New telephone lines, bees and bears attack

June 5, 1913

100 years ago

Putting in Telephone Lines

J.D. Kilborn arrived here Tuesday with a crew of men from Elk Mountain. Yesterday morning they left for Ten Mile where they will commence the re-construction of the government telephone lines. They will put in all summer in the Medicine Bow forest putting in lines to connect the Forest stations all up and down the reserve. They will also connect up Laramie and Saratoga through the Reserve so that any ranger station can be reached from either Laramie or Saratoga. The contract was let to the Carbon Timber Company and Mr. Kilborn is in charge of the work.

June 2, 1938

75 years ago

Local Girls Suffer Honey Bee Stings

Two daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Joe Silva had a painful experience last Saturday afternoon, when they were attacked by a small swarm of honey bees and were stung many times about the forehead and around the ears. The girls, Mildred and Eva Lou, were enroute to the Kendall home from their home on the hill in the west part of town, carrying some laundry. The bees, which apparently had become lost from a truck-load which passed through town earlier in the day, attacked them as they came down the road west of the Chas Fryer home. The girls ran toward town, one of them taking haven at the Fryer home, and the other running on to the Kendall home. The bees clinging to the girls were removed with sprays, and the children rushed to the doctor. It is reported over 200 stingers were removed from one of the girls’ head. While both were quite ill from the poison injected, neither suffered any serious effects, and are recovering from the experience very rapidly.

June 6, 1963

50 years ago

Platts Bag Two Bear on Beaver Creek Ranch

Ronald Platt, 20 year old son of Encampment rancher, Ralph Platt Jr., claimed a record-sized game kill Monday night when he shot a brown bear on the Platt ranch. The animal, thin yet from winter hibernation, weighed 353 pounds and it was estimated that later in the season, well fed, he would probably top 550 pounds. He measured over seven feet. According to Mr. Platt, he and his son were out hunting when they came upon two bear- the big brown and a smaller black bear, fighting. The noise was nerve-wrangling, they report. Upon sighting the men, the bear broke off their battle and ran but both were brought down. Six shots, fired at about 300 yards range, were required to kill the big brown bear. The kill will probably be eligible for entry in the Boone and Crockett sportsmen record book, Mr. Platt said.

June 8, 1988

25 years ago

New outfitting business opens in Saratoga

Out West Safaris is the name of a new outfitting business located in Saratoga. Gene Carrico is the outfitter and guides include Rob Mclean and Rod Hill. Mike Bishop is in charge of the retail outlet. Mclean said the group began the business last year in Rawlins but thought Saratoga would prove to be a better location. The company is open for business, offering photographic, fishing and scenic river trips and historic tours of stage stops and old forts. Out West Safaris will also offer hunting trips this fall. In addition, the company will also have sporting goods such as fishing tackle and odds and ends for the sportsman. Although they have merchandise on hand, the store is not ready to open yet because they are still in the process of modifying the building which formerly housed Kleeman’s Conoco at the corner of 1st and Bridge Streets.