The name of a Palace Hotel brings thoughts of luxury and grandeur. The Palace Hotel in San Fransisco, for instance, is recognized nationally as a historic landmark in that area. Casper’s Palace Hotel was quite the opposite, particularly during its last days of existence. A photo of The Palace recently came our way courtesy of […]
Backstory
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Backstory: Scene of long-forgotten crash unearthed in found photos
Update: Additional information on the crash and vehicles was sent by readers to Oil City News after this article was first posted. It has been added at the end. It’s every commuter’s worst fear. You’re motoring along, someone does something stupid…because it’s never your fault…and you end up with a broken car, broken ego and […]
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Backstory: The life and fiery death of Casper’s swanky Riverside Club (Photos)
A column in the June 17, 1964 Casper Tribune reads almost like an obituary to a beloved friend. In Irving Garbutt’s “Off the Cuff” column, the writer mournfully memorializes one of Casper’s most notable night spots, The Riverside Club, which had been gutted by a fire in the wee hours the day before. According to […]
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Backstory: Found photo brings back ghost of Casper’s Spaniol Motors
A long-forgotten photo of a big American coupe parked in front of a dealership was recently brought back to life. The nugget of Casper’s past is one of thousands of images buried in the Chuck Morrison collection of film negatives now stored at the Casper College Western History Museum. Museum archivist Vince Crolla has been […]
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Backstory: When Sears introduced ‘ultra modern’ shopping to Casper
Sears was once considered one of the most innovative and modern retailers in America. All that excitement and innovation seemed forgotten when Sears ended its run in Casper with barely a whimper after locking its doors in the Eastridge Mall for the final time at the end of December. Chicago-based Sears Roebuck & Company grew […]
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BACKSTORY: Vintage Casper Christmas (PHOTOS)
Since in the earliest days of practical photography, no time of year has ever made people reach for their cameras more than Christmas. As locations, hairstyles and gifts change, the feeling of the holiday remains the same. Thanks to archivist Vince Crolla at the Casper College Western History Museum for helping us compile these vintage […]
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Backstory: The Parkway Plaza, now at a crossroads, was once Casper’s place to be (Photos)
The sprawling Parkway Plaza has been a fixture of Casper life for so long it’s difficult to imagine when it didn’t exist. The hotel, with over 300 rooms and whopping 42,000 square feet of convention space, closed suddenly last month after several years of rocky operation. About 50 people lost their jobs. According to a […]
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BACKSTORY: 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast prompts Casper discussion, no panic reported
It has become synonymous with “mass hysteria.”
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Backstory: Murder at the The Reef Lounge
This is our third Backstory feature on The Reef Lounge. See the first two here and here. The Reef Lounge opened in 1961 on the corner of First and Center Street, bringing the coolest mid-century cocktail trend to Casper’s downtown. In the early days it was the very picture of the classy and exotic, where […]
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Backstory: Recently discovered photos show popular Gemini Restaurant
Vince Crolla, chief curator at the Western History Center at Casper College, was recently examining a box of black & white negatives when he came across an interesting image. The pictures were part of the Chuck Morrison collection and had yet to be digitized. Morrison was a long-time photographer with the Casper Star-Tribune and its […]
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Backstory: ‘Coaches turned into death traps’ in 1923 train wreck near Casper
On September 23, 1923, a Chicago, Burlington & Quincy passenger train hauling nearly 70 people lumbered out of Casper’s station just after 8:30 p.m. The train pulling luxury smoking, sleeping and coach cars was expected to arrive in Denver at 10:00 the following morning. It was a routine trip in that era, the most reliable, convenient […]
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Backstory: Remembering Arcade Bar, one of downtown Casper’s longtime watering holes
There aren’t many images of the Arcade Bar on file at the Western History Center at Casper College. In spite of its current elusiveness, it was for decades one of Casper’s most venerable establishments for suds and conversation. Located at 214 S. Center, the spot had a history even before the bar was established. That […]
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Backstory: More photos of Casper’s mysterious tiki lounge The Reef have surfaced
In a Backstory published earlier this year, we told you about a long-lost elaborate tiki lounge located on the corner of First and Center Streets right next to The America theater. All we had found up to then was a sharp B&W glamor shot of the interior, a street scene and some old newspaper clips. […]
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Backstory: The Playdium in downtown Casper offered games, records and a Shetland pony
Long before the days of video games, Casper youth needed something to help keep busy during their free time. An arcade would seem to be a perfect solution. There isn’t very much information available about the Playdium in Casper, but what we can figure is it offered arcade games and sold records. The Playdium was […]
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Backstory: The photograph of Caspar Collins that is not Caspar Collins
Caspar Collins was called a hero when he died in 1865. He has a Wyoming town named after him, and a heroic bronze statue greets visitors to the Casper Events Center. Unfortunately for Collins, the town’s name is misspelled and that statue is based off a misidentified photograph. Caspar Collins was a young Cavalry Lieutenant […]
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BACKSTORY: Before the Rialto, Webel ruled a downtown corner
The Rialto Theater on the corner of Second and Center Streets is one of downtown Casper’s most recognizable landmarks.
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Backstory: A horse walks into a bar…no joke
Tales of dusty cowpokes bellying up to the bar while riding their faithful horse is a well worn trope in Casper. There are indeed photos of horses inside the old Wonder Bar, but they’re obviously staged for fun or promotional purposes. Riding a horse into a crowded bar or saloon is obviously a terrible idea. […]
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Backstory: The Reef Lounge Gave Casper a Taste of Tiki
Americans were giddy for Polynesian culture in the years following WWII, or at least a romanticized version of the culture. The fantasy of cool cocktails on exotic Hawaiian beaches spread through cities across the country in the form of Tiki lounges and bars. Tiki culture came to Casper in 1961 when the Reef Lounge opened […]
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BACKSTORY: From Grand to Gone – The Life and Death of the Grand Central Hotel
Casper’s downtown was nothing to look at in its early days. Drafty wood buildings sprung up at breakneck speed on the boomtown’s dusty, muddy makeshift roads. That started to change by 1894, when one of Casper’s first modern brick buildings opened to the public. The three-story Grand Central Hotel, located on the southwest corner of […]
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BACKSTORY- A Lost Casper Lunch Counter
An undated photo in the Wyoming State Archives shows a smart looking staff proudly posing in front of an modest but inviting wood building. The large sign in front says “Albright’s” and advertises itself as a lunch counter that serves tasty treats such as sandwiches, BBQ, candy and ice cream. Albright’s is long gone, but […]
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Backstory: The Colorful Ghosts of the Saddle Rock Cafe (PHOTOS)
A small structure connected to the south side of the Petroleum Building hides a lot of history inside of its remaining walls. For over 35-years the space at 208 S. Center was home to the Saddle Rock Cafe, which often advertised itself as being “famous for steaks”. The location on Center was actually the second […]
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BACKSTORY-The Sullivan Mansion Still Impresses
One of the most stately historic mansions in central Casper has sat on the corner of 10th and Center Streets since it was built in 1909. The impressive 7,500 square foot red brick mansion was built for sheep rancher and businessman Patrick Sullivan. It is still a private residence which on the outside, aside from […]
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BACKSTORY-When Carnegie Helped Casper Build Its First Library
Andrew Carnegie was born in Scotland and immigrated to the Unites States as a child with his parents. Thanks to his success in businesses ranging from oil to railroads to steel, Carnegie became one of the wealthiest Americans of his era. After selling off his businesses and retiring in the early part of the 20th-century, […]