Natrona County Tribune, 1909

Blue laws -- "TO CLOSE SALOONS

"Petition Being Circulated Asking Authorities to Enforce Law.

"Will Also Take in Barber Shops, Stores, and Many Other Places of Business--No Law Against Shows.

"The wave of reform that has prevailed in Converse and Fremont counties for some time has at last reached Natrona county, and now petitions are being circulated about town, which are being quite liberally signed, asking the authorities to enforce the law which provides for the closing of saloons at 12 o'clock Saturday night and remaining closed until 12 o'clock Sunday night.

The petition also asks for the closing of places of amusement on Sundays, but it seems that there is no law against theaters being open, and it is doubtful if they can be closed, ... and it is doubtful if the people will remain away from the picture shows, for there is an hour's innocent amusement at these places which is clean, moral and often times enlightening. ...

"It shall be unlawful for any person or persons, company, or corporation to keep open any barber shop, store, shop, or other place of business for the transaction of business therein upon the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday, provided, this section shall not apply to newspaper printing offices, railroads, telegraph companies, hotels, restaurants, drug stores, livery stables, news depots, farmers, electric light plants and gas works, the vendors of ice, milk, fresh meat and bread, except as to the sale of liquors and cigars."

Casper Tribune-Herald, 1934

Crime doesn't pay tax -- A pre-election advertisement by the Constitutional Repeal Association of Wyoming urged the public to "Repeal Wyoming's Constitutional Prohibition Amendment

"TO BE VOTED ON BY THE WYOMING ELECTORATE AT THE GENERAL ELECTION NOVEMBER 6, 1934 ...

"Remove Liquor Traffic from the Alleys and Dives and Place It Under State, County and City Regulation

"LOSS OF REVENUE

"Prohibition in Wyoming, adopted in 1919, ... was clinched with a constitutional amendment adopted by the Wyoming electorate, and its repeal is possible only by this same electorate. ...

"Failure of repeal in the coming general election means another two years of present bootlegging conditions, wholly without regulation, and productive of no legitimate revenue to state, county or city.

"STATE STILL DRY ...

"Bootlegging today in Wyoming has reached the 'nth degree, flourishing without restriction or legitimate revenue to the state or its cities and counties."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the issue: "CALL TO PRAYER IS ISSUED BY W.C.T.U. [Women's Christian Temperance Union]

"The Christian people of Casper are invited to participate in a prayer service to be held at the office parlor of the Methodist church on Monday, November 5th ... to pray for the defeat of the proposed amendment to the constitution of Wyoming which will permit the manufacture, sale and keeping for sale of liquor and repeal the present prohibition law. ... (A)n urgent appeal is made for a large attendance."

In the end, the votes favored repeal of prohibition by four to one.

Casper Tribune-Herald, 1959

Brother's keeper -- "Edward (Ted) Kennedy, younger brother of Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. John Kennedy (D-Mass), stopped in Casper Thursday [Nov. 5] on his fact finding tour to determine how his brother stacks up as presidential timber.

"And from where younger brother sits, Sen. Kennedy's chances look good--mighty good.

"Ted, 27, ... told the Tribune-Herald, that 'there is no question that Jack is the front-runner among the Democratic hopefuls at this time.'

"He stated that recent polls place Sen. Kennedy in the lead among the Democratic presidential aspirants, with Adlai Stevenson running second. ...

"Senator Kennedy will announce his decision whether or not he will seek the Democratic nomination around the first of the year, according to brother Ted, who added 'under no condition will Jack be content with the vice presidency.

"On the subject of his brother's religious affiliation (Sen. Kennedy is a Catholic), Ted had this to say:

"'I don't think being a Catholic will be much of an issue in 1960.'"

Casper Star-Tribune, 1984

Immoral authority figure -- "Lovell doctor accused of assaulting two patients

"A $3 million civil suit alleging that a Lovell physician sexually assaulted two women patients in his office has been filed in Big Horn County District Court.

"Dr. John Story also was arrested last week on charges of sexually assaulting seven Lovell-area women. The doctor is accused of 11 counts of second-degree sexual assault and one count of forcible sexual assault. ...

"The criminal charges resulted from a four-month investigation by the Lovell police department and a special investigator from the Casper police department. ...

"The civil suit alleges that Story, 'in the course of professional treatment had sexual intercourse' with both women. ...

"Story's license to practice medicine was earlier revoked by the Wyoming Board of Medical Examiners. Story appealed that decision to District Court and is still practicing medicine in Lovell pending the outcome of that review."

"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. Quotation marks surround stories as they appeared in the Casper newspapers 100, 75, 50 and 25 years ago, with their original grammar, punctuation and spelling, unless otherwise noted. You can contact Corryne at corrynedrake@gmail.com.