Natrona County Tribune, 1909

Fair game - "FIREMEN VS. HIGH SCHOOL"

A "hot game of base ball … on the diamond south of the wool warehouse," pitting 27 firemen against nine high school boys, promised "to be funny, as well as exciting."

"All the surgeons in the city have been engaged to care for the injured. … The general fire alarm will be given when, if ever, one of the firemen makes a fair hit. … The fireman who makes the most errors will have to make a leap from the court house dome … into the life-saving net at midnight. … (U)mpires will each be provided with three body guards, armed with six-pistols. …"

Citizens would be deputized "to quell any disturbance that may arise."

On the lam - Last week's edition of the Natrona County Tribune assumed speedy apprehension of the as-yet-unknown assailant of Manuel Bacca. That prediction jumped the gun.

"$100 Reward … (F)or the capture of 'Red' Walsh, who so brutally shot and beat up Manuel Bacca, the Mexican sheep herder … an innocent old man. … Sheriff Sheffner and a posse of men were out on the range for three days attempting to overtake the fugitive, but they were unable to find his trail."

Casper Tribune-Herald, 1934

A stimulating idea - Letters went out to chambers of commerce throughout the country encouraging participation in an "air parade … originating in Casper" to "stimulate nationwide, general interest in aviation."

J. Kent Kinniburgh, secretary-manager of Casper's Chamber of Commerce, envisioned the entire country joining in "an inexpensive, effectual test of the hundreds of new fields and airports blanketing the country since promulgation of the CWA [Civil Works Administration] construction program."

Three days later - "KINNIBURGH DEAD OF INJURIES"

"James Kent Kinniburgh, 33 years of age, secretary-manager of the Casper Chamber of Commerce, was killed about 8:15 this morning [April 2, 1909] as the result of injuries in an automobile accident about 15 miles southeast of Douglas. …"

The news "cast a pall over the entire city. He was widely known and highly popular."

Casper Morning Star, 1959

Preaching to the choir - "Film On Communism To Be Shown Tonight"

"The inside story of Communism will be the theme of the monthly film presentation today at 7:45 p.m. in the Church of the Open Bible, A and Kimball Sts. This hour and one half film, 'The Sickle or the Cross,' tells the story of Comrade X-14 who succeeded in fooling an entire church to believe he was a missionary. He plots to discredit Christianity and a church."

In the beginning - Blount Brothers Construction Co. of Alabama received a $12.5 million contract "to construct three Atlas missile launching structures at each of … three sites." The company also bid lowest "on a contract to build microwave facilities," including "five concrete masonry buildings - one at Warren Air Force Base and one at each of four missile launching sites surrounding Cheyenne. … George A. Fuller Co. is the prime contractor for a larger missile launching complex northwest of Cheyenne … capable of handling six Atlas missiles."

Casper Star-Tribune, 1984

In the event of … - "Albany County wants civil defense money"

"(I)f it is to shelter refugees … in a catastrophe," the city of Laramie and Albany County needed state and federal funds "to accommodate Cheyenne residents in the event of a nuclear war." Max Rardin, Albany County Commission chairman, said, "'They pretend we're ready, but we're not. … We have to have the capacity to handle any kind of disaster over here. We barely can handle all the trucks that get stuck in snowstorms around here.'"

An actual emergency -� "First State AIDS victim dies in Carbon County."

Wyoming's first confirmed AIDS case "is an 'extremely low-risk situation' to citizens. … (T)he victim died of the mysterious illness … shortly after being admitted to a hospital emergency room in critical condition. … [He] had not been ill long."

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

Find here a smattering of what past readers of Casper's newspapers perused. Quotation marks surround actual stories as they appeared with their original grammar, punctuation and spelling.]]->