Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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by John Bernhisel The other day I was driving out on a dirt road well beyond Cowley, heading to one of my favorite running spots. It’s the kind of place I go to be alone and reflect. Out there, the noise fades and things usually make a little more sense. As I came around a bend, I saw a car creeping along awkwardly. The driver was practically hanging out the window trying to flag me down. Flat tire. Middle of nowhere. No cell service. And when he went to fix it, he realized the jack was missing. You could see it in his face. He wasn’t just inc...
by Lily Hayes Trailblazing in Hot Springs County brought many new families to our community, some here for a short time, some a lasting legacy. John Weber, a freighter with a team of sixteen horses (instead of mules) originating from Missouri to the new Wyoming town called Thermopolis. I don’t have any records regarding what was hauled, but, what I do know John’s family was with him in the wagon, his wife and beautiful daughters, some riding horseback, others driving a team. One of those was Lottie. This beauty later caught the eye of Vin...
If you look closely at these words, you may find clues pointing to two silver bars hidden somewhere in the Big Horn Basin. More clues will appear each week throughout April. See Big Horn Basin Treasure Hunt on Facebook for more information Questions: How many other counties does Park County, Wyoming touch? From what mountain range does the Big Horn River emerge near Thermopolis, that forms the southern edge of the Big Horn Basin? Of the four American Presidents that were assassinated, who lived the longest after being shot? Complete this...
Props to the Hot Springs County community members who turned out in force last Friday to support one of their own. Once again, you proved just how wonderful, and unique, you are. For a community of this size to raise that much money in one evening is something to be proud of. Seeing people come together for a good cause is something we will never grow tired of witnessing. Just like many of you, a member of the IR staff has been at nearly every cookie jar auction for the last 30 plus years. And just like many of you, we are consistently...
by Terri Geissinger John Dwight Woodruff lived an intriguing life, full of adventure and risk. Little did he know then, that his name would be listed among the most influential pioneers of Wyoming. He is credited for building the first cabin in the Big Horn Basin in 1871 which was dedicated as a State Historic Site in 1940. The handsome historic monument bears his name but says little of his remarkable legacy story. Born in New York in 1847, he was the fifth child of eleven and his father’s namesake. Before he was two years old, the family p...
Readers across the Big Horn Basin will soon have more than trivia to look forward to. Beginning in April, John Bernhisel’s weekly column Please Don’t Call It Trivia! will feature a Basin-wide treasure hunt, with two one-ounce silver bars hidden somewhere in the region. Each column will include clues that, when pieced together over time, lead to the prize. Not every trivia item will be a clue, but any could be. Much of the puzzle can be solved from home, though finding the treasure will require getting out and following the trail. This isn...
by Lauren Harper, Daniel Ellsberg chair on government secrecy Excessive government secrecy takes many forms, including denying or ignoring FOIA requests and deleting data from websites. These tactics prevent the public from meaningfully participating in self-government in every area secrecy touches, from domestic policy discussions on climate change, to foreign policy debates around international aid. Sunshine Week, the annual celebration of the public’s right to know, reminds us that the federal Freedom of Information Act, which allows the p...
by Terri Geissinger Hans Jensen was born in Denmark, April 1856, into a large family of eleven children. As a young strapping teenager, he went to work as a sailor and fisherman to help his family make ends meet. Those years on the frigid, unforgiving North Sea toughened his nerves and hardened his attitude toward the commercial fishing business of which he vowed never to return. In his early-twenties, Hans joined the mass exodus of a poverty-stricken country and boarded a steerage ship to the United States. After a brutal journey across the...
by District 20 Senator Ed Cooper Now that the session has wrapped up, it is a good time to take a look around and offer some thoughts on what we were able to accomplish on behalf of the people of Wyoming. This budget session, I was particularly proud of the renewed focus on issues that matter in Wyoming and in our small towns and counties across this state – particularly the counties I serve. We were able to keep our work local and steer clear of national issues that bring social media clicks but doesn’t benefit Wyomingites. This year, we broug...
by Jonathan Gallardo, editor, Gillette News Record It’s hard to believe that another legislative session is behind us. It hasn’t even been a month. It feels like it was just yesterday that a nice rich lady from Jackson tried to give money to lawmakers and the media made a big deal about it. Despite this slight hiccup, legislators were still able to get some work done. They came to an agreement on a budget and school finance recalibration. If you’re old enough to vote, you’re old enough to get your concealed-carry license. The legisla...
by Lily Hayes This series of Trailblazing is to share stories about those who pioneered in what is now Thermopolis, Hot Springs County, Wyoming. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy this continuation of Marie Shafer Andreen Long Walker. Part one ran in last week’s IR. When they came back our plans fell by the wayside. They moved up Owl Creek, so we stayed on the Nielsen farm. In the spring of ‘21’ we went to work for Bob Kelly at the mouth of Owl Creek. Harriet was born there on May 18, 1921. The next spring early, Harry’s dad died. We thought...
Two years ago a man felt it was his right to run his snowmobileover a wolf, cause horrific injuries and suffering to another living being, tape shut the animal’s mouth, bring her into a bar, proudly display his behavior to everyone there, and after a long period of time--while this animal physically and psychologically felt the effects of these intentional actions--took the wolf outside and killed her. It needs to be recognized that the man felt pleasure while engaging in these ongoing behaviors. No society that supports--in any way--this k...
by Whitney Lucas Molitor, Ph.D., OTD, OTR/L, BCG and Allison Naber, Ph.D., OTD, OTR/L Living in rural communities offers unique opportunities to promote successful aging. Incorporating a purposeful lifestyle, developing social connections and engaging in daily physical activity is essential to achieving positive health outcomes and quality of life. Finding purpose includes exploring the activities you already engage in and being open to new possibilities. Engaging in motivating activities provides a framework for a purposeful life. The...
Is it time to stop changing our clocks twice a year? This has been visited and revisited. Like most ideas, there are those who think we should stop and those that think we should continue. Wyoming passed legislation (HB0044) in March 2020 to adopt year-round Mountain Daylight Saving Time. However, this change is contingent on federal approval and at least four neighboring Western states enacting similar legislation. It is currently in a “wait-and-see” mode regarding federal action and regional coordination. The legislature introduced ano...
by Lily Hayes This series of Trailblazing is to share stories about those who pioneered in what is now Thermopolis, Hot Springs County, Wyoming. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy this article, Tim Odde found while “treasure hunting”. He and his mother, Louise, have offered to share it with us. Some dialogue is written by Louise and others by Marie, but retyped the way it was written. “Mother” Marie Shafer Andreen Long Walker started writing this in January 1971, in an address book. I found it when I was cleaning out some of their papers after t...
Questions: What are the two counties in Wyoming that begin with a vowel? Who played the male and female leads in the movie When Harry Met Sally? The sun is the largest object in the Solar System and Jupiter is second. What are the 6th, 7th and 8th largest? Name as many of the University of California campuses as you can. (There are ten.) What is the smallest whole number that is spelled with an A in English? What about B and C? Fun Facts: In 2005, a family cat was accidentally sealed inside a shipping container in Milwaukee and spent nearly a...
The Wyoming State Legislature began its budget session this week. While headlines have already appeared about various budget items debated prior to the session, the final budget bill was posted Feb. 6 — three days before the session convened — and introduced as mirror bills in both the House and the Senate. The Legislature now has approximately four weeks to complete several major tasks. In addition to passing the state’s biennial budget (a budget covering two years), lawmakers will consider 335 bills this session, including interim commi...
by Lily Hayes This series of Trailblazing is to share stories about those who pioneered in what is now Thermopolis, Hot Springs County, Wyoming. The first strings I remember holding onto and letting go, were Grandma’s apron strings. Pictures tell a thousand words and the pictures of the past always show my Grandmother with an apron on…..even while holding the smallest child; when her sons returned from war; feeding chickens; milking cows; preparing a meal; when young grandchildren rode horseback trying to get cattle through a gate uns...
America is an idea. It belongs to No One and Everyone. No one in the United States is required to carry identification on them at all times. There is an inherent understanding that freedom exists for all who live here, whether born here or not, and that freedom is upheld by the Constitution and related laws and norms. As citizens, the trade-off for this freedom is that we have a civic duty to participate in our democracy. Participation by all creates the fabric that holds us together as a country. First among those civic duties is voting. The...
by Andrew Ellsworth, MD Take a moment to breathe. Close your eyes. Slowly inhale through your nose, pause, and gently exhale through your mouth. After a few steady breaths, you likely feel more relaxed and ready for the day. Now imagine plugging your nose and trying to breathe with your tongue pressed against the roof of your mouth, blocking the airway. You would quickly feel stressed and uncomfortable. Now imagine that happening over and over again, all night long. That is what occurs with obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea...
Trailblazing means introducing new ideas or methods, innovative or pioneering. We are happy to bring you a new guest column about Hot Springs County Trailblazers, the first of which appears to the right of this editorial. This year, Hot Springs County will be home to Trailblazing Days June 12-14. The event will celebrate the early trailblazers who traversed the difficult terrain to settle in the Big Horn Basin. The event will feature a chuckwagon dinner, concert, cowboy poetry, parade, area treks, BBQ and more. Some arrangements are still be...
by Lily Hayes This series of Trailblazing is to share stories about those who pioneered in what is now Thermopolis, Hot Springs County, Wyoming. If there are errors, I stand corrected, but please know this is my grandmother and I am one of about forty grandchildren, so as stories go, there are many versions. Some of the information is from my mother and aunt’s stories. I would like to introduce you to Mary Agnes Peoples White. She was born of Irish/Scottish parents, in Glendive, Montana, on September 11, 1898. She and her husband, Jaque Bob W...
After watching and listening to two Thermopolis officer’s (a sheriff deputy and police officer) dash and body cams where one did weaponize his cruisers’ iron cowcatcher, used a PIT manuever grill gaurd to chase a man in a field, striking him hard enough to toss him over the hood - then calling “needed” backup since it didn’t faze the pedestrian - I won’t call Good’s light, WOKE-approved vehicle a weapon. The ICE agent was maybe swished a bit from the side, if touched at all, by her barely-moving-from-park SUV. He deftly fired one shot perfectl...
Back in 2017 while addressing a group in Laramie, my mentor, the late Al Simpson said: “Money’s dominance over politics is the number one problem our nation faces. It is a growing crisis that prevents us from tackling anything else. We have now reached a turning point: Either we are a country that makes decisions based on the common good, or one where the size of your wallet determines the worth of your ideas. Either we uphold the values of a representative democracy, or we allow greed and wealth to destroy the great American experiment in sel...
The wildlife of Wyoming is a valuable resource that belongs to every resident of the Equality State. Many enjoy watching these wild denizens going about their lives — grazing, rutting, caring for young and just existing. Others harvest one or more animals per year for sustenance, celebrating and thanking the wild life that helps sustain human life. Ethical hunters practice fair chase. When bad actors break the state game laws, we all should be indignant. Public servants create systems to manage the health and numbers of animals the habitat can...
