The Rialto Cigar Shop and Soda Fountain on the corner of 2nd and Center Street has a lot of history. The first thing the new owners had to do when they took over was erase much of that history. “Constant cleaning,” said Rob Staffig-Piotter. “The smoke was so bad it took two days of cleaning […]
historic casper
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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-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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Demolition of Plains Furniture Building Starts (PHOTOS)
Phase one of the demolition process of the old Plains Furniture building on David St. has started. Crews were out early Tuesday morning stripping off decorative green rocks from the facade of the building, exposing the brick of the original 1920s-era car dealership for the first time in decades. The city purchased the Plains building […]
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BACKSTORY: Haunted Happenings Inside the Historic Elks Lodge
Fraternity clubs were all the rage back in the day, and during the oil boom in the 1920s Casper’s Elks were flush with cash. In 1921 the Casper Elks Lodge No. 1353 commissioned their grand building on the corner of E. 7th and Center St. in central Casper. The beautifully detailed building was added to […]
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BACKSTORY-Second Street, 1954
A photo from the Western History Center at Casper College gives a clear view of the south side of Second Street facing west in 1954. A cafe and bar prominently featuring tasty, pre-hipster PBR is seen at far left. A neon sign in the window appears to read “Riley’s Bar”. It’s now a parking lot […]
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BACKSTORY-Found Photos Show Life In Early Casper
A group of found photos from a family photo album show pieces of Casper that seem completely foreign now. The photos were rescued by Survivor AC Dealers owner Reed Merschat. Aside from the historic BNSF depot, most of the neighborhoods and buildings seem unrecognizable in today’s Casper. The pictures show everyday places and homes for […]
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Hidden Casper: ’20s-Era Building Emerges From Former Plains Furniture Building
Talk to any number of Casper natives and they’ll all probably have at least one thing in common: That Plains Furniture Company building on S. David Street is…homely. Underneath that worst-of-the-shag-era facade, however, is the surprisingly intact a 1920s-era brick car dealership and maintenance garage. The Plains addition also encompassed a garage bay of the […]
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Backstory: Casper’s Center Street From Boom To Bust To…Boom?
The Wyoming History Center at Casper College has no shortage of historic images of Casper’s Center Street. It’s not surprising since the street has been something of the backbone of Casper since it started out as an oil boom and cow town in the late 1800s. The earliest photos show a muddy road lined with […]
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Backstory-North Casper Apartments Now Stand Alone
Two snapshots dated 1922 and 1928 show a basic apartment building at 250 N. Beech in Casper. The building appears nestled between houses and plenty of trees in what was then a relatively new neighborhood. The apartments survive today though heavily altered with a newer stucco treatment, windows and doors. The surrounding bungalows and trees […]
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Hidden Casper: Historic Buildings Await Their Future In The OYD
The city of Casper is considering offering three buildings near the corner of Ash and Midwest for sale in a sealed bid process, according to Community Development Director Liz Becher. The building at 355 S. Ash was most recently occupied by K-Larks Gymnastics. Historians believe it was built as an auto and service center, but […]
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Backstory: Photo Album Gives Glimpse Of Casper Family’s Life
Antique stores and flea markets are full of them. Countless of family snapshots, once cherished but now useless and discarded. Photography freezes memories and moments, but those memories are only important to those who lived them. When they’re gone, what good are the photos they leave behind? Finding discarded family snapshots is a little like […]
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Backstory: The Townsend Building
The Townsend Building on the corner of 2nd and Center St. has been a downtown landmark since 1903.
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HIDDEN CASPER: The America Theater
It was originally built as a vaudeville theatre and still contains some of that history…