Daniel Sandoval

Even though men amount to slightly less than half of the world's people, our cultural perspective leans heavily toward the androcentric - like the word history being "his story." Her story was in the news in April and May, with an essay in 1907, a chautauqua in 1932, a ride in 1957 and a track meet in 1982.

100 years ago

Opinion persona - The May 1, 1907, Natrona County Tribune printed a commentary about boys that was attributed to a "little girl." Since the piece was anonymous, there is no way to tell if the writer was indeed a precocious child making some broad connections of concept or if it was an adult trying to use language to sound like a kid.

The writer pointed out how in the biblical version of creation that God made Adam first and then suggested God was less than satisfied with the world's first man:

"When God looked at Adam he said to himself: 'Well, I think I can do better if I try again,' and then he made Eve. God liked Eve so much better than Adam that there has been more women than men. Boys are trouble; they wear out everything but soap."

The young writer concluded with the cutesy and somewhat Freudian punchline, "My papa is so nice that I think he must have been a little girl when he was a little boy."

Purloined fleece - Authorities discovered an illegal shearing operation and two men sat in the Casper jail as the month changed from April to May 1907. Oddmund Josendall reported that he was missing some 300 sheep from his flock.

Josendall and his shepherds searched the Alcova country, where they found 197 head of sheep corralled in a canyon. A dozen of the sheep had been shorn and the wool sacked. The markings on the fleeces indicated that the sheep were indeed Josendall's.

Sheriff Sheffner and E. Richard Shipp, county prosecutor, went out to the site and determined there was enough evidence for the sheriff to arrest Frank Earnest and Frank Irvine. The two men were awaiting preliminary hearings.

The staging area for the shearing operation was well suited to the purpose, with a rock canyon that narrowed to a small opening that was easily enclosed by a 6-foot gate. The enclosure was so well camouflaged that searchers were about 20 feet from the entrance before they noticed the lost sheep behind the gate.

75 years ago

Household arts - Four days of cooking instruction concluded in Casper during the last days of April 1932. Sponsored by the Casper Tribune-Herald, Miss Virginia Randolph charmed capacity crowds for a "Kitchen Chautauqua" at Arkeon Hall.

The final day, in fact, was so well attended that some of the 1,500 women were left standing in the aisles, and attendance averaged 1,100 during the four days. Most likely no one was surprised by the large crowds because the chautauqua was advertised for weeks in advance and numerous local merchants participated in the event.

In the May 1, 1932, Casper Tribune-Herald, Miss Randolph said she planned to rest a while and prepare for her next cooking school engagement. The same issue of the Tribune-Herald displayed a full-page ad with a photograph showing a sea of women dressed in Depression-era fashions. Notably, there was one man sitting in the audience, and he looked displeased.

Elected royalty - By less than official convention, a Casper man was elected Queen of the May on April 29, 1932. Students and teachers of Natrona County High School began discussing nominees for their May Day queen and, based on popularity, the clear winner was none other than the coach, Mr. Dean Morgan.

Queen Dean accepted his crown in a ceremony conducted by librarian Nina Shatter. For those without a sense of humor, Casper had an alternative Queen of the May in Miss Dorothy Cotton, who was, as one would expect, a beautiful girl in a satin gown, cape and headdress, photographed on the front page of the May 2 Tribune-Herald.

Sad passing - Funeral services for E. Richard Shipp, lawyer and poet laureate of Wyoming, were held on May 1, 1932, in Casper.

50 years ago

Going to the store - Parents were worried and authorities in Casper were put on alert when two toddlers went missing on May Day 1957. Two 4-year-old girls, Corrine Dowler and Carlotta Kaper, hopped on their tricycles and went for a ride, accompanied by a family dog.

Mrs. Ray Dowler called the police shortly after 6 p.m., and a patrolman began searching the neighborhood. When a search of the neighborhood failed, a bulletin was sent out to all patrols.

The search was ended after a 6:48 call from Mrs. Tom Brannen, who informed the police that she found the girls at Brannen's Food Market and Bakery and returned the girls with their dog to their home. The toddlers apparently trundled their tricycles two miles to the market.

25 years ago

Weighted flight - Teammates were also set to be competitors at the Casper Invitational track meet on May Day 1982. Loreli Fister and Marilyn Tobin both had some of the best throws in Wyoming for discus and shot put, and both athletes were on the Kelly Walsh girls track team.

Fister held the unofficial best throw for discus with 122-4, and Tobin was close behind with a distance of 118-7. For shot put, Fister threw 35-4 and Tobin threw 35-3.

"A Look Back in Time" is made possible with the help of Western History Archivist Kevin S. Anderson at Casper College Library, which is open to the public.