“Riley’s Bar with special appearance by the Clydesdales,” says the writing on the back of this undated print supplied by Anheuser-Busch, Inc. The photo, now at the Casper College Western History Center collection, shows the famous Budweiser mascots stopped on Second Street sometime in the late 1940s or early 1950s. The bar is now a parking lot. The Clydesdales visited Casper again several years ago and participated in the annual downtown parade. (Casper College Western History Center)

Like countless communities around the globe, Casper loves its parades.

Casper College Western History Center archivist Vince Crolla searched the college’s collection for the best parade photos made over the decades in the Oil City.

Contrast and compare this year’s downtown parade with these black & white memories from Casper’s past.

This post was first published on July 9, 2019, and has been updated with additional photos.

  • Downtown parade, 1961. (Chuck Morrison Collection, Casper College Western History Center)
  • Downtown parade, 1961. (Chuck Morrison Collection, Casper College Western History Center)
  • Downtown parade, 1961. Note the government office building still under construction at right. The Wonder Bar can be seen further right at the film’s edge. (Casper College Western History Center)
  • Downtown parade corner of Midwest and Center, date unknown. (Casper College Western History Center)
  • “Parade, 1950s” (David Memorial Collection, Casper College Western History Center)
  • Parade on Center Street, July 4, 1912. Photo by Gleason Studio. (Casper College Western History Center)
  • “The Lady Lancers” on Wolcott and Second facing west in 1904. (Frances Seely Webb Collection, Casper College Western History Center)
  • The Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps on Second Street. No date available, but likely sometime in the 1950s. (Marion Alexander Collection, Casper College Western History Center)
  • Casper parade, July 4th. Year unknown. Natrona County Tribune newspaper building at left. (Casper College Western History Center)
  • July 4th parade float for Webel Dry Good story, which was located where the Rialto now stands on Second and Center. (Casper College Western History Center)
  • July 4th parade. (Casper College Western History Center)
  • Date unknown, looking north down Center from around what is now Collins. (Sheffner-McFadden Collection, Casper College Western History Center)
  • July 4th parade on Center around 1920. (Chuck Morrison Collection, Casper College Western History Center)
  • Parade looking west down Second Street, around 1950.(Chuck Morrison Collection, Casper College Western History Center)
  • Central Fair and Rodeo Parade, circa 1960. Miss Wyoming’s Mary Ray Orr is in the car. (Casper College Western History Center)
  • “Group of Girl Scouts on Willys Six truck in parade, July, 1931. (Carrigan Collection, Casper College Western History Center)
  • The Northwestern Asbestos Mills Co. float near 141 North Center Street during July 4th parade, year unknown. (Thompson Collection, Casper College Western History Center)
  • The Bloom and Clothing Store float in front of the Blooms story at the 200 block of South Center Street in 1911. (Chuck Morrison Collection, Casper College Western History Center)
Longtime Wyoming Secretary of State, Thyra Thomson, is waving from a late-60s Camaro as a parade passes along the 100 block of South Durbin. William Henry Harrison III’s reelection headquarters are seen at right, likely making this photo’s date to be around 1968. (Casper College Western History Center, Chuck Morrison Collection)
The Central Wyoming Fair and Rodeo parade passes through Center Street sometime in the early 1990s. The Wonder Bar, in back, was for a time called Rock Bottom. (Casper College Western History Center, Chamber of Commerce Collection)
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