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This picture was taken at night during the fire which destroyed seven oil storage tanks, half a million barrels of oil, and threatened dozens of other tanks. For two nights the skies over Casper were lighted by flames seen for miles. Nearly a thousand volunteers, as well as refinery personnel, worked day and night to control the situation. When tired, smoke-blackened firefighters returned to their anxious families, the whole town breathed a sigh of relief. Courtesy of Frances Cottman Lavery. |
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| A one-time entertainer, always a great showman, Harry Yesness caught the tide of the oil boom and rode its high wave to great success in the clothing business. Arriving with a vaudeville act in 1919, Yesness nearly went broke buying a pant pressing parlor. Yesness financed a second tailor shop with the winnings from a profitable wager when Jack Dempsey defeated Willard in a Toledo, Ohio fight. Harry celebrated the 1923 Christmas season by showering his customers with coins and merchandise from the rooftop of his Second Street store, just before moving to this Center Street location. From the Yesness Collection; courtesy of the Natrona County Pioneer Museum. |
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The Coliseum Motor Company continues to prosper at its original location. An agreement was signed with the Dodge brothers in 1913 to begin selling their premier 1914 automobile. Meanwhile, the Coliseum building served as a roller rink, and arena for boxing and wrestling matches, and as a bowling alley. Although most dancers waltzed many an uninhibited evening across its wooden floors, one Casper teacher remembers shading her face with her hat to avert being recognized upon entering the building. The School Board frowned upon their single female employees enjoying evening entertainment. Courtesy of R.M. Robertson |
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When permitted, Casper's first traffic light worked real well at the intersection of Second and Center streets-when it was not otherwise smashed by Casper drivers! The Rialto Theatre box office can be seen at the left and the corner is still occupied by the Rialto Cigar Store.
Icy streets and angular parking made it difficult to get cars away from the curb without a push from a kindly pedestrian or two. Before parking meters, policemen on foot monitored the one-hour time limit. They used a piece of chalk tucked in the end of their nightsticks as a means to detect transgressing overtimers. Courtesy of the Wyoming State Archives, Museums, and Historical Department. |
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A sheriff's raid on some of the bootlegging operations of Salt Creek oilfields netted this array of moonshine equipment. Police seized not only the
liquor but also the still and other necessities. From the appearance of this equipment customers overlooked a risky production process. Courtesy of the Wyoming State Archives, Museums, and Historical Department. |
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| Natrona County High School, considered Casper's most beautiful building by many, was completed
in 1923. Built during the oil boom, its beauty and stability is accredited to architect Arthur Garbutt. Later, a declining economy delayed expansion but not altogether. Added in 1929, the swimming pool was the city's first indoor plunge. A growing faculty and expanded curriculum have developed steadily over the years. Since the first class in 1893, NCHS is alma mater to generations of students. Courtesy of Don Cresswell. |
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Hilltop National Bank...