Wyoming Mountaineers at Casper College (WMCC)
These photographs are from the Wyoming Mountaineers of Casper College collection covering the years from 1955 through 1958. The WMCC was established by Albert "Walt" Bailey in the 1950s to give Casper College students the opportunity to go rappelling and learn about climbing techniques for a semester as an extracurricular activity. Walt himself was an avid outdoorsman and an outstanding mountaineer who grew the WMCC from a few interested students to a wide range of diverse people coming together to climb and enjoy adventures that spanned several states. From the Red Rocks on Casper Mountain and Devils Tower in Northeastern Wyoming to the Horn at Shiprock in Colorado, these students got to experience incredible views and captivating climbs while in the WMCC.
Walt was the Director of Student Personnel Services at Casper College as well as the main instructor and leader of the WMCC. His classes received national attention in TIME Magazine publication when he instituted the climb of Devils Tower as the student's final examination. Walt climbed Devils Tower 27 times, including ascents of both the Durrance and Wiessner routes and a new tension-route established by him and some of his students in 1956, known as the Casper College Route. That same year, Walt was instrumental in bringing climbers from many sections of the country to climb the Tower during Mountaineer's Week, a special feature of the 50th Anniversary of the establishment of Devils Tower as the Nation’s first National Monument.
Walt had climbed extensively in the United States, Canada, and Europe and was a Life Member of The American Alpine Club. He also belonged to the French Alpine Club, The Boulder Group of the Colorado Mountain Club, and climbing organizations in Mexico. During World War II, Walt went through three years of combat with the Army Air Corps in the South Pacific. He was awarded the Air Medal eight times and received the Distinguished Flying Cross. The many friends of Walt Bailey were greatly shocked to hear of his untimely death in Peru on June 29th. Walt was a member of the North American Andean Expedition which was attempting the ascent of Mount Alpamayo (20,080 feet). The mountain is said to be one of the most difficult peaks in the Cordillera Blanca. His death was caused by pneumonia at an elevation of 16,000 feet. The “A. W. Bailey Memorial Scholarship” has been established by Walt’s students in his memory. Walt is dearly missed by his friends, fellow faculty members, and especially his students.
Walt was a beloved member of the Casper College community and truly knew how to experience adventure and culture in Wyoming. The photographs he and Chuck Morrison took of the WMCC and their climbs are a testament to the incredible feats and accomplishments of the climbers who made the WMCC so memorable.
Researchers should also note Raymond G. Jacquot and David E. Reynolds book CC on the Rocks: the Story of the Wyoming Mountaineers of Casper College: 1955-1959, available in the archives.
Read more about Walt, Bailey Peak, and the WMCC here:
Bailey Peak : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost
