Your source for news in Hot Springs County
Your source for news in Hot Springs County
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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 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 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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
by Jill Pertler I had dinner with a dear friend the other night and near the start of the meal, something became apparent: we had differing political views on numerous topics. Can you imagine, sharing a Cobb salad and a Philadelphia cheesesteak sandwich over dinner with someone who sits on the other side of the aisle as you? Crazy, I know. But just wait, I haven’t even gotten to the really preposterous part yet. Neither one of us got up from the table and left in a a huff. We had a delightful evening. I’d love to do it again soon. I think she...
Questions: Where did Charles Dickens work at age 12 while his father was in debtor’s prison? What is the largest city in Wyoming with a one-syllable name? On what continent was Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury born? Which profession receives the most Valentine cards each year? What U.S. city is generally credited as the birthplace of jazz? Fun Facts: After Chicago gangster John Dillinger was shot by the FBI in 1934, onlookers dabbed handkerchiefs in his blood as souvenirs. He was betrayed by a Romanian immigrant named Anna Sage, later n...
Questions: Q1. Which college has produced the most players who later made the NFL Hall of Fame? Q2. Nineteen of the 20 most-watched television broadcasts in history are Super Bowls. What is the only other show to crack the top 20? Q3. Name the most recent Wyoming-born football player to be on a Super Bowl-winning team. Q4. What two NFL teams have started a season and won at least 17 straight games, including the postseason? Q5. Name the only athlete to have played in both a Super Bowl and a World Series. Fun Facts: Tom Brady holds the NFL...
by John Bernhisel Questions: What event in April 1815 led to frost appearing on plants in New England during June and August of 1816? Which Ohio city was named in honor of a Roman general and dictator? Which of these actors appeared in Saving Private Ryan: Tom Hanks, Ben Affleck, Ted Danson, Matt Damon, Vin Diesel? Name Wyoming’s four northernmost counties that touch the Bighorn Mountains. Name the three countries in Africa that begin with the letter L. Fun Facts: There is a rare condition in which some people with dementia briefly regain m...
by Andrew Ellsworth, MD Many of us have been there before—near the top of a ladder, stretching just a little farther to finish the job. Maybe we are cleaning a gutter, hanging Christmas lights, or rescuing a cat from a tree. There is always the temptation to climb one rung higher to reach that final spot. According to CDC data from 2022, accidents are the third leading cause of death in the United States, behind heart disease and cancer. For those ages 1–44, accidents are the leading cause of death. These unintentional injuries include poi...
Welcome to a new monthly column by John Bernhisel. Enjoy! Test yourself: Q1. There are five letters of the alphabet that don’t appear in the names of any of the months. Name them. Q2. January is named after which Roman god? Q3. What major World War II battle began on December 16, 1944? Q4. In what city and state was Elvis Presley born? Q5. What answer did an eleven-year-old John Lennon give when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up? Fun Facts: The coldest temperature ever officially recorded in the continental United States occurred in J...
Delbert McLain smiled at the sign in Marvin Pincus’s yard as he walked briskly up to the front door and knocked. Marvin had seen him coming and opened it with a big smile and a handshake. “Delbert! I’ve got to tell you I’ve really been looking forward to seeing what kind of flies we can tie up to improve your love life. You want some coffee?” “Love life?” Del said. “Oh not today, Marvin, not today. I’m here on chamber business. Yessir.” Delbert McLain is our Chamber of Commerce. We have all designated him … well … okay, I guess Del kinda desig...
by Kory Zimney, PT, DPT, PhD As the holiday season winds down and the New Year approaches, many of us begin reflecting on the past year and thinking ahead. It’s a natural time to set resolutions—those hopeful promises to ourselves to eat better, move more, stress less or simply live healthier. Yet, despite our best intentions, many resolutions fade by February. Why is lasting change so hard? As a physical therapist helping patients make healthy changes for over 30 years, I have found the answer may lie in how we approach change, by using the...
Go to any education conference, teacher-training clinic or school convention, and what you will typically hear is some version or variation of an emphasis on the dynamics of teaching and learning. On the surface, this would appear to make sense and provide a healthy pedagogical formula. Beneath the surface, however, the most important element in the whole process is often missing: thinking. As an equation, in theory it looks like this: teaching = learning. But anyone who has ever been a teacher (or student) knows, in practice, that is not...
by: Karen Hebert, Ph.D. & Mackenzie Feldhacker, OTD The holiday season is fast approaching with all its festive occupations like decorating the house, buying and wrapping presents and preparing and serving holiday meals. Between the additional time requirements, costs, travel and interactions with family members, this can be a particularly stressful time of year. Difficulties with getting around the house or community, remembering and managing multiple to-do lists, and feeling comfortable socializing for long periods of time can compound holida...
by Bryan Golden 41% of those polled are stressed by the holidays. Fortunately, there are many ways to bust holiday stress. Set realistic goals. Your expectations should correspond to your circumstances, time, and money. Don’t try to outdo family and friends. You don’t have to impress anyone. A wonderful holiday season doesn’t have to be expensive. Set a manageable budget and stick to it. Determine before you go shopping how much you will spend on food and presents. Entertaining doesn’t have to cost a lot. Sumptuous meals can be prepare...
by Tom Lacock, Associate State Director at AARP Wyoming, tlacock@aarp.org. Scams happen year-round, but the holiday season is prime time for criminals who will be working overtime to separate you from your cash. Here are a few common holiday scams we are seeing this season. Online shopping scams. Criminals create professional-looking websites and ads promoting popular items at steep discounts, but what you receive may be different than advertised—if you receive anything. Be cautious of unusually low prices and avoid clicking on ads in e...
by Victoria O’Brien, editor, Cody Enterprise With the changing of the seasons comes chatter of colds and flus, but also those maladies affecting our mental health. Each year, seasonal depression ticks upward as the days grow shorter, colder and darker, and we enter into our long Wyoming winter. Seasonal Affective Disorder, acronym SAD – who says psychiatrists don’t have a sense of humor? – is estimated to affect roughly four of every 10 Americans annually, according to a 2022 report from the University of Texas, Houston. Women are more likely...
by Jed Assam, MD, Founder and Vitreoretinal Surgeon, VRA Vision Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of vision loss among adults over 65. This condition affects the back of the eye where light is processed by macula. The macula is the part of the retina providing sharp, detailed vision needed for reading, driving, and recognizing faces. Two categories of macular degeneration are “dry” and “wet”. This article will focus on dry macular degeneration and therapy options to help slow vision loss from it. Early Signs a...
by Jill Kruse, DO People often talk about having a “gut feeling” or are told to “listen to their gut” when making a decision. Do you know what your gut is trying to tell you? There are multiple things that your digestive system can do to get your attention. Do you know what your body is trying to tell you? Here are some of the things your gut could be trying to say. Pain just below the breastbone that occurs soon after eating could be a sign of a stomach ulcer. Pain that improves with eating, but then comes back 2-3 hours after eating could be...
