Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
Serving the Platte Valley since 1888
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CHEYENNE - Union Pacific Railroad ended its eight-week Big Boy No. 4014 "Heartland of America" tour a little more than a month ago, and Ed Dickens and the Steam Team are looking full speed ahead to their future tours, while reflecting on what makes the Big Boy and Union Pacific staples among train buffs. The schedule was announced in early August, and the tour kicked off in Cheyenne on Aug. 28, passing through three dozen communities and 10 states. As part of the tour, the...
LANDER - There's a famous photo of Lander taken by local photographer Ted Carlson. In it, a herd of cattle spans the center of Main Street, led by a cowboy on a horse. According to a post by the Pioneer Museum from a few years ago, this image of the Ellis ranch cattle drive was likely captured sometime in the early 1980s. It's captioned "Rush hour in Wyoming," and at one point was hung everywhere in Lander. "I would've promoted Lander as a cowboy town [when I came here] 35...
The gifting of an apple to a teacher is one ingrained into popular culture, a tradition carried from the Old World to the American Frontier with apples serving as a symbol of knowledge and wisdom. While teachers may not receive apples from their students anymore, the Platte Valley Legacy Foundation hands out crystal apples each year. This year, they awarded two of them on November 21 at the Hotel Wolf in Saratoga. “The Platte Legacy Committee (Foundation) has chosen t...
With a combined population of 2,265, the Platte Valley is less than a quarter in size of some of the more metropolitan areas in Wyoming like Laramie, Casper and Cheyenne. Despite the small size of our combined community, we have some wonderful amenities. The secret is out about our Valley, seeing as we are busy year-round anymore whether it’s Saratoga Days or Skijoring, Woodchopper’s Jamboree or the 307 GoFast On Ice. Saratoga, and the Platte Valley, continue to grow year-after-year. Residents have their choice in ban...
Zachary Fall and Bryana Yukniewicz are some of the most recent residents of the Platte Valley, having moved here in January. In less than a year, however, the two have found that the best way to a community’s heart is through its stomach. Zach and Bryana are the couple behind Bagels & Badges, a small business which started earlier this year and rapidly increased its revenue tenfold. “They’ve exploded pretty quickly,” said Bryana. “We started in March with our first sale to som...
Pickleball players swarmed the Recreation Commission meeting Monday night expressing concerns over the possible increase in recreation fees in the new year. The fee increase would directly impact the pickleball fans and their ability to afford to play their sport. The members of the commission were taken aback by a packed house for the monthly meeting. “Wow! We appreciate everyone coming in and advocating for yourselves,” said Recreation President Megan James. “This committee...
I'm Elliott Deins. A born-and-raised Floridian, Navy veteran, recent University of Oregon graduate and the new reporter at the Saratoga Sun. After a childhood of fishing, boating and diving around the Gulf Coast of Florida, I attempted community college. After seeing my terrible grades six weeks into my first semester, I enlisted into the Navy serving five years as an infantry corpsman. In 2018, I deployed as part of a Marine Expeditionary Unit - spending six months squeezed...
Photo credit: D'Ron Campbell...
Four players from the Encampment Tigers’ six-man football team were selected to the 1A All-Conference honors, two were selected to the All-State team. After a seven win season and a thrilling triple-overtime loss to the Burlington Huskies in the state semifinals last month — Korbyn Barkhurst, Gunner Knotwell, Tyrel Brown and Brian Smith earned 2024 all-conference selections by the Wyoming Coaches Association. Barkhurst and Knotwell were elected to the All-State team. This is...
Visitors at Saratoga Middle High School are now greeted by a mural in the hallway before entering the school thanks to Noel Shepard’s art class from last year. It is the seniors’ gift to the school. Last year, Shepard had one student who helped her with the mural, Emily Gonzales. The mural is a brightly colored painting of evergreen trees with everything Wyoming and Saratoga - including Panther Paws. Study it long enough and the state bird, the Meadowlark, can be found. The br...
When I was growing up, I always wondered why Christmas was so special. I remember helping put up the Christmas tree; my mother would decorate under the tree with cotton for snow and a tiny village. When she was finished, I wondered when the presents would appear. But it wasn’t the presents because, after a few weeks, the trucks or cars or whatever the presents were, the newness wore off, and then the toy would sit in the corner and collect dust. It wasn’t the Charlie Brown Christmas specials, even though I still like to wat...
The year has flown by and now Thanksgiving is here. I hope you have a meaningful Thanksgiving with family and friends. The election is over, basketball is starting, and the sentimental feelings of fall have turned into the blah of winter. Many already have their Christmas trees up, and this week delicious turkeys will be the centerpiece of our tables. Actually, our celebration to give thanks was created in the United States in 1863, as President Abraham Lincoln wanted to promote unity and for all Americans to show their...
SHERIDAN — US Bath Store is a member of the National Kitchen and Bath Association. Its website contains pages of five-star reviews and name drops dozens of giant companies like Marriot, Disneyland and the American Red Cross to prove it is “trusted by thousands of customers, big and small.” It even has a physical address at 30 N. Gould St. in Sheridan, Wyoming. That’s why 58-year-old Russell Trahan wasn’t expecting to get scammed. The Orlando, Florida resident ordered a cabinet shelf and step for his hot tub from the onlin...
This time of year, the mantra “Shop Local” is shouted from the rooftops. With the busy Christmas season upon us, our local businesses are hopefully overwhelmed with residents shopping and dining in our community. My family tries to keep our small town thriving by buying gifts in town rather than shopping online. All that being said, I cringe a little and think back to my eighth grade English teacher when hearing or reading the rallying cry used by locals. According to Webster’s Dictionary, “local” can be a noun or an adject...
Dear Editor, “Of Interest” Lore & Legend - Wish we could have attended Dick Perue’s presentation about Mineral Hot Spring. As frequent visitors to Saratoga to enjoy the water, we also enjoy visiting with Dick at the Hobo Pool. We have bought several publications about your area. Also great fans of CJ Box! About the only time we have hot mineral springs in Kansas is when someone “Ps” in the pool!! See you in Jan. Dick! The Kansas Girls Crystal, Jill, Shannon & Gina (Kennedy) Berryton, Kansas...
Donna Smith and Jerry Butki, cancer survivors, walk the first lap of the Ribbons of Hope Turkey Trot on a crisp Thanksgiving morning....
For over 40 years, the Saratoga Lake has boasted a pinnacle event in the state of Wyoming in the form of the Saratoga Lake Ice Fishing Derby. Fish aficionados from all over converge on the lake to try to capture the prize for the largest trout based on length and girth. In 2021, a graduate student from the University of Wyoming discovered an invasive non-native species of Yellow Perch in Saratoga Lake. The anglers during the 2022 fishing derby also caught more than just...
Excitement is building for the annual lighted Christmas parade on Saturday, December 14 to be followed by Winter Wonderland, both of which are sponsored by the local Valley Service Organization. The theme of this year’s parade is “An Old-Fashioned Christmas,” and it will be the first lighted Christmas parade that local icon Teense Willford will not announce. This year’s announcer is Larry Cloyd who is excited to follow in the footsteps of Willford. The parade will start l...
Richard Norman Blake was born in Aberdeen, South Dakota, but spent most of his life in the Platte Valley. He married Alice Joyce Herring in 1955. They had four children - Robin; Travis (Cheryl); Jade; Pam (Rob) and Mike (Katy). His grandchildren are Christina Schamber, Clinton Blake(Lindsay), Eric and Ben Work. His great grandchildren are Madison, Mason and Memphis Schamber, Ender Work and Carter Blake. Dick was preceded in death by his wife, Alice, and his son Robin. Dick moved to Riverside in 1944 with his parents Mike and...
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