Glad when we arrive-gladder when we leave, good boots and dead men in the Inn hot pool

100 Years Ago

Trout! Fried in Camp Ovens

Two Days Rip-Roaring Old Time at Encampment August 5th and 6th

A week from today and tomorrow, Encampment will celebrate the 2nd annual fish fry, That is going to be some fry, too, by the way. Don’t ask us to attend to any business on them two days next week cause we won’t be to home, to nobody. We’re going to be up there filling both sides of our faces with fish and other good things at the open air dinner, and taking in the evening events, among which is the bucking contest with a $200 purse, $125, $50 and $25.

The fishermen of Encampment are just fishing their heads off getting a car load of fine old Wyoming trout, and they are going to feed every mother’s son that arrives in that city on both days at noon with the best fish fry ever heard of, and all of the fixings.

On the afternoon of each day they have a good program to entertain you with while you are digesting the fish. If you miss this celebration, you are going to miss the time of your life.

Judging from what we have heard, there won’t be so much as a small dog left in Saratoga, if they can find room up there for walking. We understand that there will be special trains, automobiles and hand cars to transport the people each day, so what’s the use? Just shut up shop and we will go and eat them out of house and home and make them twice glad: glad when we arrive and gladder when we leave.

A lot of those old timers up there are running the mess, so look out, for the lid is off for all the fun and good time you can think of and we guarantee there will be no disappointment if you go. Two days, more or less, of real fun will make you live just that much longer, and remember you will be a long time asleep after Gabriel blows his horn.

75 years ago

Visitor from Iowa says he has a good pair of boots

John Wichman of Council Bluffs, Iowa, who with his family has been sojourning at the Hot Springs recently and incidentally doing some fishing in the North Platte and other streams of the valley, tells us he has the best pair of rubber boots that “ever happened.”

Mr. Wichman tells that in 1924 he was here on one of his periodical visits, and in order to do some fishing he found it necessary to purchase a pair of rubber boots. The only ones to be found were in stock at the Saratoga Commercial Company store, and the price was $12.00. Although he figured he was being scandalously overcharged, he just had to do some fishing, so had to have the boots, and he some what reluctantly dug up the twelve dollars.

Now, says Mr. Wichman, he has changed his mind about the overcharge, as he had used to boots on hunting trips every winter, and for fishing trips every summer, is still using them, and they are still good boots.

It develops that C.C. Hickok, formerly connected with the Commercial Company firm and now employed by the Shively Hardware Company was the merchant who charged $12.00 for the boots, and Mr. Wichman stopped in to see “Hickey” the other day to acknowledge that he was not overcharged at all, but secured a real bargain in these boots, which are still in good shape in their seventeenth season of use.

50 years ago

Dirt Work Starts On Range Road

Right-of-way clearing work in preparation for construction of 6,046 miles of Snowy Range highway is about complete, Irv. Gingrich, Bureau of Public Roads engineer, said this week. Dirt work is expected to start next week.

The clearing work is being done by Norwood Bros. of Sheridan. Husman Bros., also of Sheridan, received the contract for construction of the road and have already moved some euqiment in the area and are expected to start work next week. Weather permitting, Mr. Gingrich said, it is hoped that the dirt work can be completed this year.

Involved in the $670,926 contract is construction of one mile of paved road extending west from Ten Mile Inn and five miles of highway extending east from end of previous construction near French creek logging road.

25 years ago

Two Colorado men found dead at Saratoga Inn hot pool

Two elderly Colorado men were found dead in the Saratoga Inn hot pool Monday evening at approximately 5:40 p.m., according to Deputy Coroner Jim Davis.

James Perley, 79, and James Guilford, 79, both from the Denver Metro area were discovered floating in the hot pool at the Saratoga Inn by other guests. Cause of death is unknown at this time, Davis said, and a post-mortem autopsy is scheduled for today (Weds.).

Davis said, “At this point, there is no evidence of foul play.”

The bodies were discovered by a Nebraska family in town for the night. J.C. Fowler of Stromsburg, Neb., said he and his family were just passing through. They decided to spend the night in Saratoga and were going to soak in the Inn’s hot pool.

“We saw them floating face down and at first I thought they were dummies,” Fowler said. When it became apparent the bodies were human, Fowler sent his wife to call for help.

“We didn’t try to do anything, we thought it may have been gas,” said Mike Fowler, son of J.C., adding they have no hot springs in Nebraska and are unfamiliar with the sulphur odor of hot springs.