, 1923-08-29
What He Saw In Casper

Everyone who visits Casper and looks about
for a few days departs from us another booster.
They lust simuly cannot help growing enthus-
iastic about Casper. 1t is not the atmosphere
nor is it the altitude, it is Casper, itself, that
does 1t. 1t is so different from any other city
in the land. Has had such a wonderful history,
such a phenomenal growth. Has apparently
risen up a completed modern metropolis out of
a sandy plain while other towns have been roll
ing over to take another snooze.
To show you how the thing works, we pick up
the Butler County Press, published. at David
City, Nebraska, and find that Mr.. and Mrs. ID.
s.. Walden have recently visited relatives in our
city and have Just returned home. Quite nat
urally the local newspaper wants to know about
Casper and so Mr.. Walden tells the editor all
about it. Here is what he said:
Casper is growing so fast that it is not known
whether the population is 10000 or $4,000. Per
haps 1000 residences were being built while Mr..
and Mrs. Walden were there. Acreage tracts
for residences a distance of three miles from
Casper are selling at 5000 an acre. One pecul-
lar incident noted by Mr.. Walden was that two
lots we're sold while he was there with contract
to have a house on them completed in one week.
Mr.. Walden's brother owns 100 acres of land
which he homesteaded 10 years ago and as the
town is building around his land it is very val.
liable. An SOacre tract north of Casper that
was bought for $4,000 three years ago was re.
Gently sold for site for an oil company's tanks
for s $1,000"
be to dampen Mr.. Walden's ardor. But in the
interest of truth we move to amend the popula-
ton figure to $4,000 and the number OF resi-
dences under construction to 800. The other
statements may be accepted as substantially
true.
Then Mr.. Walden tells his newspaper friend
this:
Wages are high in Casper. Carpenters re-
ceive $1.25 an hour. Prices are also high, eggs
80 cents a dozen, and everything else in proper
ton. Money is made and lost in great
amounts"
The last statement is the only one in the
paragraph open to dispute and that only from
a view point of what constitutes large and
small amounts of money. AS to eggs Mr.. Wal.
den was obviously referring to fresh eggs.
Continuing Mr.. Walden further elucidates
and the newspaper prints:
"Mr. Walden says from the outlook in Wyo.
ming there is no need TO worry about a shortage
of gasoline, as there are hundreds of wells pump
ing. Oil fields are everywhere. He visited
the Big Muddy field, 80 miles from Casper. This
field, which was opened last year, is seven miles
large, and the wells, all pumping are as close
together as they could be put"
Oil fields are not quite everywhere, but in
a good many places, mostly in Salt Greek and
Big Muddy in this immediate vicinity. The
Muddy field has been in operation more than
a year, say seven or eight years at least and it is
not quite as large as the newspaper has made
Mr.. Walden assert.
Then again, the report goes on to tell the
world:
an speaking of the town of Casper which
is situated on the North Platte river, Mr.. Wal.
den said there are many fine buildings, prac-
tically no trees and very few lawns. A smell
of oil pervades the entire city. The Standard
Oil company is spending millions of dollars on
permanent improvements and is erecting a mum
Der of fine four-story office buildings of pressed
brick, with nice lawns and flower beds"
This paragraph is a mixture of boost and
knock for our fair city. II is quite true that
the city is located on the North Platte. But
it is apprehended that Mr.. Walden failed to
get out in the residence sections where the
trees and lawns mostly abound. We do not
have them in the down town business section.
About odors from the refineries and acid plants
we get them occasionally, but it is only when
the wind is in the right direction to carry them
into the city. The Standard Oil company is
spending all that is claimed for it in permanent
improvements in plant and field, but we know
OF no office buildings under construction with
lawns and flower beds surrounding them.
But to proceed with Mr.. Walden's story:
"Mr. Walden also mentioned the fact of how
busy and busting Casper is. The Yellowstone
highway runs through Casper and there was
a continuous stream Of cars in both directions
WIN tourists from every state in the Union.