Barling Garage, Meeteetse Wyoming

Sign of the Times

Holscher's Hub: Echos of Parco. Sinclair Wyoming.

From our companion blog; Holscher's Hub: Echos of Parco. Sinclair Wyoming.:

This is linked over here as it fits in quite well with the theme of the blog.  Parco was a company town, as noted below, built by a refining company in 1924-25.  The luxury hotel  was built by the company on the then fairly new Lincoln Highway, and the town no doubt benefited as it was also a stop on the Union Pacific.  Only seven miles away from the larger and older town of Rawlins, the Interstate Highway bypasses it and its a remnant of its former self.

Not too many people stop at Sinclair who are just passing through.  But at one time that wasn't true.  And that's why the town has what was once a luxury hotel (now a Baptist church), a spacious park, really nice tennis courts, and the like.  Only the sign on the hotel remains, as well as a historical monument, to remind us that Sinclair is the town's second name.  It was originally Parco, a company town founded by the founder of what is now the Sinclair Refinery, the Producers & Refiners Corporation.

Shoshoni Lumber Company, Shoshoni Wyoming.

One of the numerous buildings in Shoshoni that have seen better days.

The Equitable Building, Denver Colorado.

These photographs depict Denver's spectacular 1992 vintage Equitable Building.

Still used as an office building, the ornate interior of the building more closely recalls a church than an office building, replete with stained glass windows.

Denver has really had its ups and downs over the years.  It's amazing to think that this building has weathered the storm of them.

Scenes from the A Trail. Abstract murals

Scenes from the A Train. Is it art, or graffiti?

Union Station. Arrival of the A Train

Scenes from the A Train. "Love this City".

Mural on business along Denver's A Train.

Scenes from the A Train. Murals

Some sort of decorated building in Denver, as photographed from the moving A Train.

Scenes from the A Train. Sugar Warehouse, Denver Colorado.

Old sugar warehouse as taken from a moving train, the Denver RTD A Line.

Shoshoni street scene

A recent street scene from Shoshoni, Wyoming.

The lumber and furniture stores are closed, and the mural of an Indian family, on a building in this tiny town which borders the Wind River Reservation, is not only probably offensive but clearly from a bygone era.  The bar remains open. The big red building used to be the legendary Yellowstone Drug Store, famous for its malts, but its relocated down the street in a location that borders the highway.  I haven't been in it since it moved.

Geronimo Mural, Shoshoni Wyoming

To say that the small Wyoming town of Shoshoni has seen better days would be to be exaggerating to the positive.  While the town hangs on, the old downtown district is a mess.

I don't know the vintage of these declining and fading murals, but they're well known to Wyomingites. They're flaking off and the buildings are collapsing, truly existing in a highly dangerous state, so these scenes will undoubtedly disappear soon.

Painted Bricks: Today In Wyoming's History: The City of Casper pon...

Painted Bricks: Today In Wyoming's History: The City of Casper pon...: Today In Wyoming's History: The City of Casper ponders closing Fort Casper Mus... :  I've photographed Ft. Caspar a zillion times, b...

The council determined not to close the Fort fro the winter months.



Good for them!

Today In Wyoming's History: The City of Casper ponders closing Fort Casper Mus...

Today In Wyoming's History: The City of Casper ponders closing Fort Casper Mus...:  I've photographed Ft. Caspar a zillion times, but of course I can't find any of my photos of the post itself right now.  Anyhow...

Lex Anteinternet: The Corner Store. . . .isn't there.

Lex Anteinternet: The Corner Store. . . .isn't there.: I went to work on Monday and found that I'd left my reading glasses somewhere else. I have to use reading glasses now thanks to ...

Paws

Holscher's Hub: Spirals

Holscher's Hub: Spirals

Lex Anteinternet: Happy Centenary! Things or rather places, that ar...

Lex Anteinternet: Happy Centenary! Things or rather places, that ar...: I've been meaning to post this forever but just wasn't in any big hurry to do it. Then it suddenly dawned on me that if I didn't...

The Gaslight Social Club, Casper Wyoming, at night.

One of several new eating and drinking establishments in Casper Wyoming, the Gaslight Social Club occupies what had originally been the American Nuclear building, and thereafter part of the Houston Plumbing Supply Company, at which time its upper floor was converted into an apartment, one of the very first older buildings in Casper to see such a conversion.

The interior of the building features Prohibition Era speakeasy murals.

Slightly out of focus. . . the egg beater

Hmmm. . . .a not very good photo of one of the purported "Seven Wonders of Casper", the dysfunctional Wells Fargo Bank "egg beater".

Built by what was then Wyoming National Bank, it originally, and indeed up until fairly recently, held a time and temperature sign.  Structural problems lead to that being removed, which were followed by howls of protests when it appeared the odd shaped structure itself would come down.

It hasn't, but it sort of serves as a sad reminder of a different time.

Railroad side buildings, Greeley Colorado

Railroad side buildings in Greeley, Colorado.  Unfortunately, I can't read the signs.

Lex Anteinternet: Some things don't bear the test of time

Lex Anteinternet: Some things don't bear the test of time: The former Budget Inn in Rawlins, Wyoming.  It was probably pretty modern looking when built, I'd guess in the 1950s or early 1960s. ...

Bicycle Path, Casper Wyoming

I know what it means. . . but for all the world it looks like an insignia for Corporal of Bicycles.

Rotary Sidewalk Clock, Casper Wyoming

This is a newly installed Rotary Club sidewalk clock in Casper, Wyoming.  This was photographed during Casper's Eclipse Festival which drew a large crowed.  The clock is located at the town's new downtown plaza.

Clocks like this are sponsored by Rotary Clubs all over the country, but this is the first such clock in Casper Wyoming, and only the second sidewalk clock in Caspser of which I'm aware.  I'd never seen an actual example prior to this and was surprised by how large they are.  Very nice attractive clock.

Occident Flour, Fairview Montana

This building in Fairview, Montana advertises "Occident Flour" which apparently maintained it "costs more--worth it".  I don't know what the building itself was used for.  This is located in the wheat growing region of Montana.

Urban Bottle, (Pacific Fruit Warehouse), Casper Wyoming

This is the old Pacific Fruit Warehouse which as been remodeled as Rocca's Sicilian restaurant and Urban Bottle, a liquor store.  Urban Bottle features a new painted sign resembling those that were common in southern Europe, with that look no doubt being intentional.

Toyota Body Shop, Casper Wyoming

This photo is proof that not all "ghost signs" are from before World War Two.  The old Toyota body shop in downtown Casper Wyoming, which had this sign painted on it during the 1970s.

Utility Box, Casper Wyoming

This utility box has been on this site before from when it featured downtown historic Casper buildings.  Now it features native fish.

Morey Mercantile Company Building, Denver Colorado

This building, and the one to the immediately left, were owned by the C. S. Morey Mercantile Company.  I'm not sure of its vintage or what its used for today.

Inkmonstr mural, Denver Colorado.

I have no idea what the story behind this is, but this Inkmonstr mural is located in downtown Denver, Colorado.

Spratlen-Anderson Wholesale Grocery Company (Edbrooke Lofts), Denver Colorado

This is the Spratlen-Anderson Wholesale Grocery Company Building, and neighboring buildings, in downtown Denver Colorado. Today this it the Edbrooke Lofts.  The building was constructed in 1905 with a floor added in 1911.  The grocery company was dissolved in 1923 after which the Davis Brothers Drug Company occupied the company until 1957.  It was converted to lofts in 1990.

The M. J. O'Fallon Plumbing Company (Colorado Saddlery) Building, Denver Colorado

This building in Lower Downtown Denver was built for the M. J. O'Fallon Plumbing Supply Company whose painted bricks still adorn it.  The most famous industry to occupy this 1906 structure, however, was Colorado Saddlery which only moved out of it in 2005 after having occupied it since 1945.  Today it houses shops and lofts.

"LoDo Wellness Center", Denver Colorado

I've been going by this giant mural of a guitar playing cowboy for years and I have in mind that it used to be a Sheplers store in downtown Denver.  Now, of course, in weedy Denver it's apparently a marijuana dispensary.  Oh well.

Wax Trax, Denver Colorado.

This is a photograph of Wax Trax, the legendary Denver record story located in two side by side old buildings in that city.  Currently its adorned with a large painting of Lemmy Kilmister, the late front man for the band Motorhead.

This photo was obviously taken from a distance, and inside a vehicle, so the large mural isn't easily visible in the photo but it was taken from a well known photograph of Kilmister in which he's wearing a short brimmed hat featuring a U.S. Army crossed saber device and an Ordinance branch device.  Kilmister had a thing for military paraphernalia.

Painted Bricks: Purina Elevator, Denver Colorado

A new elevator mural:

Formerly:

Purina Elevator, Denver Colorado:

Terrible photo, but the elevator features a puppy playing with a ball.

 Hmmm. . . puppy replaced by a kitten. . . symbolic?

Sonic Rainbow, Casper Wyoming: Independent Record Store Day, 2017

This store has featured here before. This is the Sonic Rainbow record store in Casper Wyoming.  Every year it features new original window art for Independent Record Store Day.  On this occasion, its patrons were lined up early in the morning waiting for it to open for that event.

The crowd would grow larger on this rainy morning. These people were there early.

Lex Anteinternet: 1917 The Year that made Casper what it is. Or ma...

Lex Anteinternet: 1917 The Year that made Casper what it is. Or ma...: I have no before and after pictures for Casper that would cleanly show what the town looked like in January, 1916 and then later looked lik...