The life of the Weston County Courthouse: Part IV

By Bri Brasher 
with Leonard Cash
NLJ Reporter
 
Historian Leonard Cash continued the tale of the Weston County courthouse by explaining the legal notice that concluded last week’s installment of the History on Main Series. Mr. Williams, the contractor hired for the project, was removed from the project.
“The deal was he (Williams) didn’t order enough material, so the architect took it over,” Cash said. 
Further information on the issue was presented the same day as the legal notice, Aug. 12, 1910. “Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be sent by registered mail by the clerk of the said county of Weston state of Wyoming to the United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company of Baltimore Maryland, which said company indemnifies the said Board of County Commissioners against loss under said Building contract by their bond No 9146,
dated 9th day of August
A D 1910 Board of County commissioners for Weston County, Wyoming. John Blakeley, Chairman; John Nolan; Matt Hill.”
The next notice in Cash’s records hit the stands on Oct. 7, 1910, when it was reported that Hiram Zook and his assistants were “making good progress with the work of plastering the court house.” Then, on Oct. 21, 1910, the News Letter Journal reported that “the county commissioners met Wednesday by appointment with the representatives of the successful bidder on furniture and fixtures for the court house for the purpose of accepting specifications and completing the contract. The work on the  court house is being rapidly pushed under the personal supervision of Architect Randall.”
Further updates on the building process were released on the local press on Dec. 2, 1910, when architect
C.A. Randall was having the stone columns installed at the front entrance of the new courthouse building while work on the inside was being completely quickly. 
As of Feb. 3, 1911, the clerk of the district court began occupying his office in the courthouse building, according to Cash’s records from the News Letter Journal. A month later, the paper published more information on the move-in process, reporting that  “the March terms of the District court will convene Monday and we are informed that we’ll probably continue for about two weeks. It was hoped to have the new court room for use, but now it is a matter of doubt owing to an error in the shipment of the furniture and other equipment for this room. It is possible that even with this delay, the shipment may arrive in time to be installed during the first part of next week.”
Soon after, on March 10, 1911, the News Letter Journal announced that “the goddess of Justice and the flag pole surrounded by the eagle have this week been put in their respective place on the new court house building.”
“That’s that angel that sits on the top of the courthouse with the weighing scales on either side of her,” said Cash, who said the angel is still
there. The angel is a common figure on courthouses, according to Cash. 
The county clerk moved in to the new quarters of the courthouse, as reported in the press on April 21, 1911. Randall remained hard at work in the area, as the News Letter Journal wrote of his next project on May 26, 1911: “Architect Randall has been in Belle Fourche several days on business connected with the new court house to be constructed at that place and for which  he has been engaged as superintending architect. The building will be on the same general plan as the Weston county building but will be constructed of brick, the only stone used above the foundation to be as trimmings.” Cash added that the materials for
the pillars had to be strong,
and they came from Whoop-
Up Canyon. 
Reports on the courthouse continued into the fall of 1911. On Sept. 8, 1911, the News Letter Journal reported that contractor John H. Dasch and a large group were working on the courthouse’s landscape to add to “the beauty of the splendid court house.” Soon after, the architect accepted another job for a building in Lead, South Dakota. Cash said Dasch was a sub-contractor that did the dirt work at the courthouse, while Architect Randall oversaw the construction when Williams was let go. John L. Sundstrom, Carl Sundstrom,  and Robert Julian, and Oscar Linden were stone masons, according to Cash. 
“The bonding company had to pay the county so much money because M.J. Williams didn’t have enough material for the project, and the company had insured Williams to complete the project.”
On Oct. 13,1911, the News Letter Journal reported that “the county commissioners are being generally congratulated on the good settlement of $8500 they received from the U.S. Fidelity & Guaranty Company on the court house bond.”
Word of a bond awarded to the county commissioners for the courthouse started to come out in the press in October 1911. A full explanation, “A good settlement,” ran on Oct. 20, 1911, in the News Letter Journal: “In the adjustment with the county commissioners for $8500 of the William contract for the construction of the court house. The United States Fidelity and Guaranty Co. of Baltimore sustained its reputation for doing the right thing. Complications circumstances attending the failure of Mr. Williams to complete the work made a satisfactory adjustment more of an equitable than a technical question, that the settlement was made on their basis and with the utmost satisfaction and good feeling is a matter of congratulation to all around. Mr. H.H. Clark who represented the bonding company in its settlement with the commissioners is one of Denver’s best lawyers and is an exceptional attorney in the characteristic of conscientiously seeking for justice instead of mere technical advantage. Mr. Clark is a credit to his profession, a businessman of square principle and has made some warm friend in this community. Kugland & Raynor, the company local agent are entitled to credit for their good office in matters leading to this satisfactory settlement.” 
Cash’s records then jump to the first week of December 1911, when Randall returned to Newcastle from Belle Fourche, a trip he made to look over the new library building of his design. The Dec. 7, 1911, article also said that Randall stopped in Deadwood, where he was awarded a contract for that city’s auditorium building, said to cost $30,000.
 
The courthouse timeline  will continue next week.