Historical Timeline

Building Casper- A Historical Timeline in Downtown Commercial Businesses

Frances Seely Webb Collection, Western History Center

1861

Jack Rosenthal Map Collection, Western History Center

Yellowstone National Park , first national park in the US (and the world) established in 1872
Casper still spelled as Caspar (named after Caspar Collins, son of William Collins who founded Ft. Collins)
Railroad only to Cheyenne, Laramie, Rawlings, and Evanston- not yet Casper

1882

Jack Rosenthal Map Collection, Western History Center

Wyoming Territory established in 1868

1887

Jack Rosenthal Map Collection, Western History Center

Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad arrive in Casper

1888

Casper town first platted

Today's Midwest Ave was First Street, and Today's First Street was Third Street

Map still shows Carbon instead of Natrona county

North Platte river much closer to Casper downtown than it is today

Wyoming Central Railway leased to Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley Railroad, carrying mostly coal

Casper railhead serves as jumping off point for "Invaders" from Texas to serve as gunmen for the Johnson County War

Drilling in Salt Creek Fields start

1890

Wyoming achieves statehood, becoming the 44th state in the union
Oil Belt Real Estate Improvement Company sold platt from land patent to J.W. Hugus in 1890

Frances Seely Webb Collection. Western History Center

1895

Jack Rosenthal Map Collection, Western History Center

Major oil discoveries in the Casper area in the 1890's
Numerous oil and coal fields marked in Wyoming map
Casper started refining in 1894
Railroad extends now beyond Casper

1896

Hugus builds store during 1896 presidential election contest between McKinley (Republican) and Bryan (Democrat)
Campaigners showing McKinley and Hobart photos in front of building construction

Bryan campaigned successfully in Wyoming on the free silver platform to expand the monetary supply beyond gold

1900

Frances Seely Webb Collection. Western History Center

Hugus leases building to:

Fraternal orders: IOOF, Freemasons

Merchants: Casper Mercantile Company, Pat Sullivan Drug Company

Newspaper: Tribune Office

First Electric Street Lights are added to Casper in 1900

1903

Hugus building first recorded as the IOOF Building, showing storage, restaurant, and millinery on 1st floor and Lodge rooms on 2nd floor

Sanborn Maps, Western History Center

1909

Jack Rosenthal Map Collection, Western History Center

1912

Frances Seely Webb Collection. Western History Center

Frances Seely Webb Collection. Western History Center

Natrona County Electric Company supports electrical power well distributed around the town

Sanborn Insurance Maps, Western History Center

Frances Seely Webb Collection, Western History Center

Hugus building now has neighboring building to the west which houses a dry goods store, while first floor has a store, butcher, and clothes on the 1st floor and Lodge rooms on the 2nd floor

1918

Cars and service garages start to show up en masse in Casper

Sanborn Insurance Maps, Western History Center

IOOF buys lodge from Hugus, and will be the IOOF building through the 1950's
IOOF building has dry goods, grocery, and hardware store and adds new north section that serves as warehouse
Tapered roof is squared off and IOOF symbols are added around the roofline

1920

Jeffryes Studio, “Rotating views of downtown Casper, Wyoming,” Western History Center

IOOF Building signs: 1) Holmes Hardware, 2) Fuch's Exclusive Millnery (Hat-Making), 3) Smart Clothes for Women & Misses, F.W. Woolworth Co 5, 10, and 15 Cents Store

2nd and Wolcott (Rotating Camera)
Lukis Candy
Wyoming National Bank
Midwest Refining Company
Kimball Drugs
The Leader, Women & Children's Wear
Tribune Building
The Grand Grocery, Bakery, Meat Market
Post Office
Carnegie Library

2nd and Center (Rotating Camera)
Central Grocery
Casper National Bank
Schulte Hardware
Highway Garge
The Fit Well Tailors
Casper Cafe
Stockmen's National Bank
M.P. Wheeler Real Estate Insurance
Metropolitan 5 to 50 cents Stores
Townsend Building
Hotel Henning
Weber Commercial Company

1921

Jack Rosenthal Map Collection, Western History Center

Sanborn Insurance Maps, Western History Center

Maps show 1st Ave changing to Midwest Ave and 3rd St changing to 1st St

1922

Frances Seely Webb Collection, Western History Center

Casper booming with 3 refineries by 1920 and suppliers like National Supply Company Oil and Gas Well Supplies
Teapot Dome Scandal involving US Cabinet official Albert Fall and Oilman Harry F Sinclair and Navy petroleum reserves north of Casper
Casper has a lot of sites for illegal bootlegging and gambling during the Prohibition years.

1932

U.S. General Services Administration

During the Great Depression, the federal government funds new building construction in Casper like the Federal Court House

1940

Casper Star-Tribune

Economy in recovery mode with new Triangle Super Service automobile service station behind Casper's old Post Office

1942

Casper Star-Tribune Mar 26, 1942

Don Treglown, Western History Center

Western History Center

The Post Office Building was purchased in 1941 by Earl E. Hanway, news editor, co-publisher, co-owner of the Natrona County Tribune
Hanway signed a lease for JC Penney to occupy a larger modern space at that site on Dec 3, 1941 just prior to the Dec 7 attack on Pearl Harbor.
Post Office Building is demolished in Mar 26, 1942 to make way for JC Penney Building construction
The JC Penney Building opened in Nov 25, 1942 and is the only retail department store built in Casper from 1930-1945
The building shows elements of a heavily Streamlined Moderne style reflecting thrift and simplicity during WW2
Retail activities were restricted during WW2 primarily to large chains like JC Penney

Frances Seely Webb Collection, Western History Center

Casper Air Base (now the Natrona County Airport) trained 16,000 crewmen from 1942-1945
Wyoming mountains served as a training ground for flying the Hump, the portion of Himalayans between India and China

1946

1947

Chuck Morrison Collection, Western History Center

IOOF building houses Walgreen Drugstore and Kelly's

1949

Casper Star-Tribune

Post-war boom with Triangle Motors rebranding and remodeling, combining Pontiac car sales, service station, and garage

1956

Casper Star Tribune

Casper continues to expand during 1950's with Woolworth expanding and occupying IOOF building, as IOOF builds and moves to new building next door to the north

1960's

Frances Seely Webb Collection, Western History Center

1970's

Chamber of Commerce Collection, Western History Center

Chuck Morrison Collection, Western History Center

1984

Casper Star Tribune

JC Penney moves to the Eastridge mall as part of the expansion of malls around the US
JC Penney Building gets renovated by Kirkwood as the Atrium Plaza

1993

Casper Star-Tribune

Woolworth closes Casper store, the last Woolworth store in Wyoming, as part of nationwide closures

2005

Lou Taubert Real Estate renovates the IOOF Building away from Woolworth's one floor retail design and opens up second floor