Bettering moral condition of Saratoga

Compiled by Joe Elder

100 years ago

Jan. 16, 1913

City Administration

endorsed

The W.C.T.U.(Women’s Christian Temperance Union) as a Society hereby indorse the action taken by certain members of the city council, in trying to better the moral condition of Saratoga – by prohibiting prize-fighting within the city limits. We hope the good work may continue, in the taking up of other affairs important to the welfare of any town – such as gambling, excessive drinking, permitting of young boys to frequent the saloons, etc. etc. For these evils are well known to be flourishing within the city limits.

Press Committee, W.C.T.U.

75 years ago

Jan. 13, 1938

Bay Oil Co. to have

official opening soon

G.R. Gould this week began distribution of oil products from his new Bay gasoline bulk plant here. The storage tanks for the station, which include two 2,000-gallon gasoline tanks, one 1,000-gallon distillate tank, and one 500-gallon kerosene tank, were put in place recently, and a company truck was here Monday to fill them ... Two new gasoline pumps have been installed at the station, but will only be used for wholesale distribution only, he says.

Bay gasoline is a new kind in this section, and is manufactured by the Bay Petroleum Company of Denver. The first refining unit of the company was established in Cheyenne in 1934, and the product is essentially Wyoming, the crude oil used coming from the Medicine Bow and Rock River fields ...

50 years ago

Jan. 17, 1963

Funds needed for TV booster

Funds for the VHF television booster operated by the Elk Mountain TV company are exhausted, according to an announcement made by officers of the company ...

Company officials are asking that all viewers of the booster channels in the Platte Valley contribute at least $10 per set.

It was stressed that this is the first request in two years for funds to keep the non-profit organization going. Money donated to the company will be used for operation and maintenance of the TV boosters which serve both the Saratoga and Encampment areas. Signals from both KFBC-TV in Cheyenne and KTWO-TV in Casper are beamed into valley homes via the VHF booster ...

25 years ago

Jan. 20, 1988

Mandatory seatbelt law infringes on freedom

Editor:

The Wyoming Seatbelt Coalition is ... trying to sneak their brand of “Destruction of Personal Freedom” under the guise of saving lives ...

Why doesn’t the WSBC petition and put the choice of mandatory seatbelts on the ballot and let the people decide? Nebraska and Massachusetts legislatures passed such laws only to have them voted out by the people.

Also, if the WSBC is concerned about the saving of lives, why are they silent on alcohol and cigarettes which kill thousands ...? Seatbelt laws, like motorcycle helmet laws, are an infringement of freedom and should not even be considered by the legislature. They have no place in a free country. Like phony speed limit laws, they are only partially obeyed and breed lawlessness.

People of this state need to let their legislators know how they stand on this issue. The mandatory seatbelt law was barely defeated during the last session ...

Bob Buelke

Gillette, Wyo.