Peek at the Past

100 Years Ago

November 30, 1922

Sundance Post of the American Legion will put on a novelty dance entertainment Thanksgiving night in the way of a “49 dance.” All the bad men from Bitter creek and smooth workers from Dead Man’s Gulch will be on hand to entertain the chechaco. Everything will be wide open with the lid broken off and it’s certain to be a wild, gay night. It is said the boys have a fund of $13,000 to stage the event, and money will flow like water.

Chas. Rathbun, an employee of the Empire Sheep company, was victim of a most peculiar accident on Tuesday morning. He was hauling hay and had a 22 rifle on the load with him. Upon getting off at a gate the gun started to slide from the load. He reached up with a pitchfork to push the gun back when it discharged. The ball entered his right arm above the elbow, followed the bone up the arm and lodged in his back below the shoulder blade. Fortunately, the ball did not strike any bones. He was brought to town for medical attention and the rifle ball located and cut out. The wound, while a painful one, is not considered dangerous.

75 Years Ago

December 4, 1947

John Schwartz, Sundance restaurant operator, suffered a burned eye and first-degree facial burns Tuesday when a gas heated oven at the café blew up as he opened it to take out some food. In explaining the explosion, which knocked him back against a sink four feet away, Schwartz said that he had the oven piping hot, that he had taken a few minutes before some items from the oven and that evidently when the oven door shut it had blown out the gas flame and upon opening again the unburned escaping gas was ignited by all the burners that were being used on top of the stove. It was said there would probably be no permanent damage to the eye.

The serving of hot lunches at the Moorcroft school began Monday of this week. Mrs. Sestrap is to have charge of the hot lunches. It is reported that it is possible to start serving the lunches at this time through the cooperation of the Pythian Sisters and the community. Cost of the hot lunches will be 20 cents each.

50 Years Ago

November 30, 1972

A Lusk couple, Dick and Connie Baker, Saturday purchased the Powder Puff Salon and the Jensen building in Sundance from Gary and Peggy Jensen. The sale was handled through Rose Zella Proctor of Mile-Hi Realty. Baker, 21, said Wednesday he will open The Line Shack in the presently vacant half of the building. The new shop, featuring saddles, a complete line of tack and western clothing, is tentatively expected to open late next week, Baker said.

State Fire Marshal Ed Bradley said last week he would like to see the condemned Sundance school demolished. However, Bradley said he saw no danger in faculty members holding meetings in the 66-year-old school. Bradley noted the group probably would not be a large one in any event but added, “I’d like to see the building demolished.” The old Sundance elementary school was condemned in September 1971 with students evacuated from the building that fall. Students are currently attending classes in the courthouse basement and in two portable classrooms.

25 Years Ago

December 4, 1997

Sundance now has a new recycling center. The new facility was delivered to its new home on Friday, November 28. City maintenance foreman John Kiplinger was on hand to supervise the positioning of the new building on the site of the old Sundance dog pound, on the Sundance Mountain frontage road.