https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/106a3604a8dbf07331823d33656c6f7c.pdf cd7ef3ed8262b858978defce397c3e85 PDF Text Text V.’alter H. Jones 10257 1-iorse Lee KVanston, Wyoming 82930 Tins saj\’d iL\n Casper’s once-famous 3and Bnr district has had a colorful and varied history. In the 90 years that have passed since the founding: of the city, the Sand Ear has changed in appearance find character several times. Each change reflects a different period in Casper's history. At first, the hand j>.r was an unattractive piece of sandy, swampy low ground at the western ed/'c of Casper. Every spring the North Platte river would overflow its banks and cover tlie Sand Bar with water. Once this spring flooding had subsided each year, the Platte would divide at a bond along the Sand Bar and would leave a beach of sand between its ti-/o branches. Prom this beach came the nickname "Sand Bar." People used to fish from the banks of the Platte along the Sand Bar, and the town deposited its garbage in the area. But the district v/asn't very important to a small, unprogressive to;>zn of several hundred people. Then the federal government sponsored tlie construction of Pathfinder dam. Once this project w'as completed in 19O9» 2.nd once the Burlington railroad had built its oil spur tracks along the Platte through Lhe gand Bar in 191^, the atumal flooding ceased to plague the Sand iJar, Tin- area, had become habitable. It was the oil boom of 1917 that encouraged people to build tenement houses, hotels and various businesses on the Sand Bar, Casper had become crowded because of the boom, end the Sand Bar had become valuable real estate. But the quality of development in the district left much to be desired, rapidly and as cheaply as possible. wooden shanty town. houses v;ere throvzn together Joon tht; J.-nid Bar resembled a �2 Hot many months passed after tnc initiaJ <Jevolopment of the Oand bar before tliere xvas trouble in -cho district. 1917, tvjo murders were comi.iittcd there, In December, i'i.e .j<uvd Bar was rapidly gaining a repu tation for being a. dangcr<'un and cuKiesirable place to live. The most famous murder to occur on the hand Bar happened in 1921, when a woman from Oklahoma tracked a msji dovm on the Saiid Bar and siiot him to death at a street carnival there. The vrarnan, known as the Lady Barber of Hurburnett, liad followed her victim up froin Texas vaiery he had destroyed laany of her possessions 1 olloiving a lovers’ dispute, At a long and complicated trial, tne woman was found guilty of second degree murder :tnd sentenced to 21 years in prison. The 1920's were the Band Bar’s heyday. This was a prosperous time for Casper, and many single people came to town to seek money and excitement, fjnong these people were women of ill repute who moved dovni to the .>and Bar where they operated from small twoIiost of these cribs were located on Dorth room houses called cribs. Ash and ’.Jest B streets. West B. Several larger houses of ill fame were on It has been boasted that as many as 2,000 prostitutes once plied their, trade on the Band Bai'', but a more accurate estimate would probably be 175« Many of the vivid memories of the S.ind Bar were those of seeing women sitting in the windows of their cribs as they tried to entice customers into their bedrooms. But there were other reasons for the d?uid Bar to be remembered. A fine movie and vaudeville theater existed on West First street. This was the Columbia which opened in I921 and lasted until’the fall of 1928. I-Mny excellent vaudeville shows were presented at the Columbia, and perl'ormors came from as fiir ai/ay as Mew York City to to play t'uere. Today, the building vjhich once housed the theater is a paint and glass shop. jlnothe:- well-lcnowi') place of entertainment was tlie Jazzland �Brattis grocery store is Theater which stood roughly where the new mr.tchcn on Friday now. This thc-tter had fine jasz music, boxing ovniers oltcn ran nights, an) occasional silent movies. But its cocaine so the place into trouble trying to sell bootleg whinKv ••md court orders. It was f ronuontly. clo.sed dovm by police laid... and demolished during the went out of business in the niid-1920'3 chd Great Depression. Sand Bar during the One of the most fascinrvbing places on the Church. This church vias built in 1917 1920's was the Second liantist Sunday meetings, social events anc choral and compiled a fine record of better parts of Casper. In the late entertainment for churches in relocated in another area of 1920's, the Second Baptist Church was Sand bar v/as unique town. Its contribution to the history of the in such contrast to the events that made in that its activities were in ----the district famous. , 1950'3 were hard on Casper and ended the Sand Bar s The overall, the city's uopul-ation dwindled, and business on the heyday. ' fell off sharply. One famous house of ill fame propered, Sand Bar even dui-int the Great Depression. This was mcxican bary's however, w Tt iJfia ptated that when two-story brick building on Best B. It place, a ,lary left tovm in the 19'*0's. =^he was a wealthy woman. Mexican ?•: ■ 5O's and 60's, the Band Bar steadily deteriorated During the 19^0’s The” decline which started during the depression was into a slvjn. '— -accelerated by officials of the ilrmy /dr Porcc Base in 1942 when they declared the Sand Bar 'off limits' to all military personnel. During the 1940's and 50's, many of the.old wooden houses were boarded up or rented to puiet people who could not affor any place better to live. nnd early 50's the Radio Bar One lively snot during the ^10's building that had once housed a on 'West First street, Situated in a anti JO'S, the Radio Bar carried respectable restuarant in the 1920'3 Its most notorious on the Gand Bar’s wild and violent reputation. �4 rnonip-nt came in 19^9 when an arfpimont ov(?r it card game in a back room at the bar ended in the stabbinc deith of one of the card players. Tne victim, bin throat slit open, nta/:/;ered out of the back room and died face down in a !>ool of blood. In 195^1, the liadio Bar's liquor license was transfex-ed to a drive-up liquor store else where in toxjn, and the bai* itself went out of business. In the early 1970's, Casper began a program of redeveloping the sand Bar. ;\n Urban Renewal A/rency wan created, and federal money I'Zas cotfunitted to the project. After ap.oraising much of the property north ol i.'eot hirst street, the Urban iienewal Agency purchased the IMrid cuid denxolished the buildings there. Tnen in resnlii the properties lor light industry, offices, public buildings and a senior citizens' housing complex. During the ?V!ency's existence and for the past year and a half, the band Bar's appearance has changed drastically. It is an historic irony that an area wljich once was the scene of prostitution and murder would later be the site of a criminal administration building, a city hall, several law offices, a;id a fire station. fixe wand Bar of 1978 is so different from the area in I917 that It is doubtful that anyone who has not seen the district for many years would even recognize the place. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Walter R. Jones Manuscripts and Other Writings Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a> Description An account of the resource Manuscript versions of Walter R. Jones's Sand Bar and other pieces of his writing, published or unpublished. Language A language of the resource ENG Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Walter R. Jones Papers, NCA 01.v.1996.01 US WyCaC. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context NCA 01.v.1996.01 Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Sandbar Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ Subject The topic of the resource Casper (inhabited place) Description An account of the resource Article written by Walter R. Jones on the Sandbar Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Walter R. Jones Language A language of the resource ENG Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Walter R. Jones Papers, NCA 01.v.1996.01 US WyCaC. Casper College Archives and Special Collections. Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context NCA 01.v.1996.01_TheSandBar Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource PDF Extent The size or duration of the resource. 4 pages