appropriations, and for other purposes." The act, after being passed by the legislature and engrossed, was presented to Governor Moonlight for his signature, but instead of signing the bill, the governor promptly vetoed it, and when it was returned to the legislative halls with his disapproval, the members of the legislature just as promptly passed the bill over the governor's veto.

The next step taken in behalf of the new county was during the latter months of 1888, when a petition was circulated and signed by about two-thirds of the people living in the northern part of Carbon county (now Natrona county). The petition requested Governor Moonlight to appoint Jacob E. Ervay, Nathan S. Bristol and Bryant B. Brooks as temporary commissioners for the purpose of organizing the new county. The segregation would divide Carbon county near the center by a line running east and west, thus giving Natrona county an area of about 5,500 square miles, or seventy-five miles square, the area of Carbon county at that time being 170 miles long and seventy-five miles wide.

The petition, containing nearly 300 names, was carried from Casper to Cheyenne by Attorney C. C. Wright on January 31, 1889, and was formally presented to the governor. A man named McCoy, who was at that time booming the townsite of Bothwell, in the Sweetwater country, and who had been in the county less than three months, made the trip to Cheyenne for the purpose of filing a remonstrance with the governor, objecting to the three commissioners being appointed, and he filed affidavits to the effect that many of the petitioners were not legal residents of the county, and therefore, the petition should not be considered by the governor.

Governor Moonlight, after the petition and remonstrance had been presented, announced that he would keep the matter open for eighteen days, in order that further evidence and argument might be produced for and against the commissioners being appointed, and after the eighteen days expired he would require eight days more to review the evidence and render a decision.

On February 26, 1889, the governor gave notice that he would not appoint the temporary commissioners as requested by the petitioners, and from this decree there was no appeal. Thus the organization of Natrona county was delayed for the time being.

Governor Moonlight was removed from office in about thirty days after he vetoed the petition, and on March 22, 1889, President Benjamin Harrison appointed Francis E. Warren as governor of the Territory of Wyoming. Then the people of the northern part of Carbon county again circulated a petition praying that Governor Warren appoint George Mitchell, Bryant B. Brooks, and Jacob E. Ervay as commissioners to act in the organization of the county of Natrona. Mr. Bristol declined the honor of having his name on the second petition. In due time the petition was presented to Governor Warren, and on March 3, 1890, the governor made the appointments as requested in the petition.

The boundaries of Natrona county, at the time the bill was enacted by the territorial legislature, which have been changed but little since, were defined as follows:

"Commencing at a point on the seventh standard parallel north, at its intersection with the western boundary line of the present county of Albany; thence west along said standard parallel to its intersection with the west boundary line of the present county of Carbon; thence north along said last described boundary line to the southern boundary line of the present county of Johnson; thence east along said boundary line of Johnson county to the northwestern corner of the present county of Albany; thence south along the western boundary line of said county of Albany to the place of beginning; being all that portion of the present county of Carbon, Territory of Wyoming, lying north of the seventh standard parallel north."

Natrona county derives its name from the natural deposits of natrum or carbonate of soda, which is found in the numerous basins and lakes that abound in the central part of the state. Judge Charles E. Blydenburgh of Rawlins suggested the name "Natrona" as the thirteenth county of Wyoming.

Carbon, our mother county, was one of the original five counties of the Territory of Wyoming, and was organized by legislative enactment in November, 1869.

Carbon county originally included all that portion of the Territory of Wyoming lying between a point on the Union Pacific railway one-half mile east of Aurora station on the east, and the 107th degree and 30 minutes west longitude on the west, and the north and south boundary lines of the territory. The area of the land embraced was 22,080 square miles, thirty square miles more than are included in the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. In 1879 Carbon county was divided on the parallel of 43 degrees and 30 minutes north latitude, and the north portion was organized under the name of Pease, but was later changed to Johnson county. After this division Carbon county was reduced in land area to 12,816 square miles. Reduced to acres the county contained 8,783,040 acres of land. Its population in 1 877, before Johnson county was segregated, was given as 2,500 and its assessed valuation was $1,900,000. With the two divisions of Carbon county that have been made from its original area, Natrona is left in the center of the old county, Johnson being to our north and Carbon to the south. Sheridan county was organized from part of Johnson in 1887, and Big Horn county was organized from part of Johnson in 1897.

The beautiful valleys of the Sweetwater, Powder and North Platte rivers and the numerous small streams in Natrona county, and the contiguous plains, largely visited by the warm winds from the shores of the Pacific ocean, make this region one of the most desirable locations on this continent. The valleys in this section are so protected by mountain ranges on the immediate south and west that it is signally exempt from the perilous storms which make winter so dangerous and destructive to livestock in the north and east, and the dreadful blizzards which sweep a considerable portion of the United States during the winter months do not reach this section to any appreciable extent.

The commissioners appointed by Governor Warren took the oath of office on March 5, 1890, before R. H. Wilbur, a justice of the peace residing in Casper. Immediately after the oath of office was administered, the commissioners designated Casper, in the unorganized county of Natrona, as the place to hold its meetings. The first regular meeting of the new commissioners was held on the 5th day of March, 1890, at 4 o'clock p. m., in the office of the Wyoming Lumber company, George Mitchell being president of the lumber company, and the office was located where the Nicolaysen Lumber company yards are now located. At this meeting Bryant B. Brooks was chosen chairman of the board, George Mitchell, secretary, and F. H. Harvey was appointed attorney for the board. The commissioners then established voting precincts and appointed judges of election for each voting precinct as follows:

The board ordered that an election be held within the unorganized county of Natrona, on the 8th day of April, 1890, for the purpose of electing all county and precinct officers of the said county of Natrona, and for the selection of a county seat for the said county.

The notice of the election was ordered published in the Casper Weekly Mail, the first paper published in Casper, and the only one published here at that time.

The next exciting event was the county election, held April 8, 1890, and the selection of the county seat was the big drawing card of the day. The contest for the county seat was between Casper and Bessemer from the very moment that it was officially declared that there was to be a Natrona county, and after the smoke of battle had cleared away it was learned that in the entire county Bessemer had received 731 votes, against 353 for Casper. It was claimed by both sides that a great many fraudulent votes had been cast, but it was very evident when the commissioners met to canvass the returns, that Bessemer "overplayed her hand," and the entire vote from that precinct, for the county seat, as well as for all the county officers, was thrown out on the official count, the commissioners reporting that "The official returns from Bessemer made to the board of commissioners, upon being opened, were found to be grossly irregular, no official summary or return being made, or certified to in the poll book, as required by law, nor was the tally list signed or certified to or identified in the manner provided by law, and it is therefore, upon motion, ordered that the said returns from Bessemer voting place be not considered or counted in the canvass."

The vote on the county officers and upon the seat of the county government from all the other precincts of the county excepting Bessemer, gave the following totals:

The board of county commissioners, consisting of A. McKinney, ', S. A. Aggers and J. P. Smith, met in regular session on April 12, and j after perfecting their organization, thereupon issued a proclamation j which declared that "the county commissioners, the sheriff, the I county clerk and ex-officio register of deeds, and the judge of probate ) and county treasurer, having each severally received certificates of j election, and having each duly qualified according to law, did then and there enter upon the duties of their said offices, respectively, , and the county of Natrona, Territory of Wyoming, was declared duly ' and regularly organized." !

At this same meeting the board of county commissioners leased three rooms in the second story of White & Co.'s building, to be used : as county oflfices, at $450 annually. These are the front rooms in the , building on Center street the second door south from Second street, [ on the west side of the street, which for many years were occupied ! by the Grand Central hotel.

But little business was transacted by the board of county com- ' missioners at its first meeting held April 12, except to provide for ; rooms for the county officers, but on May 5 a contract was made with ; the board of county commissioners of Converse county "to take and care for any prisoners from Natrona county at the rate of one dollar ' per day in United States currency for each prisoner, the bills to be ' paid monthly." On the same date the county clerk was instructed to make an order for the county superintendent of schools to estab- . lish the school districts of Natrona county which were to be a part ' of the records of said county. This was all the business of importance transacted at this meeting. At the meeting of June 3, the board passed ; a resolution to the effect "that the Casper-Bates Hole road is of ; sufficient importance to be opened and traveled, therefore, it is ordered that the said road be and the same is hereby established." O. M. Rice was appointed road overseer for the new county. A grand ' jury was selected at the meeting held July 7, and it was the duty of this grand jury to select a list of sixty names to serve as petit jurors at the term of the district court.

The Casper-Muddy road was established October 9, 1890, "commencing at the town of Casper and running in an easterly direction to a point just east of J. A. Stroud's ranch, thence on the road now traveled in a southeasterly direction to John Greenlaw's ranch, thence in an easterly direction to a pass in the hills about one fourth of a mile south of the old traveled road and about onehalf a mile west of the TAX ranch, connecting with the said old road about 100 feet above and north of the first bridge on Dry Muddy creek west of said TAX ranch, thence following the old road in an easterly direction to the top of the hill, thence in a southeasterly direction as far as the southwest corner of the OK ranch, thence in an easterly direction to the northwest corner of the Hines and Jaycox ranch on West Muddy, crossing said West Muddy close to Hines and Jaycox ranch, thence southeasterly to a point about one-fourth of a mile from said crossing of West Muddy, thence in an easterly direction to the county line, crossing the Main Muddy creek, on section line between C. C. P. Webel's ranch and the Lajaunesse ranch, immediately south, terminating at the county line."

On account of the regular election, as provided by the state law, occurring in September of this year, Natrona county's first set of officers was in charge of affairs only from April 9 to December 31.

In November, 1890, the business in the county clerk's office had increased to such extent as to make it impossible for one man to do it justice, and, with the sanction of the county commissioners. County Clerk O'Malley appointed J. B. Bradley deputy county clerk.

Nothing of importance was transacted by the county commis- , sioners since their meeting in November until the first meeting in 1 January, when the newly-elected county officers were sworn in. At I this meeting, January 2, 1891, judgment against Natrona county in | favor of Carbon county in the sum of $15,565.71, with interest at j the rate of 8 per cent from April 8, 1890, as adjusting debt, was j assumed by this county. |

On February 10, 1891, a special jail fund was created for the ! purpose of paying for the keeping of committed prisoners and it was, \ "Resolved that all funds derived from the county clerk's office for ' the months of January, February, and March, 1891, be carried to ! the jail fund and the county treasurer is hereby instructed to place , to the credit of said jail fund all moneys paid him for the months of January, February, and March by the county clerk." There was now in the county clerk's office $152.80 which was the earnings for the , month of January, 1891. This was ordered covered into the county treasury and to be applied on the jail fund. George Mitchell was confirmed as clerk of the district court on February 11, 1891, by . Judge J. W. Blake.

Early in the spring of 1891, William W. Jaycox, who had served , as sheriff of Natrona county since its organization and was twice ; elected to that office, and without resigning from the office or saying ] good bye to his friends, changed his place of residence. His bondsmen ; immediately made application to be released, and the county commissioners, having announced that inasmuch as the "said Jaycox had fled the state and left no one in charge of public affairs, the office of sheriff is declared vacant and the bondsmen are discharged from further liability as surety of the said Jaycox as sheriff." Jaycox was an exceptionally good officer and his financial affairs were all straight, ' but domestic trouble caused him to "flee" from the state. O. M. ' Rice was appointed sheriff by the board of county commissioners to fill the unexpired term. ;

B. S. Ross was allowed $2,517.20 for making the transcript of the county. On July 7, 1891, the county was bonded for $23,000 to pay the Carbon county indebtedness and other accumulated indebtedness. The county was without funds at this time and the fact caused some of the alarmists considerable uneasiness. There were no improvements made or bills contracted except those that were absolutely necessary. By strict economy the county was soon "on its feet," and in commenting on our financial condition, the local newspaper in January, 1892, said:

"Natrona county is now not quite two years old. It sprung into life under the most adverse circumstances and many people predicted that its course would be brief and that bankruptcy would be its ultimate end. Yet today there are few counties in the state in better financial condition. It begins the new year with a balance of $5,271 on hand, all bills have been paid up to the fifth of the month and our warrants are sold on the market for ninety-five cents on the dollar. Several large herds of cattle have left our county during the past two years, but in their place have come small ranchmen with small herds, so that the number of head has been but slightly decreased while the additional number of improved ranches makes up the sum of our revenue. Our mineral resources' have been developed and received an impetus such as has not been known before in the history of the state. We are witnessing the dawn of a glorious day."

The road from Casper to the Sweetwater country was established at the meeting of the board of county commissioners held on July 5, 1892. The soda lakes near Independence Rock were the incentive for the expenditure of a considerable amount of money to put this road in good repair. At this same meeting, the Lost Cabin road from Casper was also established. The establishment of county roads was about the most important business to come before the board of county commissioners in those days.

The building of a jail for the county and the town of Casper was a subject that taxed the minds of the officials considerably at this time. The town was progressive; a town hall had already been built and the town council had devised ways and means to build a jail to replace the one that Dr. Joe Benson had caused to be destroyed by fire. The proposition was for the town and county to build a union jail to cost about $4,000, the town to pay half and the county to pay half, and on July 27, 1892, the county accepted a proposition from the town of Casper for the building of a union jail by adopting the following resolution:

"Whereas, The county of Natrona has no jail or place to confine its prisoners, and it is hereby adjudged and considered that the best interests of Natrona county will be served by accepting the proposition of said town of Casper, and the same is hereby accepted and approved, and the county treasurer in and for said county is hereby authorized, empowered and a copy of this order shall be his authority for doing so, to pay over out of the money remaining from the sale of county bonds to the said town of Casper for the uses of said jail the sum of $2,000 whenever the said town of Casper shall execute to Natrona county a bond in the sum of $4,000 for the build- I ing and completion of said jail." The bond was furnished by the i town on December 5 and was accepted by the county commissioners, j and an agreement was entered into for a union town and county jail, i On April 4, 1893, the building was completed and accepted and the | contractors paid. The prisoners of the town and county were then relieved of the inconvenience of being transported to Douglas for i safe keeping and back to Casper for trial by court, and the town and county were relieved of the expense of taking them to and from I Douglas. This union jail was the brick and stone building which j stood in the old court house square, immediately in the rear of the j new" fire house and municipal garage on the west side of David street, j between Yellowstone Highway and Midwest avenue. It was torn j down late in the fall of 1921. Many noted criminals, such as horse j thieves, bank robbers, postoffice robbers, cattle thieves, murderers, | and other desperate men, had been lodged in this jail, among them j being old Chief Red Cloud, who is said to have caused the death of more white men than any other human being in this part of the country. If the old walls could have talked and revealed the thoughts of some of the men who had been confined there, what a story they j could have told. |

The public road to the Alcova hot springs was established '! April 6, 1894, and on the same date a contract was entered into with { C. R. Countryman to build a bridge across the Sweetwater river at j Independence Rock for $267.92, the county to furnish the material. |

The business of the county steadily increased year after year , until the need of a new court house was felt, and at the meeting of the board of county commissioners held in May, 1895, it was decided to put up a new court house on the land recently acquired by the county. The building was described as "twenty-four by thirty-six : feet, two stories, frame, covered with standing seam iron; a large , brick vault eight by twelve feet." The contract for the masonry ; work was awarded to W. F. McMillen for $227 and the carpenter . work to E. Erben for $250. The new building was finished the latter , part of June and was occupied by the county officers the first week , in July, 1895. This building was in the same block with the union 1 town and county jail and at that time was considered a creditable building for the housing of the county officers. It was used for that ' purpose until March 13, 1909, when the new court house on Center and A streets was occupied. At a meeting held on August 2, 1895, Chairman Charles K. Bucknum was appointed a committee of one to purchase material to enclose the ground of lots 3, 4, 9, 11, 12, 15, 27, 28, 31, 39 and 40, in block one, which had been acquired for court house purposes.

The bridge across the Platte river at Alcova, owned by the Alcova Hot Springs company, was on July 6, 1897, declared to be in a dangerous and unsafe condition and that loss to life and property might ensue should the structure be allowed to stand. It was therefore condemned and ordered removed within thirty days or the county would remove it as provided by law.

The resignation of H. L. Patton as sheriff of Natrona county on June 7, 1898, was accepted and O. M. Rice was appointed by the board of county commissioners to fill the vacancy. Mr. Patton resigned in order to enlist with the Torrey Rough Riders in the Spanish-American war.

Ed Crapon was appointed county assessor for Natrona county January 3, 1900. The salary was ^650, and it required about three months to do the work. After this year the assessor was elected every two years the same as other county officers and the salary was increased to $125 per month.

The foregoing is a brief resume of the most important work done by the county officers for the first ten years of the county's organization. Details have been gone into for the purpose of making a comparison of how the business was transacted in those days and how it is transacted at the present time, as well as to show how we have builded up from the smallest county in Wyoming, both in population and wealth, to the most populous and richest in the state.

Bryant B. Brooks of Casper was elected governor of the state of Wyoming in 1904 and again in 1906, serving as chief executive six successive years.

If the regularly elected and appointed judges of the district court who have presided at the sessions of court held in Natrona county could and would tell some of their experiences what interest-

1 Edward S. White, Natrona county's representative in the lower house of the sixth session of the Wyoming state legislature, died in Cheyenne on January 14, igoi. Mr. White occupied his seat only three days when he was stridden with pneumonia, and his death resulted after being confined to his hotel but a few days. At the time of his death the members of the house and senate were on a special train going to Rawlins, Laramie, Rock Springs and Evanston, to make a personal inspection of the state penitentiary, the university, the state hospital, and the hospital for the insane. Senator Patrick Sullivan, and Chief Clerk Alfred J. Mokler, both of Casper, were on the special train and the news of Representative White's death cast a gloom over all those on board the train, for it had been announced that the patient's condition was greatly improved when the special train left Cheyenne that morning. The members returned to Cheyenne the second day following the death of their colleague and funeral services were conducted in the capitol building by the members of Wyoming Consistory of Masons. The body was brought to Casper and very impressive funeral services were held here by the Masonic bodies, of which the deceased was a member. Four deaths occurred among the members of the legislature during the sixth session and the flag on the capitol building floated at half-mast during most of the session. After Mr. White's death, Natrona county had no representative in the lower house during the remainder of the session.

From 1890, when Natrona county was organized, until 1913, Albany, Natrona and Fremont counties comprised the Second judicial district. All the judges during that time come from Albany county, and, probably, among the most interesting documents stored away in the "dead" vault in the Natrona county court house are the tax schedules for the year 1890, being the first year that our county was segregated from Carbon. A great many people who have taken up their residence here in recent years are of the opinion that this part of the state was then an exclusive cattle country, but, according to the assessor's figures, there were then 28,901 sheep in the county, valued at ^44,184, against 28,029 cattle, valued at ^295,660. The valuation of the cattle per head, as placed by the state board of equalization, ranged from $10 to $25. There were ninety people in the county that year who owned cattle, the largest number owned by one person being 4,000 head; another person owned 3,500 head; another 3,000 head, a number of others were assessed for 2,500 head. There were but ten people in the county who claimed that they were the owners of sheep. George Ferris had 6,000 head, and they were assessed at $9,000, or $1.50 per head; Tom Hood had 2,040 head; C. P. Dasch, 4,598; Wm. Madden, 1,500; John Morton, 5,250; Woodruff Bros., 9,500, and then there were thirteen more sheep in the county divided among four people as owners. There were 2,432 head of horses in the county, valued at $52,762, and no mules and asses, valued at $5,625. There was not a dog or a hog in the county, according to the records of the assessor. There were 158 carriages, valued at $6,690, and the farming utensils and mechanics' tools were valued at $8,305. There were but forty-seven people in the whole county who owned clocks, watches and jewelry that seemed to be worth assessing, and the valuation placed upon all of them was $1,817.15. Fifteen people owned musical instruments, the most valuable one being assessed at $150, and the one of the lowest value being placed at $10, the whole being valued at $935. There were two law libraries in the county, one owned by Alex T. Butler, valued at $100, and C. C. Wright was the owner of the other, valued at $50. Fourteen people in the county owned household furniture valued at more than $100, the whole being assessed at $980. The capital employed in manufacture was assessed at $21,755. But one merchant in the county had store fixtures that were worth assessing, and that went in at a valuation of $200. Three people owned stocks and shares in corporations, the valuation of the whole going in at $180. There was $3j377.I3 in moneys and credits put in to be assessed, divided among eight people. One merchant had $1,200 in moneys and credits; another had $1,000, another $500, another $230, another $200, two men had $100 each, and the lowest amount turned in was $47.13. The total valuation of all the personal property in the county turned in to be assessed was $6,731, divided among ninety-six people, the highest amount being $i,ooo and the lowest five dollars, there being four people coming in at the five-dollar assessment, one at six dollars; more than a dozen at ten dollars and a great many at twenty-five dollars and up to one hundred dollars. The total assessed valuation for the whole county was ^449,151.28. To compare the above with the assessment made in 1921, which is published at the conclusion of this chapter, will show to some extent how the county has grown in valuation and the wonderful change that has taken place in the short space of thirty-one years.

Natrona county in 1921 showed the largest assessed valuation of any county in the state and also had the largest number of sheep listed of any of the several counties in Wyoming. It will also be noted that the assessed valuation had increased from less than half a million dollars in 1890 to more than sixty-one million dollars in 1921. This phenomenal increase was due mostly to the development of the oil fields and construction of the oil refineries, which, in addition to the money invested in the development of the oil fields and the building of refineries, was the incentive for bringing many other industries, with additional mercantile houses and professional men to the county, but considerable credit is also due to the stock raising industry which is yet responsible, and always has been, for no small amount of the county's taxes.

The earnings in the office of the county clerk during the year 1917 reached its highest peak, and was more than the earnings in any other county clerk's office in the state for any year, the amount being $23,679.90, as against $5,500.05 for 1916. A total of 16,390 instruments were filed for record, as against 3,595 for the previous year. For 191 8 the earnings in this office showed a decided falling off with a gradual decline with each year following.

In making up the budget for the year 1922 the board of county commissioners estimated that there would be an income of $252,350, $10,000 of which would be derived from the earnings in the county clerk's office, $2,000 from the office of the clerk of the district court, and $240,350 from taxation. Of this amount it was estimated that the salaries of officers and deputies would amount to $68,000, transportation and contingent expense for the various departments, $8,000; district court expense, $14,750, justice court expense, $4,550; coroner's expense, $3,350; printing and records, $6,500; court house and jail expense, $20,000; criminal costs, $15,000; roads and bridges, $29,500, and miscellaneous expense $82,500. The salaries for the officers and deputies were divided as follows: Sheriff, $9,000; countyclerk, $9,000; county treasurer, $6,000; county attorney, $6,500; superintendent of schools, $1,500; assessor, $13,000; county commissioners, $3,000; clerk of the district court, $4,000; county physician, $2,500; county agent, $2,500; health officer, $4,000; miscellaneous expense to be divided among the several offices, $7,000. The general miscellaneous expense was estimated as follows: Poor and pauper, $20,000; county hospital, $18,000; premium on official bonds. $1,500; election expense, $5,000; contagious disease, $5,000; postage and freight, $1,000; telegraph and telephone, $4,000; inspection of horses and cattle, $1,500; mothers' pensions, $3,500; county poor farm, $1,000; clinic, $4,000, and to cover the 1920 deficit, $18,000.

The poor and pauper and "widows' expense" of Natrona county is an annual burden to the taxpayers of more than $25,000, and on account of the liberality of the members of the board of county commissioners the amount is rapidly increasing, and it is truly said that many of the people who are kept by the county eat better food, wear more expensive clothing and live in better houses than many of the laboring class who "earn their bread by the sweat of their brow." At one time the county clerk had published in the official proceedings of the county commissioners the names of those who received alms from the county, and the amount given them, but such a protest was made against the action of the clerk in the I publication of the names of those who were classed as "poor and \ pauper," that the commissioners ordered the clerk in the future to | forego the publication of the names, "because of the extra adver- | rising expense." !

On April 29, 1919, the board of county commissioners bought j from N. S. Wilson 870 acres of land situated four and one-half miles j east from the city of Casper. Two hundred acres of this land was | under irrigation from water supplied by Elkhorn and Cloud creeks, i The improvements on the farm included a six-room house, stables, 1 garage, electric light and water systems, private telephone connecting with the Casper exchange, and many other conveniences. It was the intention of the commissioners to send the county's indigent to this farm where sustenance would not be so great, but they refused to go to the farm, and for a short time some of them did not apply for aid. In a few months, however, they were on the county pay roll again and some of them have been there ever since, and they continue to live in the city with all the comforts and conveniences that a liberal county administration can provide for them.

One of the best indications of a community's growth and prosperity is to be found in its banking institutions, and certainly the growth shown in the banks of Casper since the town was organized has been phenomenal. The steady increase in the volume of business transacted by the banks is but a reflection in the growth of all lines of business in Casper and vicinity, which few cities in the whole of the United States will duplicate.

The Bank of Casper, with George Weber as cashier and proprietor, opened its doors for business in Casper in the fall of 1888. This was the first bank in Casper. January i, 1889, it carried an advertisement to the effect that its paid-up capital stock was ^5,000, with a surplus of ^i 14.39. The financial statement published October II, 1889, showed the resources consisted of loans and discounts, $3,916.82; overdrafts, $795.98; due from National banks, $1,498.25; checks, currency, gold, silver, legal tender, and other cash items, $2,592.87; real estate, furniture,||and fixtures, $1,800. The liabilities were: Deposits, subject to [check, $3,902.80; demand certificates of deposit, $600; time certificates, $4,073.02; capital and surplus, $4,252.30. In January, 1891, W. A. Denecke became cashier and the name was changed to W. A. Denecke & Company's Bank of Casper. On November 27, 1903, this bank failed. It was said that the cause of the failure was that the heaviest depositors drew out large amounts of money and the heaviest borrowers were unable to meet their notes which were due and owing the bank. S. W. Conwell was appointed receiver and it was announced that about $51,000 was on deposit and there was $4,000 cash on hand when the bank closed. Notes and securities outstanding were ample to pay the depositors in full as soon as the money depression was relieved and the outstanding indebtedness to the bank could be collected. In due time the depositors were paid in full. This was the first and only bank failure in Casper.

The banking house of C. H. King & Company of Casper commenced business in the early summer of 1889, with Alex. J. Cunningham as cashier and C. H. King, president. This was the second bank for Casper. At the close of business on October 29, 1889, this bank in its financial statement showed it had resources at its command as follows: Loans and discounts, $861.24; overdrafts, $355.83; due from National banks, $3,966.93; furniture and fixtures, $545.79; expenses, $28.30; checks and other cash items, $151.75; legal tender, $1,450; nickels and cents, $631; specie, $25; total, $7,391.15. The liabilities were: Capital stock, $1,250, and undivided profits, $26.36; individual deposits, subject to check, $6,114.79. In 1894 the C. H. King & Company bank was merged into the Richards, Cunningham & Company bank. The Richards, Cunningham & Company bank was merged into the Casper National bank on July i, 1903, with a capital stock of $50,000. The officers were: A. J. Cunningham, president; J. DeForest Richards, vice president; E. P. Palmer, cashier; Maud Bohner, assistant cashier; and E. C. Harris, B. B. Brooks, Patrick Sullivan, P. C. Nicolaysen, A. J. Cunningham and J. DeForest Richards, directors. The statement to the comptroller of currency on September 9, 1903, showed: Loans and discounts, $249,205.27; National bank notes outstanding, $13,500; undivided deposits subject to check, $229,788.39; demand certificates of deposit, $1,140; time certificates of deposit, $60,141.82. The capital stock paid in was $50,000. There was no surplus but the undivided profits were $18.46. This was the only bank doing business in Casper at that time. On December 29, 1922, there were: Loans and discounts, $1,753,561.08; overdrafts, $989.28; U. S. bonds and government securities, $61,543.46; other bonds and stocks, $74,327.24; banking house, furniture and fixtures, $141,355.89; cash due from other banks and bankers and U. S. treasurer, $819,353.58. Capital stock, $100,000; surplus, $100,000; undivided profits, $26,851.64; circulating notes outstanding, $50,000; demand deposits, time deposits, cashier's checks, certified checks and all other deposits and those due state and National banks, $2,574,278.89. Total, $2,851,130.53.

The American Exchange bank was opened for business in Casper on March 2, 1891. This was Casper's third bank. The financial statement showed that the institution had real estate worth $1,500; furniture and fixtures, $1,000; cash on hand, $3,500; and other property owned by the firm, $15,000; making a total of $21,000. The liabilities were listed as naught. Alexander McKinney was president, Peter O'Malley, vice president, and J. E. Plummet, cashier. The American Exchange was very short lived, having been in existence just a year and a day, but its affairs were closed up in a business-like manner. On March 2, 1892, a notice was published in the local newspaper to the effect that the co-partnership between A. McKinney, Peter O'Malley, and J. E. Plummer, under the name of the American Exchange bank, was dissolved, and that all notes and bills of the co-partnership were payable to A. McKinney. There was then not enough business in the town for three banks and the law of the "survival of the fittest" prevailed.

The Stockmen's National Bank of Casper was granted a charter in October, 1903, with C. H. Townsend, P. H. Shallenberger, Fred A. Gooding, Frank Wood, L. L. Gantz, C. K. Bucknum, and S. T. Mosser as stockholders. The capital stock was $50,000. The institution was opened for business in the Townsend building on the northwest corner of Center and Second streets on Monday, December 28, 1903, with C. H. Townsend, president; Percy H. Shallenberger, cashier; and Miss Lizzie McDonald, assistant cashier. This was the second bank in Casper at that time. The directors and officers on December 31, 1922, were: C. H. Townsend, president; Frank Wood, vice president; L. B. Townsend, cashier; V. W. Mokler, assistant cashier; L. L. Gantz, L. E. Townsend, C. L. Rhinemuth, directors. On December 29, 1922, the statement showed: Loans and discounts, $951,992.50; U. S. bonds, $146,000; overdrafts, $1,405.17; other bonds and securities, $155,911.50; furniture and fixtures, $2,500; cash on hand, due from banks and the U. S. treasurer, $275,568.83. Capital stock, $50,000; surplus, $125,000; undivided profits, $28,298.- 66; bills payable, $75,000; circulation, $48,500; deposits, $1,206,579.- 34. Total, $1,533,378.

The First Trust and Savings Bank of Casper was organized January 19, 1915, and opened for business January 25, 1915. The following associates were elected to the first board of directors: Harold Banner, C. H. Townsend, Henry Bayer, John Daly, F. H. Sawyer, John T. Scott, William O. Wilson. The bank opened with a capital of $25,000. The first statement was made December 31, 191 5, with figures as follows: Capital, $25,000; loans, $55,115; deposits, $40,972. The following associates were on January i, 1923, serving as board of directors: C. H. Townsend, W. O. Wilson, W. O. RatclifF, L. B. Townsend, C. L. Rhinemuth, A. J. Mokler, Sam Switzer. The financial condition on December 29, 1922, was: Real estate loans, $441,865.55; bonds, securities, etc., $1,086; cash and sight exchange, $72,795.48. The resources were: Capital stock, $25,000; surplus, $25,000; undivided profits, $17,869.71 ; savings accounts, $393,308.66; time certificates, $54,568.66. Total, $515,747.03.

under the state banking laws, with the name of CosgrifF & Abbott, \ Bankers. The capital stock was ^10,000. The bank was opened in a ; small room in the Iris theatre building. A later change of location I placed them in the corner room known as the Grand Central hotel ; lobby, on the southwest corner of Center and Second streets. On i May 2, 1914, the bank received its charter as The Wyoming National Bank of Casper. B. B. Brooks was then chosen as president, Thomas ; A. Cosgriff and G. E. Abbott as vice presidents, and Roy C. Wyland , as cashier. Under the National laws the bank was organized on \ a basis of ^50,000 as capital and $5,000 as surplus. Since that , time the capital of the bank increased to $100,000 and $100,000 as j earned placed to the surplus account of the bank. From a small j capitalization and initial deposits on the first day of $4,000 the bank, j on January i , 1922, had increased to a capital of $100,000, a surplus of 1 $100,000 with resources of $4,000,000. The bank is now located in the Midwest Refining company's building on the corner of Second \ and Wolcott streets. The officers and directorate of the bank have j remained practically unchanged since its organization, Carl F. Shu- ; maker, the present cashier, having succeeded Thomas A. CosgrifF, deceased, as a director, Mr. Wyland being made vice president, j The officers and directors at present are: B. B. Brooks, president; G. E. Abbott, vice president; Roy C. Wyland, vice president; Carl F. Shumaker, cashier; P. J. O'Connor, director. At the close of business | December 29, 1922, this bank had loans and discounts amounting \ to $3,002,439.53; overdrafts, $1,729.19; U. S. bonds and revenue | stamps, $119,122.69; other bonds and warrants, $2,456.30; stock in ' federal reserve bank, $7,500; furniture and fixtures, $85,697.90; : real estate, $9,813.50; cash on hand, due from banks and U. S. ; treasurer, $843,578.29. Capital stock, $100,000; surplus, $150,000; ! undivided profits, $61,264.10; circulation, $100,000; deposits, $3,- 1 661,073.20. Total $4,072,337.40. '

The National Bank of Commerce was organized October 10, 1919, and opened for business November 24, 1919. The bank was : organized by Arthur K. Lee, with the following associates, who were ; elected the first board of directors: John McFayden, Ira G. Wetherill, j Joe E. Denham, H. L. Patton, Arthur K. Lee, L. A. Reed, Earl C. j Boyle, Thomas Kenney, T. F. Algeo, George B. Nelson, L. G. Murphy, j The bank opened with a capital of $125,000 and with $12,500 paid | up surplus. The first statement to the comptroller of currency was ; made December 31, 1921, with figures as follows: Capital, $125,000; ] surplus, $12,500; loans, $280,000; deposits, $455,000. At the close of 1 business December 29, 1922, this bank had loans and discounts i amounting to $1,151,327.82; overdrafts, $705.11; U. S. bonds to

The Citizens National bank of Casper was chartered as a state bank and opened for business May i, 1917, with a capitalization of $50,000. Dr. John F. Leeper was elected president and had associated with him as directors John Beaton, M. J. Burke, C. M. Elgin, T. A. Dean, C. H. Horstman, and T. A. Hall. W. J. Bailey was elected as cashier. This bank was first located in one corner of the Chamberlin Furniture company's store room which was then doing business in what is now the Golden Rule store building, on the south side of Second street, between Center and Wolcott, but when the Oil Exchange building, now known as the Consolidated Royalty building, was erected a modern banking room was fitted up for this bank where it has since been located. The vacancy caused by the death of Dr. Leeper in December, 1920, was filled by the election of M. J. Burke to the presidency. The capital stock was increased to $100,000 with a surplus of $25,000 at the time of the conversion from a state to a National bank. On December 29, 1922: Loans and discounts, $619,- 169.92; overdrafts, $2,993.72; U. S. bonds and other stocks and bonds, $229,427.37; furniture and fixtures and real estate owned, $21,724.02; cash on hand, due from U. S. treasury, and from other banks and bankers, $332,130.04. Capital stock, $100,000; surplus, $25,000; undivided profits, $17,501.06; circulating notes outstanding, $100,000; demand and time deposits, cashier's checks, certified checks and all other deposits and those due state and National banks, $962,944.01; with a total of $1,205,445.07.

The Wyoming Trust Company bank was organized and opened for business July i, 1921. The board of directors at the time of the bank's organization were: P. J. O'Connor, president; R. C. Cather, vice president, N. S. Wilson, vice president; Leo A. Dunn, cashier; B. B. Brooks, Roy C. Wyland, Carl F. Shumaker and R. H. Nichols, directors. The bank opened with a capital of $100,000 and $10,000 paid up surplus. The first statement to the comptroller of currency was made on September 6, 1921, with figures as follows: Capital, $100,000; surplus, $10,000; loans, $204,000; deposits, $176,000. December 29, 1922, there were loans and discounts, $347,831.45; overdrafts, $208.38; stocks and bonds, $16,037.50; banking house and fixtures, $14,597.30; cash on hand and due from other banks $121,801.36. Capital stock, $100,000; surplus, $10,000; undivided profits, ^1,132.28; demand deposits, time deposits, cashier's checks, certified checks and all other deposits and those due state and National banks, $389,343.71; with a total of $500,475.99.

The Casper Clearing House association, whose membership consists of all the banks of Casper, was organized February 7, 1921, with A. J. Cunningham, president; Roy C. Wyland, vice president; J. R. Schlueter, secretary, and W. J. Bailey, treasurer. The association clears all bank debits of the town each day, and all the banks of the city work in harmony. Since its existence the Clearing House association has solved many perplexing problems which has resulted beneficially to all concerned. The clearings of the banks by the month since the association was organized up to the first of January, 1922, was as follows:

The Bank of Salt Creek, with a capital of $25,000, was opened at Lavoye, or the Mosher camp, in the Salt Creek oil field, October 21, 1922. The stockholders and directors were J. H. Montgomery, president; A. C. Andrews, vice president; E. W. Downing, cashier; H. S. Durrie, assistant cashier; Barton A. Myers and George A. Gatewood, directors.

The Salt Creek State bank was established and opened for business on October 21, 1922, located at Lavoye, which is commonly known as the Mosher camp, in the Salt Creek oil field. Its capital stock was $25,000 and the incorporators and directors of the institution were: Roy C. Wyland, president; B. B. Brooks, vice president; Carl F. Shumaker, P. J. O'Connor and G. E. Abbott, directors, and Thomas Keith, cashier.

The Casper Weekly- Mail was established November 23, 1888, | by Lombard and Casebeer and was the first newspaper published in ' Natrona county. Mr. Lombard retired on April i, 1889, and James {

A. Casebeer, who was Casper's third postmaster, became sole owner of the newspaper. Mr. Casebeer was also the only delegate from Casper to the Constitutional Convention which was held in Cheyenne in September, 1889. Alex T. Butler bought the Mail from Mr. Casebeer and assumed the editorial and business management on May 16, 1890. Mr. Casebeer left at once for the Yellowstone National park and never returned to Casper. An effort was made to find him and have him attend the reunion of the delegates of the Constitutional Convention, held in Cheyenne in 1920, but he could not be located. The Mail suspended publication after its issue of January 16, 1 891, after having been published a little more than two years. It was under Mr. Butler's ownership when it suspended. This was the third Natrona county publication to go to the newspaper graveyard, the Mail having been preceded by the Sweetwater {Bothwell) Chief and the Bessemer Journal.

The Bessemer Journal was the second newspaper to be established in Natrona county and the second to suspend publication. It was first published late in the year of 1888. J. Enos Waite was editor and business manager from its beginning to the end. After struggling until the latter part of December, 1890, the publication was suspended and the plant was seized by its creditors.

The Sweetwater Chief, published at the town of Bothwell by H. B. Fetz, was the third publication to make its appearance in Natrona county and the first to start the newspaper graveyard. It was established in the spring of 1890, blooming forth with the flowers in the Sweetwater valley and it also withered and died with those same flowers in the fall of the year. During its existence it advocated the building of a railroad through the Sweetwater country, the removal of the state capital to Bothwell, the development of the gold, silver, and copper mines in that vicinity, the drilling of oil wells in the basin and the development of the soda lakes close at hand. Instead of the town's increasing in population, two of its citizens, who were considered a menace to the community but nevertheless were responsible for a great number of visitors making frequent pilgrimages to the place, were hanged to a tree on a summer's day, and as no one seemed to care to come there to continue the business they had started, but had so suddenly left, and many visitors ceased their coming, on account of the lack of some of the things they considered necessary for their entertainment, the CAzV/ lacked the financial support necessary in all well regulated printing oflflces, and it was not long until that disseminator of news and advocator of all that was good ceased pubhcation, and the plant was packed up and taken to Rawlins.

Volume I, number i, of the Wyoming Derrick, published in Casper, was issued May 21. 1890, by the Natrona County Publishing company, with W. S. Kimball as editor and business manager. The stockholders were Joel J. Hurt, C. C. Wright, P. C. Nicolaysen, George Mitchell and A. J. Cunningham. The Derrick was a typographical gem and one of the best edited newspapers in the then Territory of Wyoming. On June 25, 1891, Mr. Kimball retired as editor and bought a half interest in the Pioneer drug store with C. F. G. Bostleman. Joel J. Hurt at this time bought up all the stock and became the sole owner of the plant, and he leased it to P. T. McNamara and C. W. Wixcey. Wixcey retired in two months and Mr. McNamara continued as editor until March 3, 1892, when Major E. H. French took charge temporarily. Alex T. Butler bought the plant from Mr. Hurt and was editor for nearly four months, when he sold it in July to J. K. Calkins, who was editor and publisher until April 15, 1895, when he sold it to W. H. Korns. P. C. Hays bought an interest in the plant with Mr. Korns in the fall of 1896, and on April 7, 1898, Mr. Korns sold his interest to Colonel Emerson H. Kimball. Mr. Hays bought Mr. Kimball's interest on July i, 1898, and published the paper until August 10, 1905, when he leased the plant to M. A. Cameron. Mr. Cameron continued the publication until March 2, 1906. The leading editorial in that issue was: "This space is reserved. Watch it next week." Next week never came for the Derrick. It went the way of its three predecessors. The Tribune was then the only newspaper published in Natrona county.

Th& Natrona Tribune wzs first published on June i, 1891. J. Enos Waite was the publisher. The plant was owned by about twenty men, organized under the name of the Republican Publishing company. Waite retired on February 10, 1892, and was succeeded by M. P. Wheeler. Mr. Wheeler published the paper until June 24,

1893, when Alex T. Butler leased the plant and remained until August 7, 1893. W. E. Ellsworth was then hired to conduct the business and wrote the local news and editorials. He was in charge until July i,

1894. Ben L. Green followed Mr. Ellsworth, and on November 22, 1894, O. A. Hamilton succeeded Green. April 11, 1895, Hamilton relinquished to Fred E. Seeley. Seeley published the paper three weeks and on May 2, 1895, F. H. Barrow became editor and publisher. George P. Devenport leased the plant on December 31, 1896, and was publisher until June i, 1897, when A. J. Mokler bought the plant from the Republican Publishing company and changed the name to the Natrona County Tribune. Mr, Mokler published the Tribune for seventeen years and four and a half months, and on

Casper. Wyoming

October 15, 1914, sold the plant to J. E. Hanway and a number of associates. A stock company was organized, with Mr, Hanway as president. The development of the Salt Creek oil fields had commenced at this time and Casper showed encouraging signs of developing into a city, and the Tribune keeping pace with the conditions, made improvements as its patronage justified. On February 9, 1916, the Casper Daily Tribune was established and has grown to be the leading newspaper, with the best equipped plant, in the state. The weekly Natrona County Tribune was absorbed by the Wyoming Weekly Review on February 19, 1921. The Review was a state newspaper, and its mission was to present a review of the week's happenings not only of Wyoming, but of the nation. The Tribune Publishing company was the owner of the Review. On August 25, 1922, J. E. and E. E. Hanway sold the Tribune and Weekly Review to Charles W. Barton of New York City, and on September 20, 1922, the publication of the Review was discontinued and merged with the Sunday Morning Tribune.

The Casper Press was established in August, 1908, by a man named Merrill of Wheatland, with Alex T. Butler as owner. Merrill retired in about ten months and Mr. Butler edited the paper until January, 1909, when H. J. Peterson took charge and conducted the business until August 11, 191 1. Mr. Peterson then bought a new plant and established the Casper Record, and C. Littlefield bought the Press plant from Mr. Butler, who conducted the paper as a weekly until June 19, 1914, when a small daily paper was issued. Neither the weekly nor the daily was a paying proposition; the town was small and the newspaper field was limited; instead of three weekly papers and one daily to cover the field and reap the harvest one weekly was sufficient, and the survival of the strongest was the only road to supremacy. In about a year the Press became so heavily involved in financial difficulties that Robert D. Carey, the heaviest stockholder, took over the plant and leased it to Henry F. Brennan. This was Mr. Brennan's first venture in the newspaper business, and he was making no better success than his predecessor, and on March I, 1916, W. W. Slack, an experienced printer, became editormanager, in partnership with Mr. Brennan, on a lease agreement with Mr. Carey. Mr. Brennan retired September 30, 1916, and Wm. Jardine formed a partnership with Mr. Slack. On December 23, 1916, the Press and Record were consolidated and H. J. Peterson became sole proprietor. The oil business at that time brought great prosperity to Casper, and the Press-Record prospered with all other lines of business here. On November i, 1917, Percy E. Cropper and associates of Salt Lake bought the Press-Record from Mr. Peterson but in about six months it became involved in financial difficulties and the creditors relieved Mr. Cropper. A. J. Mokler was appointed temporary receiver and remained until the financial difficulties were straightened out. Within ten days the business was put on a paying basis, and on June 15, 1918, W. B. Holliday bought the plant and changed the evening paper to a morning publication. It was not long until failure again showed her face at the door and there were so many men at the helm attempting to keep the publication from sinking that a list is unobtainable, but the creditors in the fall of the year appointed Ira W. Naylor receiver, "on account of the assets of the compan}^ being in danger of disruption." The daily publication was suspended October 30, 191 8, and the Weekly Press was issued on Thursdays and the Record on Sundays. New life and new blood was injected into the business, and on November 18th, the Press resumed publication as a daily morning paper with W. W. Sproul as editor. It was short-lived, however, for on December 23, 1919, the Weekly Record and Daily Press suspended "on account of the lack of financial and business support," and the doors of the office were closed by the creditors, and this was the last of the Press and Record^ the fifth and sixth newspapers of the county to give up the ghost.

The Wyoming Oil World, published in Casper, was founded June, 1918, by Victor Clark, who conducted the publication for one year, when L. C. Bailey took charge until April, 1921. The Wyoming Oil World and the Wyoming Oil Reviezv were consolidated in July,

1920, and in February, 1922, the publication absorbed the Northwest Oil News. A. J. Hazlett bought the publication in April, 1921, and in January, 1922, changed the name to the Inland Oil Index. As its name indicates, its news and business is wholly with the oil interests.

From the remains of the Casper Press-Record plant sprung the Casper Herald. Frank M. O'Brien, Elizabeth D. O'Brien and P. C. Kelley were the original stockholders of the new enterprise, which made its first appearance as a morning newspaper on July 20, 1919. Much new machinery and equipment was added and the paper became very popular as a morning publication from the beginning. The business was conducted as a partnership until the spring of

1921, when the Casper Herald Publishing company was incorporated with a capital stock of ^100,000, with the three original owners as the principal stockholders. On September 18, 1922, Mr. O'Brien sold the controlling interest in the Herald to M. M. Levand, who had been connected with the Denver Post and the Kansas City Post.

The Free Press, published in Casper, for the enlightenment and in the interest of organized labor, was first issued June 18, 1920. Its founder and first editor, John F. Leheney, proudly boasted that the publication was started on a sheet of wrapping paper. Miss Bessie McKinney and John D. Salmond, leaders of organized labor, and Michael J. Quealey, a capitalist, were interested in the Free Press with Mr. Leheney in a financial way, and had it not been for their influence and timely financial assistance there would be nothing further to chronicle in this connection, except to announce the date of its suspension, but now, like Tennyson's brook, it hopes to "go on forever." For the first year, and in fact ever since its existence, the Free Press has been in a precarious financial state, and while it cannot claim the distinction, like Topsy, in "Uncle Tom's Cabin," of being entirely without parentage, it was a homeless wanderer for more than a year. It was conceived in idealism, born in poverty and nurtured in adversity. It was printed by one of the local printing offices for the first fourteen months, but since August, 1921, it has been issued from its own plant, which was installed at an initial cost of about $15,000, the greater portion of which is causing the stockholders to loosen their purse strings at regular intervals when the payments become due, and at the same time serves as a reminder that while the editorials in a labor journal generally beam with brilliancy, "all is not gold that glistens." In February, 1921, the Free Press Publishing company was incorporated, with a capitalization of $50,000. Under a provision of the by-laws then adopted, stock may be sold to organized labor only. The outstanding stock is, therefore, owned by the various labor unions throughout the state of Wyoming and by the members of union labor. In September, 1921, Mr. Leheney resigned as president of the board of directors and as editor, and John A. Barker was elected to the positions, but on February, 1922, E. A. Shields was elected president; Charles L. Howard, secretarytreasurer; Austin Riley, Edna Hoffman, George Vogel, A. E. Gosnell, Wm. Schatzlein and John A. Barker, as the board of directors, with Mr. Barker as editor.

The Mills Item had very bright prospects to "fill a long felt want" in the new town of Mills, but it was the shortest lived newspaper ever published in Natrona county. The first, last and only issue was published on Saturday, May 27, 1922. Theo. Flanagan was the editor and publisher. He had no type or machinery but arranged with a Casper printing establishment to furnish these necessary articles. In his salutatory he said he "hoped the people of Mills would form a good impression of both the paper and the editor. The Item is for Mills first, last and all the time." Inasmuch as the Item as well as Mr. Flanagan did not again make their appearance the people of Mills did not form a good opinion of the paper or the editor as he had hoped they would.

Mr. Flanagan moved from Mills to North Casper, where he established the North Casper Nezvs, "a community paper, published in the interest of North Casper."

The Salt Creek Gusher, with E. A. Gatewood and Gregory Powell as publishers, whose motto, carried at the top of the paper "'Tis a Privilege to Live in Salt Creek," and whose editorial policy was "Our Aim is to Serve Salt Creek," was established April 8, 1922. The first issue was a six-page four-column, home-print sheet, and was a credit to the town it represented, and had bright prospects of surviving the vicissitudes that usually are encountered by a small-town weekly newspaper.

The Salt Creek Journal, with Frank O'Brien as publisher, was the second newspaper venture in Salt Creek. This paper was published in the Casper Herald office, with Salt Creek news items and the events of the day taken from the Herald columns. M. M. Levand became proprietor of this publication on September 18, 1922, when he purchased the Herald.

From the date of Natrona county's organization in April, 1890, until July, 1895, the county officers occupied two rooms on the second floor over Robert White's saloon, on Center street. The terms of the district court were held in the town hall. In the early spring of 1895 the board of county commissioners, with Charles K. Bucknum as chairman, wisely decided that a new court house was needed, and accordingly a contract was let for the construction of a two-story frame building to be covered with seam iron. The dimensions of the building were 24x36 feet and the size of the brick vault was 8x12 feet. The cost of this building, complete, was ^477. There were eight rooms in the building, and the county clerk and clerk of the district court, the board of county commissioners and the brand commissioners occupied the two lower rooms on the south side, the county surveyor and treasurer occupied the two lower rooms on the north side; the county attorney and the sheriff were in the rooms on the south side, upstairs, and the terms of the district court were supposed to be held in the two rooms upstairs on the north side, but as these rooms were too small to accommodate these proceedings, they were generally vacant. The county surveyor occupied any of the rooms that suited him best, and he generally could be found in one of the rooms with the county clerk. From this very convenient and commodious arrangement it can readily be seen that there was plenty of room for all and some to spare. This building was located on the

In the early days the popuTation oT the county was from 500 to 1,000 and the assessed valuation was in the neighborhood of a million dollars. But in 1906 the county had grown in population and wealth, and the people felt that they must have a court house in keeping with their size and money, and on March i, 1906, at a meeting of the Casper Booster's club a committee consisting of Patrick Sullivan, W. A. Blackmore, C. M. Elgin, Oscar Hiestand and E. F. Seaver, was appointed to meet with the board of county commissioners and request that preliminary arrangements be made for the selection of a site and the erection of a suitable court house for the county. Petitions were circulated requesting the commissioners to submit to the electors of the county, at a special election, the question of whether the board of commissioners should be authorized to issue coupon bonds in the sum of ^40,000 for the purpose of raising funds with which to build a new court house. The election was held in November, 1906, and 676 votes were cast for the bonds, with 139 against.

Everything up until this time, apparently, had been going smoothly, but there were some people in the county then, as there probably are now, who were always and completely out of tune with their environments. Some of these people had lived in the county almost from the beginning of its organization and they had nearly always opposed everything and everybody that looked progressive, and it was surprising that matters had progressed so far without friction. But when the selection for the site of the new building was to be made by the board of county commissioners the war clouds commenced to thicken, and it was soon found that the taxpayers were wallowing in the mire of personalities and the intricacies of the law, from which the majority extricated themselves from the cataclysm with difficulty. No doubt there were a few men on both sides of the question who were self-centered, case-hardened, hidebound and utterly uncharitable, while there were many others who were unquestionably honest and sincere. It was a bitter contest, and everybody was active; the men on each side "bowed their necks and stiffened their backs," and were determined to make a fight until their last chance to win had gone.

Three sites were favored, one on north Center street, where the building was finally located, one on south Wolcott street, eight blocks south of what was then the center of the town, and the other on David street, where the court house at that time was situated.

and C. A. Hall, met in special session for the purpose of deciding upon the location for the new building. A great many people were present at this meeting and some heated argument was indulged in. Petitions were presented favoring the three sites, and after patiently listening to the argument, carefully perusing the petitions and diligently studying the situation from every angle, it was decided the north Center street site was the one favored by the greatest number of taxpayers, and the commissioners unanimously decided that this was where the building should be. But this was far from ending the controversy, as will be seen later.

C. A. Randall, the local architect, was instructed to draw plans and specifications for the building, and by the time they were finished the summer months were far advanced, but the blood of the defeated factions was still boiling. In November, 1907, at a meeting of the board of county commissioners the contract for the construction of the building was awarded to Schmidt & Esmay of Douglas, the price being $44,274, the building to be completed November i, 1908.

The contractors commenced at once to excavate for the foundation and carry out their part of the contract, but on December 20, 1907, Silas Adsit, through his attorney, Alex T. Butler, filed a petition with the clerk of the district court asking that an injunction be issued by Judge Carpenter restraining the board of county commissioners of Natrona county and Schmidt & Esmay, the contractors, from constructing the court house at the north end of Center street. The petitioner alleged that when the board of county commissioners claimed that a majority of the taxpayers favored that location, and when they said that it was a suitable and plausible location, they did not tell the truth, and that the commissioners decided upon that location for the purpose of cheating and injuring the petitioner and deteriorating the value of his real estate in the town of Casper, and that the commissioners were in collusion with speculators that owned real estate near the proposed site. He further said that the records of the county would be imperiled by the overflow of the Platte river and the continuous blowing of sand, and that the grounds could not be beautified because of the lack of water and the abundance of sand. After making numerous and divers other charges he concluded his petition by claiming that all the actions of the county commissioners in regard to selecting the site and awardmg the contract for the construction of the building was illegal, and for these things he asked the court to issue a perpetual restraining order, enjoining the commissioners from paying out any money for the construction of the court house.

For some of the allegations contained in the petition which reflected upon them, the contractors and the architect made arrangements to bring action against Mr. Adsit, charging him with libel, and asking for damages to the amount of $100,000.

When the matter of granting the temporary restraining order came before Judge Carpenter, he said he would readily grant the order when Mr. Adsit should procure a good and sufficient bond, in the sum of $18,000, but until the bond was presented the contractors would continue uninterrupted with their work. The matter came up for final hearing the last week in February, and on account of the petitioner being able to secure only one name on the bond, it was declared to be insufficient, and the court refused to grant the injunction, but this did not settle the controversy. The objectors had not yet exhausted all their means to stop the progress of the building, for after the excavation for the basement had been completed, and a great deal of material was on the ground, and when the contractors had hired a large force of men, J. M. Carey refused to deliver to the county a deed for that portion of the ground he owned upon which the court house was to be built, and work on the building was then temporarily suspended.

Shortly after the site for the building had been selected by the board of county commissioners, a contract was made with Mr. Carey, through M. P. Wheeler his Casper agent, for the purchase of the lots, and at the same tim.e a number of other lots which would be used for the court house grounds were purchased from other parties. The contract for the purchase of the lots from the Carey company were drawn up and properly signed by the Carey company agent, and the agent of the individuals who were purchasing the land and were going to present it to the county, free of charge, for court house purposes. And it was agreed that full payment would be made when the deed was delivered. Shortly after this contract was made Mr. Wheeler was compelled to undergo a dangerous operation, and before he could return home from Chicago the time agreed upon for the payment of the lots had expired, and Mr. Carey at once canceled the contract and withdrew the lots from the market, although the money was tendered him for the payment of them according to the contract.

A delegation immediately went to Cheyenne and waited on Mr. Carey, and he agreed to come to Casper the first week in April and make an investigation of conditions, and at a mass meeting held in the town hall on April 3, at which Mr. Carey and a large number of citizens were present, much argument was presented for and against the building of the court house on the proposed site. Mr. Carey did not at once give his decision in regard to the sale of the lots, but after returning to his home in Cheyenne he wrote to the board of county commissioners, protesting against the court house being built on the north Center street site, "unless the property is first donated by us, purchased of us or procured by condemnation proceedings." A number of citizens and taxpayers put up a bond to the county commissioners guaranteeing title to the north Center street site, regardless of the protest of Mr. Carey, and at a special meeting of the town council an ordinance was adopted which vacated and closed to public use the land provided for a court house building and a court house yard on north Center street. Some of those who were opposed to this site were present at the council meeting and they threatened to throw "the members of the town council in jail, as they had thrown the members of the school board in jail, and if this street was blockaded, they said they would tear up and blockade and fence the alleys and the streets anywhere in town that they chose. The majority of the members of the town council and all the members of the board of county commissioners, together with about fifty substantial taxpayers, were determined that the work on the building should proceed, and they personally guaranteed to the city and county and the contractors the payment of all the expense of court proceedings and any other expense that might arise, and the contractors again commenced work on the building, and continued without interruption, but were annoyed with a great deal of objection until the building was completed.

The cornerstone was laid by the grand master of Masons on Monday, June 22, 1908, and the building was finished February 10, 1909, but was not occupied until March 13, on account of the new furniture and jail fixtures not arriving before that time.

The formal opening of the building was on March 17, 1909, when the Casper band furnished music, and a reception was held from 3 o'clock until 5 in the afternoon, and, although it was declared that "everybody in town" was at the reception, those who made such a strong resistance against the building being erected on this site, must have been out of town that day, for they were not at the reception.

But even after the new building was occupied the rancorous feeling had not been smothered and on November 9, 1909, Judge Carey wrote a letter to the board of county commissioners in which he said that "upon examining the location of the new court house in Casper we find that you have used a street that was dedicated by us for public uses, without our consent. You have also destroyed the means of ingress and egress to property belonging to us in blocks fiftj^-four

In due time an agreement was reached between the board of county commissioners and Mr. Carey as to the price he should have for his lots upon which the court house was built and the amount of damage to blocks fifty-four and fifty-five, because of the closing of Center street. The county commissioners informed the men who had agreed to bear all the expense of the amount to be paid to Mr. Carey and the bondsmen raised the money and turned it over to the county commissioners; the county commissioners then paid Mr. Carey, and thus ended for all time the Natrona county court house controversy.

Natrona County's Public Library ranks with the public schools as being an institution that is indispensable and of untold benefit, and although it is very liberally patronized and no doubt greatly appreciated by the general public, it does not receive the financial support that it deserves. While it is conducted along economical lines that are not equaled by the county or city governments, or even by the schools of the county, the annual appropriations made for its support and maintenance are very meager, compared with the enlightenment, entertainment and benefit it returns. Donations, appropriations and "drives" are continually being made in the county for the support of some worthy cause, but never yet has the public library of this county received any consideration except the annual appropriation made by the board of county commissioners, which is provided by the statutes of the state.

A public library was first established in Casper late in the fall of 1902, by the local Women's Christian Temperance Union. The books were few and they occupied some shelves in a small building located on the east side of Center street, between Second and First. Although the number of books was limited, there was a sufficient number at that time to supply the demand. This library was conducted by the ladies of the organization above named for about a year, when, on November 3, 1903, the Natrona County Public Library association was organized, and F. E. Matheny, N. S. Bristol and W. S. Kimball were appointed trustees. An annual levy of not less than one-eighth of a mill and not more than one-half of a mill of the assessed valuation of the county for the establishment and maintenance of such a library was provided by the state statutes, which also provided that the county must own its own building and books. The statutes further provided that "the board of trustees must keep a strict account of all the association's property and make a complete report to the board of county commissioners at the end of each year. The books of the library must be non-political, nonsectarian and only twenty-five per cent of them fiction. All the books must be of a character that would inform the mind and improve the character of the reader. The library must be free to the residents of the county."

The library association at that time did not own a building, but arrangements were made for the use of the building and books owned by the Women's Christian Temperance Union. But little interest was taken in the institution and probably not a dozen books were borrowed in a month's time, and the board of trustees and the association in a short time became inactive. The annual appropriations were made regularly and a fund of several hundred dollars was accumulated, no part of which was used for several years.