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Volume 1 • Issue 28 October 14 - 21, 2011

“If it doesn’t have to do with Campbell County, we don’t care!” www.campbellcountyobserver.net June 17 - 24, 2011

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I have been told over and over that Gillette has nothing to do, that there is not enough sophistication, and that there is not any culture. Well, I have an answer to these people and that is one word, half. Half is the amount of seats that were filled during the Powder River Symphony’s concert last Sun-day.

Founded in 1986, the orches-tra brings together talented lo-cal and professional musicians from Gillette and the surround-ing areas. Over the past five years, programming has high-lighted the standard classical and pops orchestral repertoire with distinguished guest artists. The newly appointed conduc-tor Norman Gamboa contin-ues to provide artistic direction and administrative guidance through innovative concert pro-gramming.

Want local? When you come and see the orchestra, you are listening to local musicians like Deb Anderson, who is one of the founding members of the orchestra. A library informa-tion specialist who resides in Gillette, she returned as a con-certmaster in 2008. Then there

is our planetarium director Paul Zeleski playing the cello. One of the veterans, Elin Mayo (French horn) started in with the orchestra in 2002 and is a K-6 music teacher at Lakeview Elementry here in Campbell County.

The music was great. The two hour concert seemed only like you were there for about 20 min. The sounds of the string instruments flowed through the room with the key and profes-sionalism of one of the big-city orchestra’s. The talent of these local pro’s excelled as the night went on and finally you felt yourself almost mes-merized by the music.

The culture is here and for this performance the orchestra threw in a country theme that mixed the classical of old with the heart of western music. If you missed it, you missed a great show. The tickets were cheap and the music great. If I were you, I would plan on a date with your significant other for dinner and great music. Their next concert is Sunday May 20th, 2012 at Camplex, and it is very worthwhile to mark it on your calendar.

Orchestra offers entertainment featuring local talent

Newly appointed conductor Norman Gamboa provides artistic direction and administrative guidance through innovative concert programming.

The Wyoming Army National Guard’s 67th Army Band locked away numerous items from their recent his-tory in a 20 year time capsule, during their October drill. Guitar picks, musi-cal items, unit rosters, physical fitness test (PT) test scores and rifle qualifica-tion scores, as well as historical items were included in the project. Meant to instill an esprit de corps and an appre-ciation for unit history, the capsule re-quired the members of the unit to work together to create a lasting tribute to unit history.

The time capsule was conceived as a means of preserving the outstanding recent achievements of the unit and to build upon the proud traditions the band has built over the years.

The band’s first sergeant, Diane Smith, remarked on the time capsule. “I’m excited to have a snapshot in our unit history preserved for future band members. I’ve been a member of this unit for 21 years now and this is the first time anything like this has been accomplished. I just hope in 20 years someone has as much fun opening this time capsule as we did contribut-ing to it.”

This month’s drill was unique in that several new members, recently re-turned from Advanced Individual Train-ing (AIT) and Basic Combat Training, were there for the event. New recruit and recent graduate of Fort Jackson Army Basic Combat Training Center, Spc. Michael Parkins remarked that “everyone seemed enthusiastic about the whole project, even digging the hole. Being new in the unit, I didn’t re-ally know what I could have contrib-uted, but I did get to write my name on it, so I’m glad that I was able to be a part of the whole thing. Hopefully I will be around in 20 years to be there when they dig it back up.”

Newly assigned band commander, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Nathan Gal-loway, also commented that “(adding) the first sergeant’s name tape was funny as hell and characteristic of the unit”, referring to the last minute and unannounced addition of the 1st Sgt.’s name tag from her Army patrol cap.

The capsule also contained hun-dreds of photographs of the band’s 2010 and 2011 annual training; items gathered during the units travels around the state, a complete photo

archive of the recent remodeling of the Wheatland facility, personal notes from current band members to the fu-ture musicians of the 67th, and other mementos significant to unit history.

The newest Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) code qualified Sol-dier in the 67th, Spc. Nate Hobbs commented that “it’s an honor to be a part of a unit that is proud of its past and looks to continue to only get bet-ter in the future. When we open it up in 20 years, we will have new members in the 67th and it’ll be awesome to re-call some of the past achievements of the band.”

The members of the 67th enjoyed the creation of the 20 year time cap-sule.

Everyone worked together to create the final product; signing and filling the tube, even digging the hole. Many members remarked that they hoped to be present in 20 years when the time capsule in exhumed. The 67th mem-bers also stated that they would like to continue the tradition of burying a new capsule every five years so as to record and preserve historical items for future generations.

Guard unit captures history with time capsuleBy Sgt. Daniel Molineaux - Wyoming National Guard Historian

2

Hunting/Fishing

Rocky Mountain4706 S. Douglas Hwy.

Gillette, WY 82718

Ph: 307-686-0221Fx: 307-686-0265

8am-9pm Mon.-Sat.9am-6pm Sunday

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We’re the game processing experts!

during the 2011Hunting Season!

10/3/11 thru 12/9/11

Accepting Entries

6 Divisions of Contest:Antelope • Deer(Muledeer) • Deer (Whitetail) • Elk • Big Horn Sheep • Moose

Accepting Entries

Gillette, WYExit 124 off I-90307-682-9411

Buffalo, WYExit 58 off I-90307-684-8200

BIG HORN TIRE, INC.

INFORMATION 1. Each entry will receive a chance for 1st place prize (set of tires) in each division. 2. Weekly drawings(gift certi�cates –various businesses and service) 3. Each entry will be posted on our website .4. A big buck contest wildlife series cap will be given to each contestant with a valid entry. 5. One entry will be drawn out of all participants for the grand prize of a ri�e. 6. Entries will be judged on the following in each division: · Size. · Appearance. · Uniformity. · Measurments can be submitted but will not determine the winner. · Photos - we encourage quality photos for the judging process. · Comments on hunt and area info as well as stories are encouraged. 7. Information can be obtained on our website and entry forms can be picked up at store locations or online,www.bighorntire.com.8. Photos will be uploaded on the website and posted at both stores.

RULES OF COMPETION 1. Entrant must possess a current/valid Wyoming license for division entered .2. All entries must adhere to all Wyoming Game & Fish rules & regulations. 3. Entry must have been taken in the 2011 season in Wyoming. 4. Photo of contestant/harvest must accompany entry form.5. Entry form and photo must be dropped o� to either store location in Bu�alo or Gillette , Mailed to 501 Westside Drive, or emailed to bigbuck@bighorntire.net or by December 9th 2011.

Warden’s Corner

One of the most common violations I see in the fi eld involves hunters failing to tag their big game animals. Please take the time to read the instructions printed on the carcass coupon and properly tag your ani-mal. Before leaving the site of the kill, hunt-ers must detach the carcass coupon, notch it for the month and date of kill, and sign it. Hunters are then required to attach the carcass coupon in a visible manner, but can remove it for transport to prevent its loss. By tagging your game animal before you fi eld dress it, you ensure your knife is sharp and the tag isn’t covered in blood, making it easier for your meat processor and game warden to read.

Fall walleye bite is starting to pick up at Keyhole. The last couple of weeks we have been getting more reports of walleye catches than in the previous couple of months. Fish are showing up on graphs staging in areas that have been good in the fall in past years. This past weekend we checked out some of these areas and found a lot of stacked fi sh in 20-30 feet of water. We caught 3 walleye in the 15” range, some nice crappie, and a 31” northern in a matter of hours. The fi shing should improve up until the freeze up. The big females will soon go on a feeding binge and catching an 8-10 lb. trophy will be possible, not to mention the good eating of a 15-20 inch fi sh.

Most fi shermen are using jigs & minnows, but swim bait plastics have been doing well also. I have noticed sev-eral fi shermen still pulling crank bait, but have not heard how successful they have been.

Early morning and late afternoon until dark should be best, but the fi sh we caught this weekend were in the middle of the day. With hunting season going on and cool water temps keeping the pleasure boats away, the lake is not very busy which makes it a good way to spend an enjoyable fall day.

Fishing ReportBy Mike and Roxan Smith,

Empire Guesthouse & RV Park - Pine Haven, WY

Duck hunting at Keyhole has been good so far this year. The US Fish & Wildlife Service prediction of some of the best waterfowl production years since they started keeping records in 1955, seem to be holding true. Most hunters have been getting limits most trips out.

This past weekend there were fl ocks of blue wing teal numbering in the 100’s all around the lake, but by Mon-day, they seemed to have moved on. Sunday, we got our 2 limits in 30 minutes. They were a variety of teal, blue wing & green wings, chovelers, gadwalls and even a drake wood duck, which is rare for here. We sat and watched ducks after getting our limits and also saw lots of pintail, redheads & widgeons.

Monday was a little slower being a bluebird day, but we still took 2 limits in 2 hours, again they were a wide variety of birds.

Some of our best hunts have been to just bring in 2 dozen decoys and walking in at the river, Wind creek or Mule creek, and hunting areas that are wade-able. Be sure to keep the wind at your back and leave a hole in your spread where you want the birds. Find some tall grass or brush to sit in and have fun.

If you would like to go on a guided duck hunt, the Em-pire Guesthouse can set you up with a local guide. Call 307-756-3454 for more information.

Waterfowl Report

By Mike and Roxan Smith,Empire Guesthouse & RV Park - Pine Haven, WY

“If you have gone through life without making a single enemy,then you have never stood up

to anyone.”

Joke of the weekSubmitted by Rod McQueary

The Arizona Department of Safety Offi -cer pulled over a pick-up truck owner for a weapons check because of an NRA bum-per sticker. When the offi cer approached the vehicle, the man behind the wheel handed the offi cer his driver’s license, in-surance card and concealed carry permit.

The offi cer took all the documents, looked them over and said, “Sir, I see you have a CCP. Do you have any weapons with you?”

The driver replied, “Yes I do. I have a 357 handgun in a hip holster, a .45 in the glove box and a .22 derringer in my boot.”

The offi cer looked at the driver and asked, “Anything else?”

“Yes. I have a Mossberg 500 12 gauge and an AR-15 in the trunk.”

The offi cer asked if the man was driving to or from a shooting range and the man said he wasn’t, so the offi cer bent over and looked into the driver’s face and said “Sir, you’re carrying quite a few guns. May I ask what you are afraid of?”

The man locked eyes with the offi cer and calmly answered, “Not a thing!”

3

Community

Authentic BarBQue & Smoked MeatsDINE IN · TAKE OUT · CATERING

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$2.00 OFFprime Ribdinner

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We want to get it Write. Oops we mean Right.

The Observer strives to make news reports fair and accurate. If you have a question or

comment about news coverage, Contact us at nicholasdelaat@campbellcountyobserver.com

The Gillette City Council would like to thankthe public for your patience during the 2011Construction Season. Road Construction canbe frustrating but necessary. Thank you foryour patience during the many constructionprojects this year. These projects also provethe value of the Optional 1% Sales Tax.

Don’t know what to do with your old meds?

Bring ‘em on down to the

Campbell County Rx Round-upat the Walgreens Parking Lot

on Saturday, October 15th from10am to 3pm. It’s free for all households

but businesses are excluded.

Bring your medications for disposal,including: prescription meds (unwanted or

expired), pet medications, over thecounter medicines, vitamins, and medical

patches or cream.We cannot accept chemotherapy drugs.

Keep pills in original containers.Anything collected will be anonymous -

no questions asked!

307-686-66661103 E. Boxelder, Suite CGillette, WY USA 82718

Her final answer. . . will be “Yes!” when you propose with one of our diamonds.

Friday, October 14-WRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity, TBA, Cam-

plex East Pavilion-Jake’s Classic Pool Tournament @

Jakes Tavern-MS Office Basics 2007 for Outlook, Ex-

cel & Word, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., K2 Technology, 686-3025

-Razor City Roller Dolls, 7:30 p.m., Cam-plex Wyoming Center

Saturday, October 15-WRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity, TBA, Cam-

plex East Pavilion-Jake’s Classic Pool Tournament @

Jakes Tavern-Basin Radio Network Octoberfest Busi-

ness Expo, TBA, Camplex Central Pavilion-Party in Pink Zumbathon Charity Event,

8-11 a.m., Club Energize, 686-7627-4-H Horse Clinic, 9 a.m.- 4 p.m., Cam-

plex Barn 3-Teen Dungeons & Dragons, 10 a.m.- 1

p.m., CCPL-Teen Open-Play Video Gaming, 1-4

p.m., CCPL-4-6th Grade WiiPlay Saturday, 1-4 p.m.,

CCPL

Sunday, October 16-Teen Read Week, CCPL-National Bosses Day-Senior Center- CLOSEDWRCHA Snaffle Bit Futurity, TBA, Cam-

plex East Pavilion-Jake’s Classic Pool Tournament @

Jakes Tavern-Basin Radio Network Octoberfest Busi-

ness Expo, TBA, Camplex Central Pavilion-AVA- Scarf Felting Class, 2 p.m.

Monday, October 17-Teen Read Week, CCPL-Life R U Ready Teen Health Fair, TBA,

Camplex Energy Hall-Senior Center, Medicare Part D, 9 a.m.-

4 p.m.-Microsoft Power Point 2007 Level 1, 9

a.m.- 4 p.m., K2 Technologies, 686-3025-Prairie Wind PTO Meeting, 12-1 p.m.-AVA- Little Tikes, 1 p.m.-WJSH Musical Rehearsal, 5-8 p.m.,

Town Hall-Paintbrush 3 & 4th Grade Program, 6:30

p.m., Camplex Heritage Center-AVA- Life Drawing, 7 p.m.-Twin Spruce Dance, 7-9 p.m.

Tuesday, October 18-Teen Read Week, CCPL-Life R U Ready Teen Health Fair, TBA,

Camplex Energy Hall-HealthCHECK Testing, 7-11 a.m., CCMH

Lab 688-1222-Pronghorn Picture Day, 8 a.m.-Storytime, 3-5 yr. olds, 10:30 a.m., CCPL-AVA- Preschool Art, 2 p.m.-AVA- Grade School Pottery, 4 p.m.-WJSH Musical Rehearsal, 5-8 p.m.,

Town Hall-Sage Valley Fall Choir Concert, 7 p.m.,

Camplex Heritage Center

Wednesday, October 19-Early Release, Secondary 1 p.m., El-

ementary 1:30 p.m., CCSD

-Teen Read Week, CCPL-Life R U Ready Teen Health Fair, TBA,

Camplex Energy Hall-Children’s Immunization Clinic, 8-11:30

a.m., Public Health-CCHS, Plan Testing, 8 a.m.- 12 p.m.,

Camplex Wyoming Center-Senior Center, First Gold Bus, 9 a.m.-Storytime, 3-5 yr. olds, 10:30 a.m., CCPL-ASVAB Test, 1 p.m., North Campus-”Can I Kiss You?” Sexual Assault Pre-

vention Program, 7 p.m., Gillette College Tech. Center

Thursday, October 20-Teen Read Week, CCPL-Life R U Ready Teen Health Fair, TBA,

Camplex Energy Hall-HealthCHECK Testing, 7-11 a.m., CCMH

Lab 688-1222-K2 Focused Seminar: Edit Photos with

PowerPoint, 9-11 a.m., K2 Technologies, 686-3025

-Toddler Time, 18 months- 3 yrs., 9:30 a.m., CCPL

-Storytime, 3-5 yr. olds, 10:30 a.m., CCPL-Senior Center, Senior Book Club, 10:45

a.m.-AiE “Jazz Reach” for 4th Grade, 12:45-

1:45 p.m., Camplex Heritage Center-K2 Focused Seminar: PowerPoint Plus

for Legal Professionals, 1-5 p.m., K2 Tech-nologies, 686-3025

-AVA- Home School Kids, 2:30 p.m.-AVA- Grade School Kids Club, 4 p.m.-October Mixer: Expresso-Lube, 5-7 p.m.,

682-3673-WJSH Musical Rehearsal, 5-8 p.m.,

Town Hall-Families & Jammies, Birth- 6th Grade,

6:30 p.m., CCPL-Paintbrush K-6th Choir Concert, 6:30

p.m., Paintbrush Gym-Jazz Reach, 6:30 p.m., Camplex Heri-

tage Center, 682-8802 for Tickets

Friday, October 21-Teen Read Week, CCPL-Life R U Ready Teen Health Fair, TBA,

Camplex Energy Hall-Microsoft Excel 2007 Level 2, 9 a.m.- 4

p.m., K2 Technologies, 686-3025-Senior Center, JAM Session, 1 p.m.-Pearls of the Prairie Wine Festival, 6-9

p.m., Clarion Inn, 686-5203-Open MIC Night, 7 p.m., Brothers Coffee-AVA- Uncorked!, 7-9 p.m.-Ruff Cut @ Jakes Tavern

What’s Going On?

A car show was held to support the John Paul II private school. Lorenzo Sisnero Jr. (above) was the People’s Choice Winner and the Stinson Family (below) was the Student’s Choice Winner.

Who’s Brand is this in Campbell County?

Find out in next week’sCampbell County Observer

4

Community

Bish’s Trailer &AutoSales

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J. Walker Land & Livestock

Cowboy Logic:“If everybody is thinking alike, then

somebody isn’t thinking.”

307-340-1108 • 307-340-0631

• Ranch Raised Beef• No Preservatives• Spend Money Local

Jason & Jenna WalkerOwners

EastsideRV’s Inc.

1200 E. Hwy 14-16Gillette, WY

307-686-1435www.eastsidervs.com

M-F 9am - 6pmSat. 9am - 3pm

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RV RENTALS!!!FALL RATES!!!

Parts & Service

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Used Fifth Wheels & Trailers

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SPECIALS!!!RV

SPECIALS!!!RV

The Conestoga sixth graders recently complet-ed the ropes courses at the Lakeway Learning Center.

Ropes courses are inherently fun and safety should always be the first priority. But, without the guidance of a professional facilitator that knows how to identify the specific needs of your team.

Low elements take place on the ground or only a few feet above the ground. High ele-ments are usually constructed in trees or made of utility poles and require a belay for safety.

The combination of Low and High Ropes Courses enable participants to grow at the team and individual levels, exploring risk, leadership, communication, problem-solving, and coaching. The Low Ropes Course focuses on collabora-tion. The challenges call upon every member of the team to participate, and they present unending opportunities for self-discovery and team growth.

The High Ropes Course emphasizes risk-tak-ing, trust, and coaching. The challenges allow participants to expand their comfort zones—sometimes dramatically—and recognize fears that may block personal achievement. Each moment is rich with discoveries, whether a per-son is climbing, supporting “on belay,” or finding an effective way to encourage a teammate.

Ropes Course Overview

Photo’s submitted by Amanda Lacek

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atriot Publishing Why Advertise?

• Keep Customers

• Generate New Customers

• Keep Money Local

• Let Consumers Know What You Have to Offer

Don’t miss a chance to color up your spring landscape. Get busy now planting spring flowering bulbs like daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths.

Look for creative ways to use bulbs in your landscape. Plant a mas-sive ribbon of blue squills or grape hyacinths to create the illusion of a river in your spring landscape. Or fill the front lawn with shorter bulbs for added color. Just wait until they are done blooming to mow the grass at its highest possible setting.

Mix bulbs to double the bloom power or extend their flowering beau-ty. I like to mix the equally assertive daffodils and squills for a double layer of color. Try combining early blooming crocus with mid spring daffodils, late spring tulips, and even later blooming allium for months of enjoyment.

And force a few to enjoy indoors or outdoors in areas where you can’t plant bulbs in the ground. Give these bulbs 15 weeks of tempera-tures between 35 and 45 degrees to initiate bloom.

Plant spring flowering bulbs outdoors in fall, so winter’s chill can set the flower buds for the beautiful spring flowers. Those gardening in the south need to look for bulbs that

require minimal chilling or are pre-cooled for winter planting. Northern gardeners have until the ground freezes to get their bulbs in the ground.

Plant bulbs 2 to 3 times their verti-cal height deep in properly prepared soil. Add a low nitrogen slow release fertilizer like Milorganite to the soil at planting. Water thoroughly as the bulbs are putting down roots before the ground freezes.

Those tired of battling the animals may want to plant resistant bulbs such as daffodils, hyacinths, Fritil-laria, alliums, Camassia, glory-of-the snow; snow drops squills, and grape hyacinths.

Or protect animal favorites like tu-lips, lilies, and crocus with a bulb dip of Bobbex. Start with a pair of water-proof gloves for this task. Bobbex is safe and natural, but not a fragrance you want to wear all day long. Care-fully remove the papery cover and soak the bulbs for 3 to 5 minutes in Bobbex. You will have the best re-sults using the concentrated formula of Bobbex-R Animal repellent. Allow the bulbs to dry before planting. The scent of Bobbex masks the smell of the bulbs protecting them from hun-gry critters throughout the winter.

Then next spring apply Bobbex to your bulbs and other landscape plants as soon as they emerge and leaf out, protecting them from hungry rabbits, deer, and other animals.

So get a jump on the spring sea-son with a bit of fall landscape care.

Nationally known gardening expert, TV/radio host, author & columnist Melinda Myers has more than 30 years of horticulture experience and has written over 20 gardening books, including Can’t Miss Small Space Gardening. She hosts the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Mo-ment segments which air on over 89 TV and radio stations throughout the U.S. and Canada. She is a colum-nist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and writes the twice monthly “Gardeners’ Ques-tions” newspaper column. Melinda hosted “The Plant Doctor” radio program for over 20 years as well as Great Lakes Gardener on PBS. She has written articles for Better Homes and Gardens and Fine Gardening. Melinda has a master’s degree in horticulture, is a certified arborist and was a horticulture instructor with tenure. Her web site is www.melindamyers.com.

Plant now for Spring beautyAdd bulbs this fall for a colorful spring display

Submitted by Melinda Myers

The Wyoming Arts Council, Department of State Parks & Cultural Resources and Wyoming Office of Tourism invited the public to join in the dedication ceremony of three sculptures on October 14, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. at the Northeast Wyoming Welcome Center located at I-90 and Exit 199.

The Northeast Wyoming Welcome Cen-ter greets both tourists and wildlife. Deer are frequent guests. Not so the elusive mountain lion – but tracks of one were spotted at the site during groundbreaking, and throughout the construction phase. In honor of the curious but mysterious visi-

tor, a life-size bronze mountain lion was chosen to greet visitors, and in honor of the elegant deer, two fawns. This public art was made possible by funding from the State of Wyoming’s Art in Public Build-ings “1% for Arts” program.

Sculptor David Nelson is nationally and internationally recognized for his works in wildlife and human form as well as contemporary life size and monumental sculptures. A professional artist for the past 26 years, David has been com-missioned by corporations, public art programs and private homeowners for a number of site-specific sculptures.

Northeast Wyoming Welcome Center sculpture dedication ceremony

Patriot Publishing is a small publishing business starting up right here in Wyo-ming. We not only publish the Camp-bell County Observ-er and calendars, but anything in print. We will soon also have a monthly publication that we think you will enjoy. If you have a book and can’t get a major company to publish you, we are a new and American-owned publisher that may print your work. Please feel free to contact us at anytime with your idea.

5

Community

The antique/trade show was in town at the Cam-plex last weekend. Here are some of the antiques that were for sale at this very thrifty event.

Angelique and Joe Mills (left) came to the antique show with natural sauces and jellies that were old recipes from their ancestors.

Highway 59 (lane closure)The City of Gillette’s Utilities Department will be con-

ducting work near the center southbound lane of Highway 59 at Madison Street (near Wal-Mart) on Tuesday, Octo-ber 11th. Access from eastbound Madison Street onto northbound Highway 59 may be restricted, which would prevent a left hand turn during this work. Traffi c control will be in place - please drive accordingly.

Warlow Drive (lane closure)Work related to the Madison Pipeline project will take

place on Warlow Drive from Garner Lake Road to imme-diately west of the Warlow Drive/Gurley Avenue intersec-tion. This work will take place from Monday, October 17th through Friday, October 21st and will only close the east-bound outer lane and is for subsurface exploration utiliz-ing a truck-mounted drill rig along E. Warlow Drive.

Badger AvenueWork related to the Madison Pipeline project will take

place on Badger Avenue from Monday, October 17th through Friday, October 21st. The work on Badger Av-enue will take place in the area north of Collins Road and at the intersection with University Road. This work is for subsurface exploration utilizing a truck-mounted drill rig along E. Warlow Drive.

Flying Circle Drive (lane closure)Flying Circle Drive from T-7 to Jack Plane Lane will have

a single lane closure from Monday, October 17th through Tuesday, October 18th while crews perform work related to the Flying Circle Sewer and Water Improvement Proj-ect.

Wilderness Drive, Granite Court & Foxhill AvenueThese three streets will be under construction from Fri-

day, September 30th through Saturday, October 29th for asphalt milling, asphalt pavement repair, asphalt overlay, waterline installation and subgrade prep. This work is for the City of Gillette’s Pavement Management Schedule A work and is funded by the Optional 1% Sales Tax.

Hitt BoulevardHitt Boulevard will be closed to through traffi c from

Swanson Road to Oil Field Lane with access to Oilfi eld Lane from the north starting October 3rd through Octo-ber 6th. Beginning on October 6th, Hitt Boulevard from Oilfi eld Lane to Raymond Street will be closed to through traffi c through approximately Friday, October 14th for the installation of a new sewer main.

East 2nd StreetEast 2nd Street from Conestoga Drive to the Cul-de-Sac

below Rocky Mountain Cummins and R.S.C. (in Industrial Park) will be under construction to replace damaged con-crete panels in the road from Thursday, September 15th through Saturday, October 15th.

Arrowhead DriveArrowhead Drive will be under construction from Satur-

day, September 17th through Friday, October 21st. Work on Arrowhead Dr. will include asphalt milling, asphalt pavement repair, overlay, concrete sidewalk and sub-grade prep. This work is part of the City of Gillette’s 2011 Pavement Management Schedule A is funded by the Op-tional 1% Sales Tax.

Fitch DriveFitch Drive will be under construction - sections of which

will be temporarily closed at various times throughout the construction process - from Saturday, September 17th through Friday, October 21st. Work will include asphalt milling, asphalt pavement repair, concrete sidewalk and subgrade prep. This work is part of the City of Gillette’s 2011 Pavement Management Schedule A and is funded by the Optional 1% Sales Tax.

Harder DriveHarder Drive will be under construction from Saturday,

September 17th through Friday, October 21st. Sections of Harder Drive will be temporarily closed at various times throughout the construction process. This construction work is part of the City of Gillette’s 2011 Pavement Man-agement Schedule A and is funded by the Optional 1% Sales Tax.

Enzi Drive Widening ProjectEnzi Drive construction is not complete, but the new

lanes are presently open. The traffi c signals at the Enzi Drive/Shoshone Avenue intersection are now working - please drive accordingly. There will be lane restrictions in both directions as crews continue completion of the proj-ect. Please observe and obey speed limits and construc-tion signage in the area. The Enzi Drive Widening Project is funded by the Optional 1% Sales Tax.

Alley Closures - Saunders Alley will be closed from Tuesday, Septem-

ber 6th through Friday, October 11th while crews replace the asphalt surfacing with concrete. This project is part of the City’s 2011 Alley Pavement Management Schedule.

Road Construction

Updates

Make plans to hear children’s au-thor Jack Gantos speak at Campbell County Public Library October 13 at 7:00 p.m. in the library’s Wyoming Room.

From Mr. Gantos’ website: “Jack Gantos has written books for people of all ages, from picture books and middle-grade fi ction to novels for young adults and adults. His works include Hole in My Life, a memoir that won the Michael L. Printz and Robert F. Sibert honors; Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key, a National Book Award Finalist, and Joey Pigza Loses Control, a Newbery Honor book.

Jack was born in Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, and grew up in the nearby town of Norvelt. He remem-bers playing a lot of “pass the chalk” in Mrs. Neiderheizer’s class in fi rst grade. He was in the Bluebird read-ing group, which he later found out, was for the slow readers. To this day he would rather be called a Bluebird than a slow reader. His favorite game at that time was playing his clothes were on fi re and rolling down a hill to save himself.

When he was seven, his family moved to Barbados. He attended Brit-ish schools, where there was much emphasis on reading and writing. Students were friendly but fi ercely competitive, and the teachers made learning a lot of fun. By fi fth grade he had managed to learn 90 percent of what he knows to this very day.

When the family moved to south Florida, he found his new classmates uninterested in their studies, and his

teachers spent most of their time dis-ciplining students. Jack retreated to an abandoned bookmobile (three fl at tires and empty of books) parked out behind the sandy ball fi eld, and read for most of the day. His greatest wish

in life is to replace trailer parks with bookmobile parks, which he thinks will eliminate most of the targets for tornadoes and educate an entire gen-eration of great kids who now go to schools that are underfunded and substandard.

The seeds for Jack’s writing career were planted in sixth grade, when he read his sister’s diary and decided he could write better than she could. He begged his mother for a diary and began to collect anecdotes he over-heard at school, mostly from stand-ing outside the teachers’ lounge and listening to their lunchtime conversa-tions. Later, he incorporated many of these anecdotes into stories.

While in college, he and an illustra-tor friend, Nicole Rubel, began work-ing on picture books. After a series of well-deserved rejections, they pub-lished their fi rst book, Rotten Ralph, in 1976. It was a success and the be-ginning of Jack’s career as a profes-sional writer. Jack continued to write children’s books and began to teach courses in children’s book writing and children’s literature. He developed the master’s degree program in chil-dren’s book writing at Emerson Col-lege and the Vermont College M.F.A. program for children’s book writers. He now devotes his time to writing books and educational speaking.

Mr. Gantos is known nationally for his educational creative writing and literature presentations to students and teachers. He is a frequent con-ference speaker, university lecturer, and in-service provider.”

Books will be available for sale and autographing following the presen-tation. This event is sponsored by Campbell County Public Library and a Campbell County Community Pub-lic Recreation District Grant.

Award-Winning Children’s Author to speak at Campbell County Public Library

Children’s Author Jack Gantos will speak at Camp-bell County Public Library on Thursday.

Where is this picture taken?Answer from last week

Fountain outside the new County Recreational Center.

6

Community

Last Wednesday, October 5th, the Cam-plex Heritage Center hosted a performance that was a Celtic music lover’s dream come true. Craicmore bills themselves as a contemporary traditional Celtic music group. But to this concertgoer’s ears they hit a home run on the traditional side of the scale.

Formed in 1992, the Los Angeles based Craicmore features the vocals of acclaimed contralto Nancy John-ston, who has the dubious distinction of possibly being the only person to fall asleep at a Jimi Hendrix concert. Nancy was fl awless negotiating the rapid fi re lyrics to a traditional Gaelic tune, backed up by John MacAdams. Other band members also helped out with supporting vocals on various songs and they also shone in their

various musical talents too. John MacAdams, guitarist, demonstrated his mastery of the digeridoo, home-made from PVC pipe no less. While Sean FayCullen, on bass, provided eerie background effects for Dave Champagne’s fl ute solo with the aid of a bow. Nancy also showed her ac-complishments on the bodhran.

While we were not able to see “Dave’s Magical Flute” during their evening performance, something the area sixth graders were treated to earlier in the day, we were impressed with Dave’s mastery of several instru-ments including fl utes, the penny whistle, and two different styles of bagpipes.

The rest of the evening was fi lled with the blend of traditional and contemporary Celtic music that most

fans recognize. This included some instruction on how to tell the differ-ence between a “jig” and a “reel”. Quite handy information to have the next time you want to dance one. There was plenty of toe-tapping mu-sic throughout the performance.

Craicmore spent time during the week before their performance with workshops for the kids at Wagon Wheel Elementary and the area home school and virtual school stu-dents. They also performed for the residents of Pioneer Manor and the Senior Center. Praise is due to Cam-plex theatre director, Jamie Gilmore, for inviting Craicmore back to town. I think there were a lot of people last week that were very happy that she did. I hope it is not too long before they get invited back again!

Craicmore PerformanceBy Cathy Raney

Where is this picture taken? Find out in next week’s

Campbell County Observer

Who’s Brand is this in

Campbell County?

Answer from last week

Seth or Bill Pownall

When deputies with the Campbell County Sher-iff’s Offi ce responded to a complaint that someone had dumped trash on their property, they could not have known at the time that an evidence tag from an old investigation would lead them straight to the alleged offender.

According to Campbell County Undersheriff, Scott Matheny, when deputies arrived on the scene at Ed-ward’s Ranch, they found someone dumped a mat-tress, clothing, a television, a love seat, and a box that contained an evidence tag.

A deputy on the scene recognized the name of the suspect listed on the evi-dence tag and he knew that suspect was still incarcerat-ed. Therefore, deputies fo-cused their attention to the female’s name listed as the victim on the evidence tag.

Surely enough, deputies found a couch on that fe-male’s porch that matched the love seat at the dump site.

“We advised that she needs to go and clean out that site by October 10 to avoid a citation for littering,” Matheny said.

Woman doesn’t cover up tracks when dumping

her old furniture

Davenport, Iowa. Local Campbell County residents drove there last week to see one person. This person was CW2 Michael Torsney, United States Army. CW2 Torsney, an Iowa National Guard warrant offi cer, had invited his parents out to present them with a fl ag that was fl own in Chad and Suzi Ekberg’s honor with pride at Bagram Airfi eld in Afghanistan on July 15th, 2011.

“It choked me up,” said Mr. Chad Ekburg, owner of Swede’s specialties. “It still does. We are very proud of him, and even happier that he is home safe.”

The certifi cate was for the never ending support that Chad and Suzi has given CW2 Torsney during his 20 years in the guard and through his time of deployment.

Certifi cate‘Let it be known that this fl ag of the United States of

America was fl own with pride at Bagram Airfi eld, Afghani-stan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, while continuing our effort to protect the population, connect the people to the government and affect sustainable de-velopment to improve the lives of the Afghan population.’

Flown in Honor of Chad and Suzi Ekberg15 July 2011For your never ending support, Thank youSigned by CW2 Michael TorsneyVerifi ed by MAJ Jonathan L. Borg

Local couple receive fl ag fl own at Bagram Airfi eld

Monday night was the Phase II update of the Storm Water Waste Man-agement Program pre-sented by John Griffi th of the URS Corporation and Dustin Hamilton, Director of Engineering and Devel-opmental Services.

The system is outdated, not having been updated since 1978. This plan for improvement will progress the water quality in Gil-lette’s surface water. In an email from City of Gillette

public information offi cer Joe Lunne, he says the total cost of the improve-ments would be approxi-mately $68.6 million, and it would take several years to construct if the city builds everything in the plan.

Lunne adds that if the plan is approved and im-plemented, money may be available from the State of Wyoming and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to assist with the project’s costs.

Storm WaterManagement

It’s been almost a year since the City of Gillette purchased 320 acres of land from the State of Wyoming for the Field of Dreams project.

The purpose of the land, which is located east of the Country Club Golf Course near Garner Lake and Box-elder, is to develop it along recreational lines.

“That can include base-ball fi elds, football fi elds, athletic fi elds, potentially some golf course land, some pathways, just a va-riety of things that are being considered for this piece of property,” explains City of Gillette administrator Carter Napier.

According to Napier, the precise plans for the land remain a long way from be-ing fi nalized.

“I’m quite certain that we will look to expand our cur-rent athletic fi eld inventory along the lines of baseball and softball and probably football,” says Napier. “I’m quite certain there will be pathways and those kinds of things built in to the de-sign that we will be doing for this project.”

On the subject of design, Napier says that is when plans will really begin to take shape. Due to the pre-liminary nature of planning for the grounds, no designs have been submitted yet. Nevertheless, at the Octo-ber 17 Gillette City Council meeting, a big step forward could be taken in that direc-tion.

“On the seventeenth we hope to award a contract to a master plan designer for the Field of Dreams – Bruce Dees and Associates out of Tacoma, Washington,” Na-pier says.

The tentative contract with Bruce Dees and Asso-ciates is for $238,000.

If that designer is ap-proved, then offi cial de-signs can begin to quickly take shape. Napier says he anticipates a phased devel-opment of the project to be recommended.

“The master plan will rec-ommend sort of a phased development, and so there will be things built each year from now on as the budget allows,” Napier says. “We anticipate the design to be completed within the next seven months, and so it’s certainly feasible that the fi rst things that the master plan recommends could be undertaken as early as next

summer.”What will eventually be-

come the completed Field of Dreams projects, Napier adds, will certainly not have to be limited to just needs determined by the city. Rather, he says they have always had a strong rela-tionship with the county and the school district.

“We really do hope to generate some partner-ships that would help in terms of the development of the fi eld, particularly if there are interests from some of our stakeholders here in the community for facilities that they would prefer to see constructed,” he says.

Napier describes that some task force meetings on the Field of Dreams proj-ect have taken place over the last few months. Dur-ing those meetings, he says representatives from the Campbell County School District were present.

Napier says that a small portion of the groundwork discussion on design fo-cuses on whether or not Campbell County may need an additional football fi eld in the future.

“There’s been quite a bit of brainstorming that has taken place as a part of those meetings, and cer-tainly the school district has mentioned – again on a very preliminary basis as a part of the wish list that ex-ists out there from a lot of people in this community – that having a neutral fi eld site for the oncoming new high school in the commu-nity as well as our current high school as a possibil-ity for the Field of Dreams,” Napier says.

Campbell County School District activities director Cliff Hill agreed with Na-pier’s assessment that the school district and the City of Gillette have always worked well on projects. Hill cited the new Recreation Center as an example of those collaborative efforts.

As well, Hill concurs that a discussion about the pos-sible need for a new football fi eld in the future took place in a preliminary setting.

“What we do know is that our board has passed that south campus will be a ju-nior high in the near future,” describes Hill. “But when that turns in to a junior high, we will have to have a sec-ond high school. And the state facilities commission is very hesitant to fund and

Field of Dreams may soon take shapeBy Paul Wallem - Basin Radio News

Photo by Paul WallemCity of Gillette Administrator Carter

Napier says the City Council will vote to award a contract on Oct. 17 to a designer for the Field of Dreams.

pay for athletic venues.”When looking at the op-

tions, Hill says, a com-mon football fi eld that sits on a neutral site may be a good fi t for the needs of Campbell County because elementary schools, high schools, and junior high schools could use the fi eld on a rotating basis.

“We will look at the cost effectiveness for the district maintaining one site versus maintaining two competi-tive sites,” Hill says.

Hill mentions Wyoming’s weather, and added that an enclosed facility could be benefi cial but it’s not their only option.

“When you are looking at a new site, you want to make it a site that can be utilized year round,” says Hill. “And one way of do-ing that – it’s not that it’s been passed or even been voted on – it’s just look-ing at the possibilities of a stadium that would be able to be covered and there’s activities that go on during the winter. It’s an option, but again, what’s been ap-proved and what’s going to be funded is a long ways off. But in the conversa-tions we need to look at our opportunities and what we might possibly build there.”

Hill notes that any deci-sions will come from the school board years down the road. Likewise, there is no a guarantee that the future Field of Dreams will have a football fi eld.

“It may even be the point that they look at it and de-

cide to upgrade north and make brand new facilities at the new high school, and that’s a decision the school board at the time will have to make,” concludes Hill. “But right now we’re looking at a neutral site.”

Before any sports fanat-ics in the area allow their imaginations run away with themselves, Napier empha-ses that until a design fi rm is approved, the key word when it comes to discuss-ing plans for the Field of Dreams is ‘preliminary’.

“At this point outside of the development of the master plan, everything that has been discussed at all has been on a very preliminary wish list basis, and certainly if those things are going to come to pass there’s going to be a lot of work that’s required to make those things come to fruition,” Napier says.

7

Public Pulse

Governor Matt Mead continues to push for better access to the internet in Wyo-ming, noting it is needed for businesses, education and health care. But, while ac-cess is important, Governor Mead also views cyber security as vital to protect the privacy of state residents.

“I am proud to sign a proclamation mak-ing October Cyber Security Awareness Month,” Governor Mead said. “Internet ac-cess is integral in our lives now and it is a great equalizer, opening up Wyoming com-munities to almost any business, creating opportunities for our students they would not otherwise have, and providing options for our citizens seeking health care treat-ment in remote locations. Still, we have to protect ourselves when we are online.”

Governor Mead points out that internet users and our information infrastructure face increasing threats. These include ma-licious attacks by viruses and the loss of privacy from spyware and adware. Each year there are significant financial and personal privacy losses due to identify theft and fraud. Each person who uses the internet can play an important role in

securing cyberspace by increasing his or her awareness about computer security. Awareness of computer security essentials will improve the security of Wyoming’s in-formation infrastructure and economy.

The Governor’s proclamation came in conjunction with similar declarations from the U.S. Department of Homeland Secu-rity, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) and the National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA).

The MS-ISAC was established in January 2003 to provide a collaborative mechanism to help states and local governments en-hance cyber security. Wyoming’s Depart-ment of Homeland Security and the Office of the Chief Information Officer provide a comprehensive approach to help enhance the security of this State. In addition, there are national organizations, such as NCSA, government agencies, private sector com-panies, and non-profit entities helping con-sumers, businesses, educational leaders, and youth protect themselves online.

To learn more about Cyber Security Awareness in Wyoming, please visit http://www.wyoming.gov/cybersecurity.aspx.

Governor Mead urges Wyoming internet users

to Stay Safe

Wyoming Attorney General Greg Phillips says the Legislature must decide whether all 30 state senators should seek re-elec-tion in 2012.

Phillips’ opinion came Monday but wasn’t made public until Tuesday.

An interim legislative committee has

held meetings around the state this sum-mer to develop new districts in response to population changes documented in the 2010 census. The committee will present its redistricting recommendations to the Legislature early next year.

All Wyoming state senators may face 2012 election

Weekly Trivia Answer from Last Week

What is written on Thomas Jefferson’s tombstone?In Thomas Jefferson’s own words (his instructions)Thomas Jefferson’s design of his headstone could the dead feel any inter-

est in Monuments or other remembrances of them, when, as Anacreon says:My soul to festive feelings true;One pang of envy never knew;And little has it learn’d to dreadThe gall that Envy’s tongue can shed.the following would be to my Manes the most gratifying.On the grave, a plain die or cube of 3.f without any mouldings, surmounted

by an Obelisk of 6.f height, each of a single stone.On the faces of the Obelisk the following inscription, & not a word moreHere was buried Thomas JeffersonAuthor of the Declaration of American Independenceof the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom& Father of the University of Virginia.because by these, as testimonials that I have lived, I wish most to be re-

membered. to be of the coarse stone of which my columns are made, that no one might be tempted hereafter to destroy it for the value of the materials. My bust by Ciracchi, with the pedestal and truncated column on which it stands, might be given to the University if they would place it in the dome room of the Rotunda. on the Die of the Obelisk might be engraved

Born Apr. 2. 1743. O.S.Died _______

Monday, October 17-City Council Pre-Meeting, 6-7 p.m., 3rd

Floor Conference Room, City Hall-City Council Meeting, 7 p.m., Council

Chambers, City Hall

Tuesday, October 18-Campbell County Economic Development

Corporation Board, 7 a.m., CCEDC Board Room

-Planning Commission Meeting, 7 p.m., Council Chambers, City Hall

Wednesday, October 19-Public Works & Utilities Advisory Commit-

tee, 5:30 p.m., Engineering Conference Room, 2nd Floor

City Hall-Campbell County Joint Powers Fire

Board, 6 p.m., Fire Dept. Community Room, Station 1

What’s Going On In Government?

I remember the first time I heard the Merle Haggard country song “Okie from Muskogee.” I was just a kid. Back then I thought what a “hokey” song. Still, even as a kid, I understood that the song would resonate with the country folk who had something to say to the Hippies of that time. Even though, at that age, I had never heard the word “resonate,“ I understood what Merle was try-ing to do when he wrote and recorded that song.

Fast forward to October 2011 and I’ve spent the past month watching, with disgust, the Oc-cupy Wall Street (OWS) movement, and thinking that these kids are no different than the hippie movement from back in the late sixties and early seventies.

Here again, we have spoiled rotten stoners, most of whom have never had to hold a job because their parents have provided everything for them, holding up signs, laced with profanity, claiming that they represent the 99%. By that they mean that the 1% of the wealthiest in America have all the power and clout in Washington and the rest of us are victims. In their ignorance of what money and wealth is (those are two different things), they show that their college professors have made buffoons out of them.

I let out a long sigh when I saw the now famous photograph of the OWS protester defecating on the New York City Police car. Then there are the calls against Capitalism, and for Socialism, over the very computers and telephones that Capital-ism has provided for them. They have trashed the park they occupy and vandalized without regard for private property.

This mob represents 99% of America? 99%? Really?

Sorry kids but you can’t possibly be talking to me. I don’t waste my time watching Jersey Shore. I’m not even sure what that show is supposed to be about. I will not make time in my day to figure out how to play an expensive, waste of my life, video games. I prefer learning, working, and producing. I am not an escapist. I prefer living in the real world. Oh, and everything I have, I have earned. Mommy and Daddy are not around to hand me toys, feed me, and shelter me. I have to do it myself. Hell, I‘m proud to do it myself. I don‘t expect and don‘t want anything from anyone if I have not earned it.

Suddenly that old tune that I have not heard since I was a kid came back to my head and I jotted down a few of the more important lines in the song:

We like livin’ right, and bein’ free.We still wave Old Glory down at the courthouse,We don’t make a party out of lovin’;Leather boots are still in style if a man needs

footwear;

Beads and Roman sandals won’t be seen.Football’s still the roughest thing on campus,And the kids here still respect the college dean. About that last line - that was back in the day

when the college dean was not a communist. But I digress.

Honestly though, I am not suggesting that we shut these kids down. They should only be stopped, and/or arrested, when they have com-mitted a crime. Other than that, let them occupy, let them speak. This is their chance to impress us. This is their chance to prove to America that their way is, in fact, a better way.

How do you think they are doing so far? Are you impressed?

America is a nation of ideas. Our founding fathers fought a revolution over an idea. We build a nation based on an idea. We have maintained an open forum where speech is protected so that new ideas can be expressed, tested, and only the best of those ideas will rise to the top and survive.

These kids have come together thinking, as most kids do, that they know it all and that their ideas are the best. What do the older generations know? So, I say, let them speak. Let them test their ideas. Let them find out for themselves what does and what does not work.

What we have here is one of the best teachable moments for our youth that has come along in decades. We should take advantage of it.

You kids want our respect? You are going to have to earn it, and so far you’re are doing a lousy job.

You want out attention? You’ll have to actu-ally have something intelligent to say. So far, I’m marking that up as a fail, as well.

You want to accomplish something? Go ahead and accomplish it. But, you see, that takes hard work and so far none of you have demonstrated that you know what that is.

Oh, and your ideas have to actually work in the real world, not just on paper. Sorry but there is this little thing called reality. Reality kinda sucks sometimes, but there you have it. You can’t get around it.

The last time something like this happened, back when Ole’ Merle was singing his song, it was the 1960s. We had four years of demonstra-tions like this led up to 1968 and Nixon/Wallace won with 57 percent of the vote — the nation rejected the demonstrators, and conservatives went on to win five of the next six presidential elections.

Keep it up kids. I’m thinking you are just what America needs to see right about now. This next election should be a conservative landslide - all across America, not just ‘In Muskogee, Okla-homa, USA ‘

Hokey Okie from Muskogee

By Glenn Woods

Bold Republic Weekly

To listen to Glenn Woods morning radio show tune in to 1270am KIML Gillette

Monday through Friday from 6 - 10 a.m.

It’s happening again.The beloved-by-many Tigers,

the team that you love to suffer with as they fall short year after year, the team that teases you into a pennant race then freefalls out of contention in September, the team that despite struggling through lean years and seem-ingly eons of mediocrity, on occasion rises like the Phoenix out of its ashes and produces a team that is stunningly beautiful in its makeup and performance. A team that seems to go out there and win in such a variety of ways that the season becomes a lengthy lesson on the nuances of the game.

That wonderful combination of a few consistently potent bats relied upon to carry the load offensively and an exemplary supporting cast that produces a different hero each night. A staff that not only possesses the guy whose picture is in the diction-ary under the word ‘Ace’ but a quadrant of starters who are good more often than not and those middle relievers who can hold down a hot opponent when the starters been rocked or mop up a game when necessary. Then of course, the set-up guy and the closer. A contrasting set of personalities who can bring you home better than any duo in the game right now. With surgical precision the unassuming set-up guy gets you to the door and the closer, a chock full of fun enigma whose intensity shatters any at-tempt at composure or baseball decorum when he meets with success, slams it shut.

Then there’s the skipper. The guy who holds some of the most interesting post game press con-ferences to be found unless you count the profanity-laden tirades of Chicago’s guy where there’s more beeping than bantering. I’ve always been intrigued by those who question our guy’s decision making skills as they watch from their television or the sidelines. Even if you’ve coached and should know better, there’s a way folks have of being critical of the guy in charge as if they know something he doesn’t. Most that have been in those leadership roles recognize the fans have no clue about what goes into every aspect of every player in every situation in every game. You go with what you believe will be successful based on having more information about your team than

anyone else has. The other piece of this is that the baseball season is like a marathon not a dash. As another wizened old manager once said, “You’re gonna lose 50 games and you’re gonna win 50 games. It’s the other 62 that matter.” Our guy has been an absolute wizard this season nurs-ing this team into the well-oiled machine it has become lately.

There was absolute magic in ’68. In ’71 they got to the playoffs falling short of the Series to the dominant Oakland A’s. In’84 they took the throne in April and sim-ply powered their way to the title. ’87 saw a miraculous comeback in the final week followed by get-ting spanked by an upstart Twins team in the playoffs then in ‘06 the two decade drought ended when they held on to get into the playoffs as a wild card then barged into the Series before los-ing to the old nemesis Cardinals.

That’s 5 times reaching the playoffs in 43 years. Less fre-quent than senatorial elections or even 7-year locusts. Heck we’ve had 9 presidents during that span and just 5 playoffs. Not what I’d call an even trade though each playoff was infinitely more fun than any of the presidents.

So here’s my point (yes ever so often I have one); Last time this happened I spoke of the people who had jumped on the bandwagon during the run in ’06. I encouraged it then and I’m en-couraging it now. Climb aboard. Do it now. Get in line with the rest of us and be prepared to watch baseball when it’s most fun and that’s when your favorite team is winning. This is the kind of thing that doesn’t happen very often anywhere but seems particularly rare around these parts so it’s important to embrace it, drink it in and savor every moment. These are, after all, Our Tigers and win or lose come playoff time; they’ve at least gotten there which is, as any Tiger fan knows, a huge, huge part of the battle.

Baseball in October is a magi-cal journey for fans and if you love the Tigs you never know when you’re going to get to Disneyland again so it might be sagacious of you to enjoy the trip.

Go Tig’s.“There are three things in my

life which I really love: God, my family, and baseball. The only problem - once baseball season starts, I change the order around a bit. “-Al Gallagher, 1971

About Nothing

By Ken DeLaat

8

Public Pulse

State governments are looking high and low for more ways to take your money. One way that pops up every few years is a tax on Internet retail sales. State governments are trying to justify this tax grab by pointing to the need for more tax revenue to pay off state budget defi cits and the notion that hard-pressed Main Street busi-nesses cannot escape the sales tax so taxing Internet sales would level the playing fi eld. However, state gov-ernments have a spending problem, not a revenue problem. An Internet sales tax will not help reduce a state’s budget defi cit and if governments re-ally cared about Main Street retailers, they would reduce their tax burden instead of adding a tax to innovation.

Every state has a different, and sometimes complex, sales tax regime so in 1992 the Supreme Court ruled (Quill Corporation v. North Dakota) Internet and catalog retailers should not have to collect state sales taxes unless they had a physical presence in the buyer’s state.

But politicians just do not like to see capitalist acts between consenting in-dividuals go unpunished, so Senator Richard Durbin (D-Ill) sponsored the Main Street Fairness Act in August 2011. This Act would allow states who agree to simplify their sales tax re-gimes to collect sales taxes from out-of-state retailers. This means higher costs for the people of Wyoming. But there is something people can do to stop it. Wyoming’s own Senator Enzi (R-Wyo) supports the principles of this Act so he must come to under-

stand why it is a mistake. When looked at closely, the justifi -

cations for this Act do not stand up to scrutiny. State governments will not reduce their budget defi cits by strip-ping yet more money out of the pock-ets of hardworking people who want the convenience of buying over the Internet.

According to a 2009 University of Tennessee study, that 1992 Su-preme Court ruling left $7.7 billion of unpaid sales taxes in the pockets of Internet buyers and out of the hands of politicians in 2008. Meanwhile, ac-cording to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the total state defi cit forecast for 2012 is $103 billion in 42 states. Assuming the level of Internet sales remained the same after the tax is added to the price of a product, an additional $7.7 billion per year would do little to chip away at the state’s budget defi cits.

In fact, if we take a look at what is happening in Illinois, home of the Act’s sponsor, Senator Durbin, we will see the real cause of the budget defi -cit. After admirably cutting spending from $50.3 billion in 2004 to $40.7 bil-lion in 2005, state spending ballooned to $47.4 billion 2010. This helped give Illinois a staggering $6.3 billion defi -cit that year. Higher taxes will not fi x Illinois’ budget defi cit because state legislators have a spending problem, not a revenue problem.

The tax grab is only one justifi ca-tion behind the act. The other involves a backwards attempt to help Main Street businesses by raising costs to

Internet retailers. However, forcing Internet retailers

to be state tax collectors, like retail-ers on Main Street, just means even more businesses are hit with higher costs. For example, in the Canadian province of British Columbia, the provincial government paid retailers a commission of $200 per month to collect the provincial sales tax on the governments’ behalf in a token recog-nition that forcing businesses to act as tax collectors costs money.

Tax compliance is even more costly. A 2006 PriceWaterhouseCoopers re-port showed compliance costs small retailers about 17 cents for every dol-lar of sales.

Instead of adding costs to Internet retailers, a forward approach would be to lower costs to Main Street re-tailers.

State governments have a spending problem, not a revenue problem, and burdening Internet retailers with an additional tax is unlikely to do much about the budget defi cits of spend-thrift states. What it will do, however, is burden innovative sellers with ad-ditional costs that will be passed on to consumers. Instead of expanding the dead hand of government into In-ternet retail sales, make the system less costly and burdensome for Main Street, and leave money in the pock-ets of the people who can spend it the wisest – the people who earned it.

For more information, please con-tact: Maureen Bader, Columnist, Wyo-ming Liberty Group at 307-632-7020.

Internet Sales Tax Grab to create bigger burden on business

By Maureen Bader, Columnist,Wyoming Liberty Group

Dear Editor: Wow, a great domed stadium for our fi eld of dreams.

This is just what Gillette needs. Why don’t we build a dome over all the baseball fi elds and the golf courses too? This town has gone completely out of control. With all these liberal ideas coming from the city and the school district regarding how taxpayers’ money is spent, it is a wonder why they are even in offi ce. With their mindset, they would be much more comfortable in D.C.

Sue Cartwright

From Editor Nicholas De Laat: It’s amazing how many letters we get on local spending, and in many cases, they are right. You are missing one thing though, if you don’t like this proposal you can do something about it. The meeting agendas are posted on the website for the City of Gillette. Go to the meetings where they are talking about this subject, and fi ght it. Never expect any government to make the right decisions every time, and never expect people to fi ght for you. You are smart enough and obviously care enough. I believe that you can make a difference.

Dear Editor:We need to vote Obama out of offi ce. Hank Williams

Jr. was right, he is a NAZI, and is acting just like Hitler. We cannot have another four years of this hard core socialism or America will die. VOTE THE NEW HITLER OUT.

Unanimous

From Publisher Candice De Laat: I am completely insulted by you comparing President Obama to a NAZI and to Hitler. As I am sure you know, I am black, and there for fi nd it very insulting reading that comparison. Now, I can’t stand President Obama’s policies also. I agree with you that we cannot keep on this socialist track for another four years. More welfare and Fed/State funded programs are not the answer. Taxing the already straining private industry, workers or owners, to pay for more government jobs is also not the answer. You are right, it will ruin us. But you need to think logical. President Obama, even though he is wrong, believes he is doing what is best for the country. He is not trying to create racial cleansing. He is not building concentration camps.

You would have had a good letter if you wouldn’t have had that very dumb comparison. I do not like to insult people, but comparing our President, no matter how terrible his policies, to Hitler is not an insult to him, but an insult to the entire American public. It is also an insult to all who fought in WWII, including my Grandfather. No wonder you wrote in anonymous.

From Editor Nicholas De Laat: The Campbell County Observer normally does not print anonymous letters or articles. We printed this one for the sole purpose of showing how some people are thinking, even if they are too scared to write their name.

Dear Editor:I just got a complaint from the board in my neighbor-

hood and would like to write to the complaint. I live in Sleepy Hollow, and someone wrote a letter to the board saying that I have too many projects and they think that I should get rid of them because they don’t like it. These people wouldn’t sign the letter, which makes them cow-ards, so I will publicly respond.

If I am working on 2 vehicles in my driveway, I am not running a business. I am just not like most stupid people and go in debt to have a newer vehicle. I would rather put that interest money into savings instead of dishing it away to a bank. I buy old vehicles and fi x them to drive them.

Is my property your business? You probably live 4 blocks away but you want to control my property. I’ll tell you what, when you pay for my property, you can tell me what to do with it. Until then, but out. Also, if you have a problem, come talk to me fi rst. Oh, and one more thing. I am sure that you are receiving government money, and I am earning my living. I produce, you loot. You steal from me and then complain about how my property is run. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Eric Kaldbrook

From Editor Nicholas De Laat: I agree. It is your property and if you want to save money working on your older vehicles, you should be able to do it. Remember one thing however; you signed an agreement to follow the covenants of the neighborhood when you bought your house. Also remember that the quality of your house affects the value of your neighbors. There is a fi ne balance. Yes, it is your property and you should be able to do with it what you want, but only as long as it doesn’t affect your neighbor’s property value. All freedom works the same way. You have the freedom to do whatever you want, as long as it doesn’t infringe on someone else’s. Well, except all the victimless crimes, but that is another issue…

Via. Facebook:Is Ken coming back? Campbell County Chamber of Commerce

How is your delivery driver Ken?Rod Shertzer

Any updates on Ken your delivery driver?Stephen Goldling

From Editor Keary Speer:Thank you for your concern for our beloved co-worker.

Unfortunately, he was admitted back into the hospital and will be taking a trip to Minneapolis for a visit to the Mayo Clinic for further testing. He is, however, doing better and is expected to return to us in several weeks. Please continue to send your good thoughts and prayers his way as we would be lost without him!

Via. E-mailEditor: Congratulations on acquiring the Cowboy State

Free Press. If you perform with that paper the same way you did with the Campbell County Observer, you will make the State of Wyoming as proud as we in Campbell County are of you.

Cathy Millser

From Editor Keary Speer:Thank you so much for writing in with your positive

feedback! We are very excited to be taking on a new venture and hope that it is as well accepted as our paper has been. It just goes to show you that the combination of hard-work and loyal readers is a winning one! Please stay tuned to see how it all turns out.

Letters to the Editor

Wyoming legislators are consider-ing changes to open records laws to exempt some documents used in pol-icy decisions from public disclosure.

Another change would make a doc-ument private if it’s sent to only an in-dividual member of a governing body.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle re-ported Monday that the Wyoming As-sociation of Municipalities proposed the two changes over the objections of the Wyoming Press Association and others.

Mark Harris, legislative director for the Association of Municipalities, says the exemption for documents used in policy decision is necessary so offi -cials can get candid advice from their staffs.

Jim Angell, executive director of the Press Association, says the organiza-tion will fi ght the bill unless the two ex-emptions are removed.

The Legislature’s Joint Judiciary In-terim Committee will debate the pro-posals Thursday in Laramie.

The Campbell County Observer asked two of our Representatives in Campbell County what they thought of the bill. Here is their responses.

Campbell County Observer,I cannot speak for the other legisla-

tors, and won’t presume to do so. A government of the people only

functions well when the people have access to all of the information needed to run the government. As a general

proposition, that means all documents and information should be available to the public, and the public should be able to observe the meetings of a quo-rum of a governing body assembled to take action on behalf of the govern-mental body. There are some valid exceptions to that rule. Attorney/cli-ent privileged communications should not be made public. Doctor/patient communications should not be made public. Personnel matters should not be made public. Matters of litiga-tion strategy, where a person is suing the government, should not be pub-lic. National security information and public security information should not be made public, governmental test questions should not be made public, student disciplinary actions should not be made public, juvenile court records should not be made public, locations of real estate the government is ne-gotiating to purchase should not be made public if the knowledge of the purchase would cause an increase in price to the government. The name of sexual assault victims should not be made public. People donating money or property to the government should be allowed to have their names kept confi dential if they request it.

Rep. Wallis (Campbell County) has done a marvelous job in drafting legis-lation seeking governmental transpar-ency. Wyoming has one of the most transparent governments in the world as a result. Wyoming has struck a

good compromise between the inter-ests of the public in disclosure, and not hurting people with disclosure of confi dential materials.

Representative Tom Lubnau

To the Campbell County Observer,My opinion is that government

needs to be transparent and that gov-ernment records should be open for the news media and for our citizens to see. Tom’s answer lists all the way’s that personal privacy needs to be pro-tected and I agree with him. There is no reason for me to repeat all that. One very good example of the neces-sity to protect private records is a Vet-eran’s DD214 which is very often fi led with the County Clerk. If any citizen could see that instrument, you can imagine the harm that could be done to the Veteran with all the information that is on the DD214. I am traveling, but I will check my emails whenever possible if you have any further ques-tions.

Thanks,Representative Gregg Blikre

Let us know what you think. Write in letters to 5105 Tarry St. Gillette, WY 82718: Or e-mail them to letters@CampbellCountyObserver.com

The Campbell County observer urg-es you to contact your representative to see what you can do.

Proposal would keep some Wyoming documents secret

9

Sports Report

Photo submitted by Jody StumbaughThe Gillette Edge scored 30 bracket points and fi nished fi rst in the Girls U12 Silver

Bracket B. The team defeated SC Stingers (3-0), Colorado Storm Black (2-0) and Colo-rado United Red 6018 (1-0). Gillette lost the championship game (0-2) to Trebol Rebels.

“Self-praise is for losers. Be a winner. Stand for something.

Always have class, and be humble.”- John Madden

Where is this picture taken?Answer from last week

On the Corner of Hwy 59 and Fox Park Ave.

October 5, 2011- At 11:33 a.m. CCFD was

dispatched and cancelled en route to Longhorn Avenue for an EMS assist.

- At 12:45 p.m. to the area of the Breene Road and Hi-light Road intersection for a grass fi re. CCFD responded to the scene and upon arrival a small fi re burning in grass and sage brush was found. It was brought under con-trol within 5 minutes and the caused was not available at press time.

October 6, 2011

- At 2:38 pm to the 600 block of Tyler Ave for an EMS assist.

- At 3:33 pm to the 3800 block of South Douglas High-way for a carbon monoxide (CO) check of a business. CCFD personnel checked the business for CO and no elevated levels of CO were found.

- At 6:26 pm to Raymond St. for an EMS assist.

- At 7:56 pm to Primrose for an EMS Assist.

October 7, 2011 - At 1:52 AM to Bunny

Lane for an EMS Assist.- At 3:50 pm to the 2900

block of South Four J Road for a two vehicle accident with fl uid leakage.

October 8, 2011- At 1202 AM to Green Av-

enue for a medical assist.- At 8:39 AM to the 4400

block of University Road for a medical assist.

- At 5:15 PM to the 700 block of Larch Street for a medical assist.

- At 9:23 PM to the 2100 block of Evening Shadow Court for a medical assist.

October 9, 2011- At 12:29 AM to the 1000

block of Desert Hill Circle for a medical assist.

- At 2:00 AM to the 1000 block of Desert Hill Circle for a medical assist.

- At 7:42 AM to 4200 block of Quarter Horse Avenue to assist CCMH-EMS with gaining access to a patient. CCFD forced open a widow, entered the house, and un-locked the door so CCMH-EMS personnel could treat the patient.

- At 10:09 PM to the 3900 block of Ariel Avenue for an EMS assist.

October 10, 2011- At 1:52 AM to 201 New-

ton Road for an arcing electrical meter. CCFD re-sponded to the scene and upon arrival assisted GPD offi cers with establishing a safe area around the meter. CCFD stood-by until C.o.G.

Electrical Division workers arrived and took control of the scene.

- At 11:35 AM to 500 Long-mont for a neighbor report-ing smoke coming from a shed. CCFD arrived to fi nd the homeowner was barbe-cuing inside the shed – the grill was moved outside the shed.

- At 1:55 PM to the West Exchange of Interstate 90 (mile marker 124) for a one vehicle rollover accident.

- At 6:11 PM to the inter-section of South Douglas Highway and Boxelder Road for a vehicle versus a bicycle with one minor injury.

- At 6:34 PM to 2421 Lo-dahl Avenue for a smoke de-tector activation. Respond-ing fi re units were cancelled when the occupants called and stated it was a false alarm.

- At 8:09 PM to the 1900 block of West Warlow Drive for a medical assist.

October 11, 2011- At 8:44 AM to East 5th St.

for an EMS assist.- At 10:39 AM to West 6th

St. for an EMS assist.- At 11:44 AM to Antelope

Coal Mine for an EMS assist.- At 12:44 PM to Indepen-

dence for an EMS assist. - At 6:16 PM to Sagebrush

Ct. for an EMS assist.

Campbell Co. Fire Dept.

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The Third Annual Ghostly GallopThe ghostly gallop is a premier run/walk event in Campbell County fea-

turing a costume contest, a poker run/walk, and a race taking place Octo-ber 29th. Medals will be awarded to the top two male and female fi nish-ers in each age category. There will also be gift certifi cates to the best group costume, the best individual costume, and the best poker hands. All participants will receive a long sleeve t-shirt. The course will begin at Gillette College (main building). Registration is 8am-9am. Children 10 and under walk for free. GET YOUR COSTUMES READY!!

Weekly Trivia Question

What famous painting did Dolley Madison save from

the White House during the

Burning of Washington?

A. President jeffersonB. President AdamsC. President WashingtonD. President Madison

Look in next week’s paper for the answer

10

Sports Report

Yards / Meters200 Yard Freestyle 2:18.00/2:35.01 Shaya Schaedler Campbell County 1:59.91 Kelsey Ochsner Campbell County 2:01.04 Jade Ely Campbell County 2:02.55 Haley Hance Campbell County 2:05.02 Sage Riss Campbell County 2:10.39 Peytin Brisch Campbell County 2:10.57 Raleah Cisneros Campbell County 2:12.83 Casey Van Patten Campbell County 2:13.33 Allyson Rappleyea Campbell County 2:14.11 Shakira Dohse Campbell County 2:15.86 Karyssa Kimery Campbell County 2:16.97 Breanna Klamm Campbell County 2:17.57 Carly Fuller Campbell County m - 2:28.22 200 Yard Individual Medley 2:38.50/2:55.93 Kelsey Ochsner Campbell County 2:10.47 Shaya Schaedler Campbell County 2:11.61 Jade Ely Campbell County 2:19.43 Raleah Cisneros Campbell County 2:30.52 Haley Hance Campbell County 2:31.47 Brittany Van Auken Campbell County 2:31.68 Carly Fuller Campbell County 2:32.35 Casey Van Patten Campbell County 2:32.43 Peytin Brisch Campbell County 2:33.08 Shakira Dohse Campbell County 2:33.77 Averyonna Kimery Campbell County 2:35.91 Allyson Rappleyea Campbell County 2:36.24 Sage Riss Campbell County 2:37.13

50 Yard Freestyle :28.25/:31.49 Shaya Schaedler Campbell County 24.91 Kelsey Ochsner Campbell County 25.00 Haley Hance Campbell County 25.81 Carly Fuller Campbell County 26.39 Jade Ely Campbell County 26.64 Raleah Cisneros Campbell County 27.54 Shakira Dohse Campbell County 27.74 Sage Riss Campbell County 28.20Diving 165 / 265 Megan Volk Campbell County 11 - 290.85 Leah Williamson Campbell County 6 - 174.05 Haylie Mills Campbell County 6 - 217.55 Kelsey Lunberg Campbell County 6 - 220.10 Hannah Ostrem Campbell County 6 - 232.45 100 Yard Butterfly 1:14.50/1:22.83 Kelsey Ochsner Campbell County :58.53 Shaya Schaedler Campbell County 1:00.82 Jade Ely Campbell County 1:04.95 Casey Van Patten Campbell County 1:08.23 Sage Riss Campbell County 1:08.96 Haley Hance Campbell County 1:10.62 Shakira Dohse Campbell County 1:11.10 Averyonna Kimery Campbell County 1:12.27 Peytin Brisch Campbell County 1:13.11 Carly Fuller Campbell County 1:13.27

4A Girls 2011-2012 State Swimming Qualifiers

Photo by Clint BurtonRosemary Hopson competes in the 100m Breast Stroke at the

Gillette Invite.

Photo by Clint BurtonCarly Fuller finishes one of her heat races at the Gillette Invite

swim meet.

The State Championship Barrel races were at the Camplex this past weekend. Winners to be announced.

Friday, October 14-CCHS Girls Swim/Dive

Conference Meet @ Sheri-dan

-WJSH Football @ Moor-croft, 1 p.m.

-WJSH Volleyball @ Tongue River

-CCHS XC 4A East Re-gional @ Camplex Park, 2 p.m.

-CCHS Football(SO/V) @ Cheyenne South, 3 p.m.

-CCHS Volleyball(SO/JV/V) vs. Cheyenne Central, 4:30 p.m., North Campus

Saturday, October 15-State Marching Band

Competition, 10 a.m.- 8 p.m., Casper Event Center

-CCHS Volleyball(SO/JV/V) vs. Cheyenne East, 10 a.m.- 12 a.m., North Campus

-CCHS Football(JV) vs. Rapid City Stevens, 11 a.m., North Campus

-WJSH Football vs. Tongue River, 1 p.m.

Thursday, October 20-WJSH XC Dinner, 7-8:30

p.m., Wright Cafeteria

Friday, October 21-CCHS Volleyball(V) Re-

gional @ Cheyenne Central-WJSH Volleyball Regional

@ Sheridan-CCHS XC State Meet, 10

a.m., Douglas-CCHS Football(SO/V) vs.

Natrona, 3:30 p.m., North Campus

-WJSH Football vs. Burns, 7 p.m.

-CCHS Homecoming/Se-nior Night, North Campus

What’s Going On In Sports?

100 Yard Freestyle 1:02.80/1:09.83 Shaya Schaedler Campbell County :54.01 Kelsey Ochsner Campbell County :55.26 Haley Hance Campbell County :55.76 Jade Ely Campbell County :56.81 Carly Fuller Campbell County :57.35 Shakira Dohse Campbell County :59.95 Raleah Cisneros Campbell County 1:00.85 Casey Van Patten Campbell County 1:00.94 Sage Riss Campbell County 1:01.23 Peytin Brisch Campbell County 1:01.28 Brittany Van Auken Campbell County 1:02.48 500 Yard / 400 Meter Freestyle 6:20.00/5:32.46 Shaya Schaedler Campbell County 5:15.43 Kelsey Ochsner Campbell County 5:24.84 Jade Ely Campbell County 5:25.81 Haley Hance Campbell County 5:38.07 Peytin Brisch Campbell County 5:48.81 Shakira Dohse Campbell County 5:51.01 Raleah Cisneros Campbell County 5:56.63 Brittany Van Auken Campbell County 5:58.35 Sage Riss Campbell County 6:01.94 Casey Van Patten Campbell County 6:02.16 Carly Fuller Campbell County 6:02.52 Allyson Rappleyea Campbell County 6:02.89 Averyonna Kimery Campbell County 6:08.92 Karyssa Kimery Campbell County 6:16.87 100 Yard Backstroke 1:12.00/1:19.99 Shaya Schaedler Campbell County :57.37 Kelsey Ochsner Campbell County :59.94 Jade Ely Campbell County 1:06.23 Casey Van Patten Campbell County 1:07.41 Carly Fuller Campbell County 1:09.77 Haley Hance Campbell County 1:10.66 Karyssa Kimery Campbell County 1:10.66 Peytin Brisch Campbell County 1:11.03 100 Yard Breaststroke 1:20.00/1:28.96 Shaya Schaedler Campbell County 1:10.64 Kelsey Ochsner Campbell County 1:11.76 Jade Ely Campbell County 1:14.70 Raleah Cisneros Campbell County 1:17.89 Carly Fuller Campbell County 1:19.01 Allyson Rappleyea Campbell County 1:19.55

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11

Sports Report

The Gillette Lady Camel fast pitch soft-ball team went down to Casper this past weekend with one goal in mind, to win the 1st ever High School Club State Champi-onship and they did just that by sweeping through the competition including their 6-3 win over Rock Springs on Sunday to clinch the title.

The Gillette Camel Lady fast pitch soft-ball team started the club State Champi-onship Tournament Saturday morning in frigged 38 degree weather in Casper and Baileigh Olsen earned the win and Taylor Constable grabbed the save in their 10-2 win over Casper to advance to the semi-finals. Hannah Kienzle, Kendra Kaness, and Kylee Brown each blasted triples in the 1st inning to boost the Lady Camels to a commanding 5-0 lead. Kylee Brown’s sixth inning 2 run home run sealed the deal for the Lady Camels.

Gillette JV’s team opened their tourna-ment with a loss to Rock Springs and was ultimately eliminated by Casper on Sunday morning.

Then, in the semifinal game against Rock Springs, the Lady Camels fell behind early 4-0 after the first 2 innings, which was plagued by fielding errors by Gillette. Lady Camels Head Coach Jim West said “Starting the game behind 4-0, and leaving 4 girls on base, I was con-vinced if the girls stood together like they have learned to do all year, they could lift themselves out of this hole.”

That is exactly what they did as they went back to the basics and manufac-tured 2 runs in the second, and shut Rock Springs down for the last 4 innings with 4 consecutive 3 and out innings. Going into the top of the 6th, down 5-4, Baileigh Olson led off with a solo Home Run that

started a run of 3 consecutive runs as Taylor Constable and Hannah Kienzle also came across to score for Gillette giv-ing them their 1st lead of the game at 7-5 and that is the way it would finish.

Taylor Constable earned the win to help send the Lady Camels to the State Cham-pionship where they would ultimately have a rematch with Rock Springs after they took down Casper in an elimination game.

The Lady Camels were pumped going into the championship game as Coach West said, “They have worked their butts off for this moment. Most of these girls have been playing softball since January and they came from 3 different teams, with great coaching, to merge into a team that trusts in each other and who will bleed for each other. That is a champion-ship team.”

The ladies jumped out quick in the top of the 1st scoring 2 runs, with great bunts by Randi West and Hailey Hatzenbihler. West and Hatezenbihler would then score on RBI’s by Kendra Kaness and Kylee Brown and hold on for the State Title with a 6-3 win. Gillette also benefited from a tremendous pitching effort from Baileigh Olson in the championship game as she held Rock Springs to just 2 hits over 5 innings as she would pick up the win and Constable the save.

Coach West said, “Pivotal points in this games, Olson sitting down 19 of 21 bat-ters was huge, Lacey Gojkovic’s ability to do the splits when she stretches out on 1st, scoring so many key outs. Every girl on the team never gave up on each other that is why they are Wyoming’s first Club Fast Pitch High School State Champs!”

Gillette claims first ever high school club softball title

Submitted by Jim West

Photo submitted by Kim HatzenbihlerHailey Hatzenbihler reaches out to catch a strike during the State

Softball tournament.

Tryouts for 2012 season for the all of the Gillette American Legion Baseball teams will begin next week at Roughrider Stadium.

The JR Riders start things off next Monday and Tues-day, the Prep team will then go on Wednesday with the Roughriders and Rustlers try-ing out on Thursday.

All tryouts begin at 5:30 p.m. on the following days:

• Monday, October 17 - JR RIDERS Players born in 1998 or 1999. (Players born in 1999 have to be between Jan 1 and April 30)

• Tuesday, October 18 - JR

RIDERS Players born in 1998 or 1999 (Player born in 1999 have to be between Jan 1 and April 30)

• Wednesday, October 19 - PREP Players born in 1996 or 1997

• Thursday, October 20 5:30- RIDERS/RUSTLERS Players born in 1993, 1994, or 1995

Players need to bring cleats and tennis shoes, plus a $25 non-refundable tryout fee.

If you have any questions please call Riders Manager Nate Perleberg at 689-4542 or go to www.gilletteriders.com.

Tryouts for 2012 American

Legion Baseball

Photo by Nathan Kobielusz - Basin RadioDrake Kelley led the Roughriders in seven offensive categories this past year, including

10 homeruns, 91 RBI, and 25 doubles. His 12 triples broke the single season record.

Gillette CamelsDate Teams Games T ID 1 2 3 4 5 8/30/2011 Sheridan 23 23 25 28 26 N 131 Campbell County 25 25 15 26 15

9/9/2011 Cheyenne South 6 15 20 - - N 141 Campbell County ]25 25 25 - -

9/10/2011 Laramie 25 25 25 - - N 142 Campbell County 23 18 12 - -

9/16/2011 Campbell County - - - - - N 143 Cheyenne East - - - - - 9/17/2011 Campbell County - - - - - N 144 Cheyenne Central - - - - - 9/24/2011 Rock Springs 15 28 7 - - Y 673 Campbell County 25 26 15 - -

9/24/2011 Campbell County 25 26 15 - - Y 663 Rock Springs 15 28 7 - - 9/24/2011 Campbell County 25 26 15 - - Y 662 Rock Springs 15 28 7 - - 9/24/2011 Natrona 19 25 8 - - Y 657 Campbell County 25 21 15 - -

9/24/2011 Big Horn 25 14 15 - - Y 645 Campbell County 21 25 17 - -

9/27/2011 Campbell County 25 25 17 25 - N 136 Sheridan 20 16 25 20 -

10/7/2011 Campbell County - - - - - N 145 Cheyenne South - - - - -

10/8/2011 Campbell County 20 25 19 25 11 N 146 Laramie 25 18 25 17 15

10/14/2011 Cheyenne Central - - - - - N 147 Campbell County - - - - -

10/15/2011 Cheyenne East - - - - - N 148 Campbell County - - - - -

Wright PanthersDate Teams Games T ID 1 2 3 4 5 8/26/2011 Wright 27 25 - - - Y 519 Riverton 25 13 - - -

8/27/2011 Rock Springs 23 27 - - - Y 516 Wright 25 29 - - -

8/27/2011 Wright 25 25 - - - Y 515 Pinedale 11 15 - - -

8/27/2011 Wright 25 26 - - - Y 512 Cody 23 24 - - -

8/30/2011 Newcastle 9 18 14 - - N 239 Wright 25 25 25 - -

9/8/2011 Moorcroft 8 12 4 - - N 2 Wright 25 25 25 - -

9/10/2011 Sundance 8 28 - - - Y 591 Wright 25 30 - - - 9/12/2011 Midwest - - - - - N 240 Wright - - - - -

9/16/2011 Wright 20 21 22 - - N 201 Big Horn 25 25 25 - -

9/17/2011 Southeast 11 13 - - - Y 622 Wright 21 21 - - -

9/17/2011 Wright 21 21 - - - Y 633 Niobrara County 10 6 - - -

9/20/2011 Wright 25 25 23 25 - N 241 Sundance 18 22 25 12 -

9/23/2011 Tongue River 11 11 6 - - N 242 Wright 25 25 25 - -

9/27/2011 Wright 25 25 22 25 - N 191 Glenrock 23 20 25 21 -

9/30/2011 Big Horn 24 21 18 - - N 202 Wright 26 25 22 - -

10/4/2011 Sundance 21 15 21 - - N 244 Wright 25 25 25 - -

10/13/2011 Wright - - - - - N 10 Moorcroft - - - - -

10/14/2011 Wright - - - - - N 245 Tongue River - - - - -

Volleyball Stats

12

Sports Report

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Photo by Clint BurtonJammer Hir Majestie of the Roughneck Ritas fi ghts to get

by Blocker DANIMITE of the Derrick Darlings, Saturday night at the Rockpile Ice Rink.

The Roughneck Ritas of Gillette, Wyoming took on the Derrick Darlings of Billings, MT at the Rig Riots on October 8 at the Rockpile Ice Arena. Final Score was Roughneck Ritas (97), Derrick Darlings (219).

With names like BustHerBetti and TwinKILL Toes, Gillette’s very own roller derby team; The Powder River Rousta Bout It Betties took the track to test their abilities against the Billings’ Roller Derby Dames in a scrimmage that took Campbell County by storm.

Put on to test the progress of the Betties, and give surrounding teams a chance to test their new referees, skat-ers and offi cials said this event was a complete success.

After forming in March of 2011, The Betties committed their fi rst year to training, charity work and community service. Saturday’s scrimmage included hard hits, crazy uniforms, lots of eyeliner and a slough of lessons learned. Some girls have been on roller skates as little as 3 months and as a team they have come a long way. Considering that 6 months ago the majority of them had never seen a roller derby team let alone thought that they would be taking part in an offi cial scrimmage these women have set out to prove that roller derby is here to stay.

They have crazy clothes, funny names, fans of all ages and back-grounds, and typically look like a Motley Crew of tough women; however this mixture of laborers, offi ce personnel, public servants, teachers and stay at home moms are, at the end of the day, still concerned with two things, playing roller derby and making a positive differ-ence in their community.

As a continued commitment to their community they will focus on training and giving back for the next 6 months

until bout season starts back up in April of 2012, fulfi lling their 1 year commit-ment. Schedule will be released in late November. Each bout will have a charity that benefi ts from its proceeds, as well as monthly community service fund raisers and events put on by the Betties which 100% of the proceeds will go to the chosen charity for that month.

In the short time they have been a team the Betties have put on fund raisers for GARF, Women’s Resource Center and provided community service to Parks and Recreation. Saturdays’ Scrimmage welcomed the Austin Bow-man Foundation to raise money and GARF to spread the word for Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Roller derby is a sport intended to empower women, inspire camaraderie, give back to the community and get a great workout. Teams from all over the region showed up in force to contribute skaters, non-skating offi cials, referees and workers. Some drove up to 4 hours to show their support for their fellow team. These teams came from Billings, Helena, Casper, Spearfi sh and Rapid City. It is a counterculture that won’t be on the counter side for long.

With a support system in place of community businesses, fellow teams and most importantly families this sport is sure to take off in Gillette and provide years of entertainment to follow. The Betties ultimate goal is to provide a ju-nior league made available to boys and girls ages 5-17 hopefully in the next 2-3 years. Until then they hope to keep the hard hits coming and the entertainment fl owing.

They will be holding practice every Monday and Wednesday at Razor City Skateland from 7pm-9pm. Practices are open to the public for anyone interested in joining or helping out.

Roller Derby takes Campbell County by storm

By Alexandria “Beefcake Bettee” Chiesa

In a game that seemed like it was going to be a blowout with Cheyenne Central leading 27-0 at half, the Gillette Camels mount-ed a valiant comeback in the second half only to fall short 41-33 at Riske Field in Cheyenne.

The Camels didn’t get on the board until they scored on their opening drive of the second half, when Tay-lor Bigelow caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Kade Wasson to cap a 7:37 drive, which started at the Camels’ 20-yard line.

After spotting the Indians a nearly four touchdown lead, the Camels would get as close as seven points early in the fourth quarter when Stephen Alm scooped up an Indian fumble and rambled in to the end zone to make the score 34-27. That play capped 20 unanswered points by the Camels in just over two minutes of play.

Touchdowns by Nick Bazemore and Tanner Moser helped the Camels claw back in to the game, but a late fourth quarter touchdown by Cheyenne Central’s quarterback Ky-ler Robinson on third and eighteen from 20-yards out ultimately sealed the fate for the Camels.

Gillette would add their fi nal points of the game on a 25-yard touchdown pass by Wasson to Danni Fischer with 1:44 left in the ballgame.

Mental mistakes and penalties really bogged Gil-lette down as they lost their

second consecutive game. The Camels fi nished with nine penalties, most of which extended Cheyenne Central drives.

With the loss, the Cam-els drop to 5-2 on the sea-son. However, with Chey-enne East’s loss to Rock Springs, the Camels have guaranteed themselves at least one home playoff game.

Coming in to the game, Gillette’s rushing attack that helped them earn their fi rst fi ve wins of the season. Yet, their passing attack that kept them in the game against the Indians. Kade Wasson fi nished with a ca-reer high 319 yards on 16 of 28 passing including 9 of 13 in the second half and three touchdown tosses. Wasson’s yardage total is the most by a 4A quarter-back this season.

Danni Fischer had the best night receiving of his career, as he fi nished with four catches for 130 yards and one touchdown.

As well, Burke Bur-gess caught fi ve balls for 66 yards, Tanner Moser hauled in three passes for 89 yards including a 47-yard touchdown strike, Taylor Bigelow caught two passes for 4 yards and one touchdown, and Wasson’s favorite target on the sea-son, Stephen Alm, caught two passes for 20 yards.

On the ground, Nick Bazemore was held to a season low 69-yards on 23 carries. Bazemore did, however, score his fi rst touchdown since week

three.Central’s quarterback

Kyler Robinson had a ca-reer night on the ground, rushing for 164 yards and two touchdowns, including 77-yard touchdown on a muffed punt late in the fi rst half. Robinson entered the game averaging just 30 yards rushing a game, and he had a total of 180 yards rushing on the season.

Through the air, Robin-son was 15 of 29 for 227 yards and two touchdowns. Both touchdowns were to Central’s leading receiver David Riedl. Riedl fi nished with 81 yards receiving on seven receptions, including those two touchdowns.

Next up for Gillette is a matchup with winless Cheyenne South on the road on Friday, October 14 at 7:00 p.m. You can hear every last minute of action beginning at 6:30 p.m. with the Shell Food Mart pre-game show on 97.3 KAML-FM and online at http://www.network1sports.com/station/kaml#menus.

Some other scores from around 4A football include Rock Springs over Chey-enne East 27-6, Kelly Walsh shutting out South 51-0, Natrona defeating Evanston 14-7, and Sheri-dan over Laramie 35-19.

In other scores from around the region, Buffalo lost to Lander 14-7, Moor-croft fell to Big Horn 17-7, and Glenrock shut out Wright 49-0.

All player statistics are unoffi cial.

Central streaks to win over Gillette

By Ted Ripko - Basin Radio Sports

BRN Photo by Nathan KobieluszKade Wasson completed 16 of 28 passes for a career high 319

unoffi cial yards and 3 touchdown passes in the Camels’ loss to the Indians at Riske Field in Cheyenne.

Professional rodeo bull-fi ghter Dusty Tuckness from Meeteetse, WY is sub-ject of a full-page feature in the new issue of ESPN the Magazine hitting news-stands across the coun-try this week. More than two million subscribers got their copies last week and that’s when Tuckness started hearing from friends and family. “One person I haven’t spoken with in several years called and said when he opened his magazine and saw me he about fell out of his chair,” laughed Tuckness.

A writer fi rst contacted Tuckness in June at the College National Finals Ro-deo in Casper, WY. “He told me ESPN had an idea to do a story on a rodeo bull-fi ghter and I continued to talk with him all that week about the lifestyle,” Tuck-ness said. They did not

speak again until over the Fourth of July at the Cody Stampede and Xtreme Bulls. The magazine was interested, Tuckness was told, and there would be more contact. Toward the end of August an editor called to say they wanted to run the story.

ESPN the Magazine sent a photographer to the ro-deo in Norco, CA in late August and hoped to show Dusty in action. “I did what I could but trying to tell a two-thousand pound bull what to do wasn’t easy. He wasn’t very cooperative,” Tuckness admitted. Tuck-ness said the ESPN people assigned to the photo shoot weren’t accustomed to be-ing in such close proximity to rodeo livestock. “They got a new look at rodeo, that’s for sure.” The crew felt they had enough good pictures after about four

hours of trying.The article was meticu-

lously researched. “They checked and double-checked everything and were very specifi c in their questioning. It’s pretty neat to be in a magazine of that caliber and there’s no tell-ing what it could do for rodeo. It was an honor. I was proud to represent our sport, Wyoming, and my other sponsors,” Tuckness noted.

Dusty Tuckness is back in Meeteetse healing from recent injuries sustained at pro rodeo’s playoff fi nale in Omaha last month. He’ll be fi ghting bulls next at the Mountain States Circuit Fi-nals in Rock Springs, Oct. 20-22. Tuckness won the 2010 “Bullfi ghter of the Year” award and has been nominated for that honor again this year.

Wyoming Bullfi ghter featured in ESPN

13

Toys (ATV’s, Boats, etc.)

Toy Parts & Accessories

Home Appliances/Furnishings

Sporting Goods

Personals

Boat for Sale with trailer. Needs work. Call 670-8980 for info.

Stock pipes for Sportster. 500mi. Stock pices for Dyna Wide Glide. 1500mi. Email baxtersmom62@gmail.com for info.

Harley Accessories for sale. Call 307-670-8980. Ask for Tammy.

Microfiber couch with 2 recliners com-bined. Green. $100 Call 299-4967.

Booth Table. L-shaped. With Chairs. Seats 6. $500.00 Call 299-4967

Like new Horizon Elliptical. $300 obo. Call 299-7058 for more info.

Wanted to BuyI Buy Militaria. Swords, uniforms, bayo-nets, medals, guns/parts, field gear. 682-7864

Newspaper vending machines. Contact us at: CampbellCountyObserver@gmail.com

WILL PAY CASH FOR CAMPERS. Call Scott (307) 680-0854.

Manual Transmission for 93’ Chevy Pick-up 4wd. Must be in good shape. Call 257-2306.

Looking for kittens. Please call 670-8980. Brittany.

Interested in founding a Sherlock Holmes Society in Gillette? Contact gillettesher-lockians@gmail.com for info.

Autos, Trucks and Vans

Campers & Motor Homes

1981 Harley Davidson FXB-Sturgis, 1st dual-belt drive to commemorate Hill-Climb @ Sturgis, Jack-Pine Gypsies rally started in ‘41, 50th anniversary model. 12K on straight-up original paint, new Moetzler’s driven-by beefed Shovel, 102hp at wheel. Perfect in every aspect, serious inquiries only, loan is $15K and value of over 25K. Ben 680.7464, 3-other older bikes and this has to go to the right person!

2008 Hyundai Sonata LMTD, 40,000 mi. $13,500, Call 307-660-2532.

‘76 Electra-Glide would consider trade on Pan or Knuck if ya know of anyone, ‘81 sent it to LA-S&S, 11.5to1 and dual-plugged to run regular-gas, had burn-out time at Hog-Jam! Ben 680.7464.

2003 Chevy Monte Carlo SS (White) with 137,000 mi; $6500. Call 307 - 689 – 0966

1983 Ventura (Chevy) for sale. WORKING WET BAR. Closet, fold down rear seat bed, caption swivel chairs. Great shape. Needs carburetor adjustment. Newly re-built Transmission, 400 Turbo. $4,000.00. Call 307-670-2037.

1997 32ft. Class A Motor Home. Sleeps 6, Only 31,000 Miles. Asking $17,000. Call (307) 660-7520.

Large Private RV/Camper Lot for rent. Big yard, trees. All utilities available. $400 per month, $400 deposit. 1 year lease. Call (307) 660-1007.

5th wheel camper for sale. Call Skip (307) 680-0073

1961 Aristrocrat Camper $600. Call 307-299-4662

Local journalists wanted. Always wanted to try? Must be 16 yrs of age. Contact us at CampbellCountyObserver@gmail.com

Advertising Sales for our weekly paper. Great commission rate, set your own hours. Contact us at CampbellCountyOb-server@gmail.com

Contributors wanted for weekly newspa-per. Need a doctor, a Politician, a lawyer, and more to contribute an article a month. E-mail CampbellCountyObserver@gmail.com for more information.

Sports writers, event writers wanted. Gil-lette, Write, Recluse, Rozet. Call 670-8980.

State Wide Sales people. Print Advertis-ing Sales for new State-wide newspaper. Call 307-299-4662

Delivery Driver wanted. Retired? Want a little walking around cash? Work one day per week delivering the Campbell County Observer to people’s homes. Contact the Campbell County Observer at (307) 670-8980.

Help Wanted

Minnows, crawlers, leeches, fishing tackle, boating and camping supplies. Fully furnished cabin rentals, 50 Amp Full Hookup RV sites 5 minutes from Key-hole Reservoir in Pine Haven. Empire Guesthouse & RV Park 307-756-3454. www.empireguesthouse.com

Camping/Fishing

Home for sale by owner in Western Way. Asking $239,000 for the 1,800 sq. ft. 3 bedroom 2 bath home with an unfinished basement and a two car garage. Fully fenced, large landscaped yard with a sprinkler system. Home is within walking distance to the new recreation center and the new elementary school that is being built. Please contact me at 307-670-1209 if you are interested.

Homes for Sale

Welsh Corgi Puppies. 3 females, and two males. 682-2598

Pets

Cook needed at Lu La Bells. Motivated and Energetic. Days Only. Apply at Lu La bells.

1-5 bedroom units available for rent. Please contact Real Estate Systems of Gillette Inc at 307-682-0964 for all the up-dated details.

Spacious & new, 1, 2, &3 bdrm affordable apartments available now! Call 685-8066. Washer and dryer in every unit. Private sunny patio or balcony. Special move-in rate, 1 bdrm: $694, 2 bdrm: $777, 3 bdrm: $888. Move in now and deduct $ 200 off first month while special lasts. Call Kon-nie or Celeste at Highland Properties 685-8066.

Apartments for Rent

Tri-level house for sale 4 bed 2 bath $209,000 (307) 670-1925.

- LIMITED TIME ONLY - Free Classified Ad - 10 words or less

(Private ownership only - No businesses)For more details visit

www.campbellcountyobserver.com or call (307) 670-8980

Our Roots

Classifieds

Heavy Equipment/Trailers6x10 trailer. Great shape, fits your biggest Harley. $1,400 obo. 299-4967.

Gorgeous 3 bedroom 2 bath with den. 1800 sq.ft/Culdesac lot. Financing avail-able. For a personal showing, call 687-0333.

Merchandise1939 HA Selmer Trumpet $750 OBO. 687-1087

7mm Mag rifle with optics. Call 670-8980 Spyder Semi-auto paint ball gun. cal..68 Special Edition.Only used twice! New $300 For you $175 plus two canisters. Call 680-1302

If you are interested in purchasing Nutri-ent Rich Ranch Raised Beef grown locally, call 307-340-1108.

Need a full time babysitter in the Gillette area? Available any time, including nights and weekends, for shift workers. Call 307-461-7120, ask for Dee.

Child Care

During the height of the Cold War, many events kept Ameri-cans on their toes. Things like the Cuban Missile Crisis and the constant expansion of nuclear power were enough to terrify most people in both the United States and the Soviet Union. However, another event, years before, set the tone for tensions between the two nations.

On the morning of May 1, 1960, pilot Francis Gary Powers took off from an airstrip in Pakistan in his U-2 spy plane. His mission, called Operation Grand Slam was to fly over portions of the Soviet Union, and take photographs of weapons sites, eventually landing in Norway. However, there was a fatal flaw in this plan. The Soviet military was already aware of the mission, and was prepared to retaliate.

After avoiding several attempts at a takedown, the plane was finally brought down. Pow-ers, however, managed to eject before the missile’s impact, parachuting down to the ground where he was soon captured. In what would only be revealed decades after the event, Soviet witnesses claimed that they had sent planes in the air to inter-cept (and possibly ram) the U2. However, unable to match the American’s altitude, they had to resort to following him closely. From the ground, the forces fired multiple missiles at Powers. What most believe is that one of the missiles exploded near the plane, shaking it enough to break off parts of the wings. Not sure if they had succeeded, the ground forces kept firing, and eventually made the mistake of shooting down one of their own MiG fight-ers before they witnessed the Powers ejecting at a significantly lower altitude.

The United States government, aware of the incident, tried to keep it quiet, only saying that a plane had gone “missing”. The

truth, however, would not remain quiet for long. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev quickly an-nounced that they had shot down an American spy plane. One detail he coincidentally left out, though, was the fate of the pilot.

The United States, assuming that Powers was dead, tried to ease the tensions by claiming the pilot had equipment malfunctions, and that the mission was only a research craft sent to study weather patterns. Unfortunately for our government, the Soviets happily announced to the world that it was clear the Americans were lying, and brought out Pow-ers as proof. They also revealed that they obtained the pictures that Powers had taken in the plan over Soviet military bases.

This incident changed the course of the Cold War irrevoca-bly. While everyone knew that spying was rampant, this event really showed the blatancy of those missions. For his part in the mission, Powers was sen-tenced by the Soviet government to a prison term of three years, followed by seven years of hard labor. He was later freed when a prisoner exchange between the governments took place in 1962. Once back home, he was inter-rogated for nearly a month about what happened after his capture, and why he did not destroy his plane and himself instead of be-ing captured. In fact, the plane was equipped with self-destruct explosives and the pilot with a poison-tipped needle in case of imminent capture.

In the months after the incident, it became increasingly clear that the tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union were only rising. Mistrust and deceit also increased, bringing the world to the brink of disaster on mul-tiple occasions. Thankfully, we avoided another world war and can today look back on the event with intrigue instead of anger.

Francis Gary Powers

By Mike Borda

Paid for by the Wyoming Country Party

14

Our Roots

Elizabeth Jones Agency

Elizabeth (Betsy) Jones, AgentCPIW, DAE, LUTCF

1001 S. Douglas Hwy., Suite 184Gillette, WY 82716

O�ce (307) 682-6520Fax (307) 682-3536

www.farmersunioninsurance.com/ejonesejones@vcn.com

· Auto

· Preferred

· SR22’s

· Home

· Renters

· Life

· Health

The Campbell County Observer Staff

Candice De Laat - Owner/PublisherCandiceDeLaat@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Nicholas De Laat - Owner/EditorNicholasDeLaat@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Keary Speer - EditorKearySpeer@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Anne Peterson - Advertising Sales ManagerAnnePeterson@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Misty Williams - Sales/MarketingMistyWilliams@CampbellCountyObservber.com

Brittany Miller - Sales/MarketingBrittanyMiller@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Traci Jefferson - Sales/MarketingTraciJefferson@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Cyndee Stoneking - Sales/MarketingCyndeeStoneking@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Owen Clarke - Ad DesignOwenClarke@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Ken McCoy - Distribution Manager

Pattie Ladd - What’s Going OnPattieLadd@CampbellCountyObserver.com

WritersSandra Boehler (Charities/Fundraisers/Veterans Events)SandraBoehler@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Glenn Woods (Political Column)GlennWoods@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Mike Borda (American History)MichaelBorda@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Elizabeth Albin (Wright)ElizabethAlbin@campbellcountyobserver.com

Lin StephensLinStephens@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Josh Uzarski (Science)JoshuaUzarski@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Ken De Laat (About Nothing)KennethDeLaat@CampbellCountyObserver.com

“Juice” (Political Cartoonist)Juice@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Jeff Morrison (Local History Contributor)JeffMorrison@CampbellCountyObserver.com

Fast, reliable commu-nication across the vast distances of the American West has always present-ed a challenge. Forbidding terrain as well as a lack of population insured that our area of the west lagged far behind other parts of the nation when it came to accessing and utilizing the latest communication technologies. In fact, that struggle continues to this day, for much the same reason.

The Indian tribes of the plains had used smoke signals and sun mirrors to send messages across the prairies for several genera-tions before the arrival of the white man. Although it is debatable just how com-plex the messages sent actually were, it is known that messages sent in this fashion crossed hundreds of miles in a remarkably short amount of time.

Until 1860, the fastest way to send a message from the eastern United States to the gold fields of California was by ship. This meant sailing from and eastern harbor around the tip of South America and up the Pacific coast to San Francisco via clipper ship. Clipper ships were originally designed for the purpose of conveying pas-sengers to California and returning with gold; and the faster the trip the more money the shipping line made. The Flying Cloud set a record by making the trip from New York to San Francisco in 80 days. Al-though this record stood for 139 years, the typical trip took over 100 days. As a means of rapid message delivery it left a lot to be desired.

A quantum leap in trans-continental communication arrived with the first Pony Express rider in April of 1860. Riding from St. Jo-seph Missouri to San Fran-cisco via the Oregon Trial, mail typically reached its destination in 10 days or less. Using specially made saddles and saddlebags, the Pony Express riders literally ran the mail 90 to 120 miles, changing hors-es every 10 to 15 miles. At their “home station” the rider would swap out with another rider, getting some sleep and a hot meal be-fore saddling up and mak-ing the return trip with an-other sack of mail.

The Pony Express even-tually employed over 80 riders and owned 180 sta-tions and around 500 hors-es. The dangers involved in transporting mail over the route extended well beyond being killed by In-dians. An unfortunate rider could get lost in a blizzard and freeze to death, or else be thrown by his horse for various reasons and find himself on foot and pos-sibly injured several miles from the nearest help. Yet, in its brief history, only one mail delivery was ever lost by the Pony Express.

The Pony Express was exciting, romantic and fi-nancial disaster. Even as the transcontinental rail-road and coast to coast

telegraph line were near-ing completion, the own-ership of the Express went bankrupt. Nineteen months after the first letters were delivered; the Pony Express was no more. It was, however, replaced by another giant leap in com-munications – an invention that was already a couple decades old called the electronic telegraph.

Developed in the 1840s by Samuel Morse, the electronic telegraph used much the same technol-ogy as standard telephone lines do today. At first the signal was translated to a strip of paper using a se-ries of dots and dashes that became known as Morse code. It was soon discovered that an experi-enced operators could ac-tually hear these dots and dashes as they were sent over the wire as a series of long and short electronic tones, making the trans-lation of messages even faster. The end result was that a message could be sent coast to coast in a matter of minutes rather than days.

Unfortunately, it would take another decade be-fore the telegraph made an appearance north of the Oregon Trail, and even longer before it reached the remote region of what became northeast Wyo-ming and southeast Mon-tana. Until then messages were sent via a currier or with a supply wagon mov-ing between military posts and settlements. Occa-sionally towns employed riders specifically to carry the mail in similar fashion as the Pony Express had done. A few of them even adopted the name. This has led to confusion over the years from many peo-ple claiming to have ridden for the Pony Express (such as Calamity Jane) when in fact they were riding for a courier service between towns.

Occasionally, the mili-tary’s need for fast com-munication led to more inventive methods than a fast horse. When Fort Ke-ogh was established near present day Miles City, the Indian war of 1876 was still going. Since poor communication between regiments in the field con-tributed greatly to the Little Big Horn fiasco, the U. S. Army sought to improve its ability to send and share intelligence. Using the age-old method of reflect-ing the sun with mirrors, dispatches were sent back and forth between Fort Ke-ogh and Fort Meade, near present day Sturgis. A sig-nalman flashed a Morse Code message from the fort to another signalman posted atop Signal Butte, about three miles away. The message was then re-layed to another high butte near Powderville, about 50 miles away and relayed from there to Bear Butte on the northern edge of the Black Hills, then flashed to nearby Fort Meade. The message travelled from start to finish in about thirty minutes. This, of course,

Instant Messaging in the Old West

By Jeff Morrison

required a sunny, clear day, for a successful trans-mission which meant that it probably wasn’t very reli-able.

Eventually, telegraph service made its way into the wilderness of northeast Wyoming. The first line was strung between Fort Fetterman and Fort McK-inney, up the old Bozeman road and used primarily for military dispatches. Af-terward, the lines arrived with the new railroad and soon spread to the outly-ing communities as well. With them came many of the conveniences and an-noyances we have today with telephone service, in-cluding telemarketing and wire-fraud. Most telegraph services charged by the word, however, which en-sured the messages were kept short and to the point. The telegraph lines, them-selves, were strung over-head on poles that were often knocked down by cattle using them for a rub-bing post, and repairmen were kept busy traveling alongside the line with wagons full of wire, posts and insulators to keep the communications link func-tioning.

Telegraph lines played an important role in the Johnson County War of 1892. In order for the “In-vaders” to enact their plan of eliminating “rustlers”, the element of surprise was essential. So they en-listed a few men to sabo-tage all the telegraph lines leaving Johnson County in order to keep their in-tended targets from be-ing tipped off. A few days later, when the tables were turned and the Invaders found themselves under siege at the TA ranch, the “rustlers” also wished to keep the telegraph lines inoperable to keep the In-vaders from calling for out-side help.

For a week there existed a war within the War be-tween those sabotaging the lines and the repair-men sent out to fix the lines. In some places up to a half-mile of cable had been torn down and cut out of the line and then buried or chopped up to make repairs difficult. On a few occasions the repair-men were shot at as they neared the line.

One repairman named Gregory continued his repairs until his horses played out and he ran out of repair supplies. He continued slogging up the line on foot in the mud and snow, using barbed wire from the nearest fence to splice the gaps. Au-thor Robert B. David de-scribed the incident in his autobiography of Malcolm Campbell, “At one place which was cut, he [Grego-ry] noticed a bottle stand-ing conspicuously near the break, and on investigat-ing found that it contained a bill of large denomina-tion, evidently left there a few minutes before by the cutter for Gregory to find as part payment for the damage done.”

The repairmen eventual-

ly won the day and restored service long enough for a plea for help to be sent to the governor, who in turn wired a Wyoming senator in Washington who notified the President of the United States. The President then wired the commander at Fort McKinney and told him to put an end to the fighting. Fortunately for the Invaders, the telegraph repairmen were better at their job than they were at sabotage or the Johnson County War may have had a much uglier ending.

About the same time as telegraph lines were finally making their way into the Powder River Basin, one of the very first telephone lines installed in the West had already made its de-but near Sussex. Cattle baron Moreton Frewen had the line installed in 1881 from his house to the nearest post office, located 24 miles downriver. Frew-en once told a relative in a letter, “Last night there were a lot of redskins – more naked than ashamed – talking over it. I never saw such ludicrous as-tonishment…” As innova-tive as Frewen may have been, the rest of northeast Wyoming would have to wait for the dawn of the 20th century for telephone service between towns to arrive.

“The revenue of the country, levied almost insensibly to the taxpayer, goes on from year to year, increasing beyond either the interests or the prospective

wants of the Government.”-President Franklin Pierce