Capitol Hotel, Buffalo Wyoming

The Capitol Hotel building on Main Street, Buffalo Wyoming.

Grain Elevator, Leister Wyoming

A grain elevator near Leister Wyoming.

Elder, Quinn & McGill Company Building, Casper Wyoming

This building is the Elder, Quinn and McGill Building in Casper, Wyoming. I'm not really familiar with this company, but I believe it does construction work of some type. They've had a very long presence in Casper, and obviously owned this building at some point. I don't know if they still own it. This downtown building is directly across from the railroad and very near Natrona Transfer and Storage.

Fire Station No. 1, Casper Wyoming

This is Casper's old Fire Station No. 1, now a commercial office building. The newer looking brick work on the right is an addition.

This is a bit out of the scope of this blog, as this old fire station has no painted signs on it. Still, it does have some decorative work identifying it as a fire station. This fire station was still in use as a fire station as late as the 1970s, and after the last fire trucks were moved two blocks to the north to a new station, it hung on for some time in other uses for the Casper Fire Department. As can be seen from the details at the top of the building, it was built in 1921.

Occidental Hotel, Buffalo Wyoming

This depicts Main Street, downtown Buffalo Wyoming. The building in the foreground is the Occidental Hotel, a very old Buffalo Hotel that has seen such varied occupants as Theodore Roosevelt and Butch Cassidy. Another Buffalo hotel is seen further up the street.

Natrona County International Airport Mural

Mural depicting the history and industries of Natrona County, Wyoming, in the Natrona County International Airport.

Best Out West elevator, Sheridan Wyoming

Old elevator in Sheridan Wyoming. This elevator belonged to the Best Out West flour mill, and apparently this was the mill. The hotel next to it is named after the mill.

Opal, Wyoming

Old painted store side in Opal, Wyoming. This was a fairly substantial structure, in what was an isolated small town, and as the sign indicates, the store included groceries amongst its offerings. Gasoline and Oil were also advertised, as can be seen. A tiny super store, in its day, or a substantial general store, if more properly considered.

L&L Fabrication, Gillette Wyoming

This is an enormous industrial building in Gillette Wyoming which features a mural of regional businesses on its side. Impressive mural.

Feed Store Elevator, Lander Wyoming

Classically painted feed store elevator in Lander, Wyoming.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, Denver Colorado

This is an usual modern example of a painted building logo, this one located on the roof of the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company restaurant in Denver, Colorado. Bubba Gump's is a chain, but I doubt all have this feature. This painted logo, viewed here upside down as viewed from the Embassy Suites, is painted so that the logo is visible from the hotel across the street.

This was photographed on a snowy day, so the logo is not entirely clear.

Dupler Brothers Fur Building, Denver Colorado

Downtown Denver used to have several furriers and fur warehouses. This was one of them.

Noland Feed Store

This is example of a long time business, still in business with a painted brick building. The Noland Feed store, in downtown Casper, Wyoming features a painted logo, and painted representations of some of what it offers.

One you definately do not see anymore, brickwork, Thermopolis Wyoming

Here's one that you would not see done again, and you might also expect to have been changed since 1945. Swastika motif in brickwork.

This is not as sinister as it might seem. Swastikas showed up as ornamental designs in quite a few things prior to World War Two, and they bore no association at all with the Nazi Party. In the west, they were associated with Indians, and were regarded as an Indian good luck symbol. Chances are that the architect of this Thermopolis, Wyoming building had that in mind, as Thermopolis is not far from the Wind River Reservation.

Evanston Wyoming

Downtown Evanston, Wyoming, with many old painted signs in evidence.

Prairie Publishing Company Window

The Townsend Hotel--Townsend Justice Center

A building figuring in several posts below has now entered new service, but with its old painted signs intact.

What was once the Townsend Hotel, a Casper hotel from the golden age of hotels, at one time, and a flop house later on, is now the Natrona County Townsend Justice Center.

Cars of the past

This building serves as the VFW in Lead, South Dakota. It was obviously a fine car dealership, however, offering Hudsons and Terraplanes.

Today, small dealerships of all types are in danger. It hardly seems possible that once every small town had several, let alone that there were so many manufacturers.

Also discussed on Lex Anteinternet.

Virgin Mary Mural in Salt Lake City

I'll admit that this is a bit unusual for this page, but this is a spectacular mural of the Virgin Mary in downtown Salt Lake City. These photos, taken on my cell phone, do not do it justice in any sense.

This building serves as an art gallery and a pizzeria.

Townsend Ghost Signs Get Reprieve

As it turns out, the Townsend Hotel sign will remain after all. . . sort of.

Actually, it's being repainted. The bricks of the building have recently been treated with something, so they look nearly new. The sign will stay, but apparently it will be repainted too.

I'm not sure what to make of that. I like the idea of keeping the sign, but repainting it seems odd. Not as bad as removing it, but not as good as just leaving it alone.

Townsend "Ghost" sign to be no more.

As reported in today's Casper Star Tribune, the Downtown Development Commission has decided that the old sign doesn't comport to the building's new role of being a courthouse. So the sign will be covered.

I suppose there's something to that view, but I'll be sad to see the old sign go.

Townsend Again

These photos show the same building depicted immediately below, but with additions. This is the Townsend Building again, in the process of conversion in to a District Court House.

As you can see, the old Townsend sing, depicted below, can no longer be seen. But the painted sign on the side of the building can be. Right now, the question of whether or not to preserve the painted sign on the side is under advisement.

Updates, Changes, and Disappearing Signs

Two of the buildings depicted here no longer look anything like what is depicted below, an amazing change if you consider that these photographs are less than a year old.

Anyhow, the Townsend Building, one of the first buildings depicted on this site, has been going major alterations, as this site indicated would occur, as it is converted into a courthouse. As a result, the signs depicted on this site are no longer visible, and the building itself looks considerably different. It'll be very intersting to see how the new Townsend Justice Center develops, given as it increases the size of the building by at least a third, and converts it to a use which was never contemplated by the original designers. Suffice it to say, having the building reoccupied for the first time in nearly 30 years will itself be a major change.


Another building, the Natrona Transfer building, has also undergone some renovations, although the structure hasn't been changed. The old painted signs, however, are now gone.

We'll post updated photos on the buildings soon.

Anyhow, it's odd to think that a couple of very old buildings, whose signs had been visible for many, many, years should suddenly loose them to view in a single year. Both old buildings are showing signs of new life, so the changes aren't wholly lamentable by any means. But it does show, I suppose, how things that seem permanent are not.

Natrona Transfer & Storage Company

Natrona Storage & Moving Company was a moving and storage company that dated back many decades. Their substantial building was built just off of the Burlington Northern Railroad, which made for easy shipping in the days when the company relied upon horse drawn wagons to move freight.

This building was in use up until quite recently, although it apparently no longer is being used. In recent years, as the "Allied" sign indicates, the company engaged in interstate moving, as well as local moving and storage.
This photograph was added those above were posted. This photos shows the railroad sidetrack that once served this building.

The painted signs on this building are, in fact, no longer there. Since the original photographs were taken, the building was substantially overhauled and no remnant of the original signs now exists.

Ayres Jewelry

This building is painted with the name of Ayres jewelry. It is perhaps an unusual example, in that Ayres, a very long lasting Casper business, is still in business and is still located at this location, although it has also expanded into a neighboring building. Ayres also has an old fashion sidewalk clock out in front of the building, although it is not visible in the photographs.

In some ways, this photo demonstrates how a well run business is timeless. The business has been in business, in this location, for decades.

Jersey Creamery Inc.

This sign was the business sign for the Jersey Creamery, which was located downtown, near the railroad.

Our grandfather/great grandfather, owned one of the creamery's here in town, which supplied milk to residents and stores. The milk was delivered by milkmen. Unfortunately, we are not certain if this was the one he owned, or if a different one existed in a location that is some distance away. As we cannot recall more than one creamery existing at the same time, this one is probably it.

H-C Ranchwear

The signs on this building are particularly difficult to read, as the building is so close to a much newer building housing a movie theater. The sign for "H-C Ranchwear" is visible, along with part of a business name indicating that the store was a "Supply". I have it in mind that this store was a hardware, ranch supply store, but do not know for certain. It has not housed such a store for many years.

Gustavsen's Garage

This building was built in 1921 and has served a variety of businesses over the years. The signs that remain show the various uses. On the east side of the school is a sign for Great Northern Tool and Supply which apparently had an entrance from the side or the back of the building. The west side of the building advertises a business that stored for sold furs.

In addition to these businesses, for many years this building has been used as an automotive repair facility. This started many years ago, perhaps as long ago as the 1920s or 1930s. It was operated as Gustavsen's Garage for a long period of time, and up until very recently, the painted Gustavsen's sign was clearly visible of the front of the building. The building, which is being renovated to include an automobile museum, in addition to an automotive repair has recently been sandblasted, and the Gustavsen's sign is now gone.

Also of note here, Wyatt's Garage, which was a classically styled gas station. Today it is a tire store, but it was build as a full service gasoline station at this location, which was on the Yellowstone Highway. Another classically styled building across the street was a Lincoln-Mercury dealer for many years, prior to the dealership moving across town. The combination of these buildings gives a good glimpse at what the West Yellowstone Highway District looked like in its heyday, prior to being bypassed by more modern highways.

Lou Taubert Ranch Outfitters

These photographs are of Lou Taubert's Ranch Outfitters, a long time Casper business. The buisiness sells clothing, and as the signs demonstrate, also sells tack and related items. In other words it is, as the sign indicates, a ranch outfitter.

The signs painted on the building are quite large and have been on it for decades. Unfortunately,they are not easy to photograph, given neighboring buildings and street lights. The paintings exist on three of the buildings four sides, including the back of the building, as the bottom photograph demonstrates.

This business is a going concern, and is fully up and running in its long time business. The signs on the side of the building appear quite fresh in comparison to the others depicted here, as they are still occasionally repainted. It has been in this location for decades, but the "1919" referred to does not refer to this store, but the original store in Ft. Laramie, Wyoming.

The Wonder Bar

These photographs are of the "World Famous" Wonder Bar. The Wonder Bar has operated on Center Street for decades, although it has had short periods of time in recent years in which it operated under a different name (Tommy Knockers, Dillingers, and very briefly, "Sludge and Eddies"). Still, the bar has been around so long that even efforts to operate it under a different name do not deter the locals from continuing to refer to it as the Wonder Bar.

Downtown Casper once had a vast number of bars. This are of downtown had multiple bars on a single block. Only the Wonder Bar survives as a bar.

At some point in time, decades ago, Lee Riders paid to paint an advertisement on the side of the bar. The sign is still there, although an effort to paint over it was made at some point. This reflects the stockman heritage of central Wyoming, and indeed at one time quite a few cowboys and sheepherders spent time in the Wonder Bar.

Bowen's Sporting Goods

For many years, this was Bowens Sporting Goods. The building now houses an Orvis store. When it was Bowens, however, it was one of two major, all sports, sporting goods stores in downtown Casper. When it went out of business in the late 80s, the final sale featured everything from tennis supplies to rifle stocks. Bush Wells, the other major downtown sporting goods store, is depicted and mentioned in the entry below.

The Wonder Bar, which is featured in an entry immediately above, is also visible in this photograph.