CASPER, Wyo. – There seems to be a pattern with the McKinley Street railroad bridge. In October 2020, the street surrounding the bridge was intermittently closed as crews worked to repair damage after a too-tall freight truck crumpled under the bridge as it attempted to pass. Flash back four decades and a similar scenario was […]
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UW’s Heart Mountain symposium ties WWII internment to contemporary displacement issues
CASPER, Wyo — The history of Japanese American people incarcerated in Wyoming and other locations during World War II will be explored this October by the University of Wyoming (UW) Art Museum and American Studies Program, the university announced Tuesday. “Conversations Beyond the Walls: A Virtual Symposium” aims to integrate arts with complex cultural issues […]
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Pennsylvania hunters, robbed last week, bring loaned gear and pizza to Casper PD
CASPER, Wyo –Though unsuccessful in their elk hunt in the Bighorn mountains, bowhunters Daniel Toomey, Jake Meals and Hunter Lefever began their return journey to Butler, Pennsylvania with a better impression of Casper than they might have had initially. The hunters had about $6,000 -worth of equipment stolen from their truck while staying at a […]
Posted inArts
Theater company’s cemetery tour will revive figures from Casper’s past
CASPER, Wyo — Edness Kimball Wilkins, Lucy Morrison, and Verda James are among the illustrious figures from Casper’s past that will be revived by actors of the Casper Theater Company this October during its annual Highland Cemetery. The cemetery tour will feature seven actors dressed in clothing of the era and will portray the life of […]
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Backstory: Casper’s Armory crumbles after tough preservation fight (PHOTOS)
CASPER, Wyo. – Demolition crews came early for the old Wyoming National Guard Armory in May, 1987. That decision by then-mayor Jack Kelly to move up demolition by several days after a contentious fight created a firestorm of controversy after an already blistering fight for preservation. The Wyoming National Guard Armory was a unique, round […]
Posted inWeather
NWS: September record highs observed Saturday, including Casper, some triple-digits
CASPER, Wyo — As projected, Casper saw record high temperatures for the date of September 5, according to the National Weather Service (NWS) in Riverton. From a low of 45 at 4:30 a.m., temperatures rose to 98 degrees at the Casper airport at 2:54 p.m. The previous record for the date was 95 degrees and […]
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Wyoming toad, once thought extinct, makes gains in native Laramie region
CASPER, Wyo — Nearly 700 Wyoming toads were released recently in a continued team effort to maintain a species endangered and exclusive to the Laramie area, said Wyoming Game and Fish. The Wyoming toad (Bufo baxteri) was considered common and abundant in the Laramie area until the mid-1980s when populations rapidly declined. In 1984, the […]
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Casper’s legacy of college rodeo action to be featured on ESPNU
CASPER, Wyo — Two decades’ worth of College National Finals Rodeo action from the Casper Events Center will be featured on the college sports network ESPNU next Tuesday, according to the network and Visit Casper. The College National Finals Tribute airs on ESPNU on Tuesday, September 8th at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. MST. It will […]
Posted inOutdoors
VIDEO: Giantess Geyser emerges from six year dormancy in Yellowstone
CASPER, Wyo — On Tuesday, August 25, 2020, Giantess Geyser erupted to life after an atypically long six-and-a-half years of dormancy, said Yellowstone National Park officials said on Saturday. The park shared a video of the eruption on its social platform. Giantess typically erupted a few times each year with spouts 100 to 250 feet […]
Posted inPolitics
V Worth Christie ready to make County Commissioner his full-time job
CASPER, Wyo — V Worth Christie is confident he has the temperament, experience and resources to be a Natrona County commissioner. He’s running for one two open seats to be decided in the August 18 Republican primary. “I have no personal agenda,” he stated at a Washington Park political forum. “I like working with infrastructure, […]
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(Aug. 1, 1985): 12 fatalities as deadly storm floods Cheyenne
CASPER, Wyo— Wyoming may be 4” below normally precipitation in 2020, but on August 1, 1985 a slow-moving thunderstorm dumped up to 8 inches on parts of Cheyenne in about three hours. The storm caused 12 fatalities and 70 injuries, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as damage in excess of […]
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Today in Wy history: (1937) Climbers make first technical Devil’s Tower ascent
CASPER, Wyo — On Monday, June 28, 1937, Fritz Weissner, Lawrence Coveney and William P. House became the first climbers to make a technical ascent of Devil’s Tower. Previous summits had been accomplished with a rope ladder pounded into the rock face with stakes. Weissner was born in Germany and climbed extensively in Europe before […]
Posted inEvents
Centennial re-dedication of Mills monument marking death of Caspar Collins July 5
CASPER, Wyo — On Sunday, July 5th at 1:00 pm, the Fort Caspar Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.) and Mills town officials will hold a rededication ceremony to commemorate an Oregon Trail marker placed by the D.A.R. in Mills 100 years ago. According to a release by Kristen Trumbull-Moldaschel of the […]
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Today in Wyo history (1880): “Rocky Mountain” Harry Yount becomes first park ranger at Yellowstone
CASPER, Wyo — On June 21, 1880, “Rocky Mountain” Harry Yount was hired by the US Department of the Interior to be Yellowstone National Park’s (YNP) first gamekeeper. His work and recommendations during his 14 months at the post helped inspire the creation of the National Park Service, according to Harry Murray, who wrote about […]
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Today in Wyoming history: (1931) USS Wyoming rescues submarine attempting Arctic crossing
CASPER, Wyo — On June 14, 1931, the ship the USS Wyoming rescued the submarine Nautilus in the Atlantic Ocean. The USS Wyoming was on a training cruise with midshipmen from the Naval Academy, and the Nautilus was preparing for an expedition to the North Pole, according to a social media posting by the University […]
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Backstory: Wyoming-born J.C. Penney thrived for decades in Casper (Photos)
CASPER, Wyo. – A little store started in Kemmerer, Wyoming, grew up to be one of the biggest retailers in the country. Now, along with so many legacy retailers, its buckling under the weight of online disruption and a global pandemic. J.C. Penney traces its roots to what’s now called “the Mother Store” in Kemmerer. […]
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Backstory: Casper restaurant had bootlegging, gambling, prostitution and shooting on the menu
CASPER, Wyo. – Hidden on hundreds of negatives in yellow Kodak boxes at the Casper College Western History Center are untold ghosts of the city captured decades ago. The trove of images are from the collection of Chuck Morrison, who spent years working for the Casper Star-Tribune and its predecessors before retiring in the early-1970s. […]
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Backstory: Casper Drive-In Theaters did social distancing before it was cool
CASPER, Wyo. – With the stress and social disruption of the COVID-19 global pandemic upon us, it would be great to escape reality for a couple of hours in a darkened theater. Fat chance of that, since theaters were among the first businesses to close in March as the fight to slow coronavirus spread ramped […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Backstory: During COVID-19 shutdown, the ghosts of 1918 flu pandemic echo through Casper today
CASPER, Wyo. – The COVID-19 global pandemic has encouraged many to look back at the devastating flu pandemic that swept the world just over a century ago. By all accounts, the global flu pandemic of 1918 was nothing short of a catastrophe. According to the Centers for Disease Control, it was first identified in military […]
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Backstory: Snow-covered scenes from Casper’s past (PHOTOS)
CASPER, Wyo. – It’s understandable to feel a little hopeless this time of year. The first snow of the season is usually met with excitement and glee, coupled with the anticipation of the holidays. By February, however, the excitement is long gone, and moods could be described as anything but gleeful. It won’t last for […]
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Hidden Casper: Long-lost Chevy relics appear during Nolan renovation
CASPER, Wyo. – Relics from automotive’s early days are being unearthed as crews strip decades of additions and construction away from an old car dealership and furniture store. Now known as “The Nolan,” the spot was originally home to Nolan Chevrolet starting around 1924. It remained a Chevy dealership and maintenance garage until 1970, when […]
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Backstory: Footage from 1930 shows Casper and Salt Creek Oil Fields in operation
CASPER, Wyo. – Film footage posted online gives a visual lesson on life and work in the oilfields during the 1930s. The film, posted by archive firm Periscope Film, was shot as an instructional or promotional tool for the Burlington Railroad, which itself was a major contributor to growth and transportation in the booming oil […]
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Backstory: Color photo of Casper’s first McDonald’s brings 1960s back to life
CASPER, Wyo. – A color photo of the Golden Arches in Casper captures a moment when the town was growing east during its post-war boom. The photo, shot on color slide film, is now in the Chamber of Commerce Collection at the Casper College Western History Center, which recently posted it on their Facebook page. […]