A look at the change in fashion trends

Hannah Gross
NLJ Correspondent 
With Leonard Cash
 
Historian Leonard Cash continues his “History on Main” series with a look at what happened after Newcastle Mercantile and McCrea’s Mercantile moved out of block 10 on lot 10, The story picks up in the 1930s with a discussion of the various clothing stores that once occupied the building, including Snyder’s, Olinger’s and Halls. 
Cash starts with an article from the May 28, 1931, News Letter Journal where we learn that the Snyder Mercantile Co., said to be one of the lead firms of merchandising of Eastern Wyoming, leased the building next to Castle Theater, which was on lot 11, Cash said. Snyder’s operated out of Lusk for 40 years, and V.S. Olinger, the vice president and manager of the Lusk store, was responsible for settling the company in its Newcastle location.  
According to the June 11, 1931 issue, Snyder’s was to carry a complete line of men’s and women’s clothing. Homer Hughes was the manager of the men’s department while Agnes Johnson took charge of the ladies’ side. Even after the store’s founder Harry Chayse Snyder passed away, the store was still operated by his family, and “the name Snyder has always meant quality merchandise in Eastern Wyoming.” The Lusk and Newcastle stores were to be operated in connection to give it “the added advantage of the buying power of the pioneer establishment and will receive goods direct from Eastern manufacturing which will give Newcastle shoppers the very latest in style and price.” 
By Nov. 26, 1932, Olinger’s opened up in the Snyder location. According to an advertisement from Nov. 24, the store provided millinery, footwear, “gossard” corsets, dresses, “munsingwear” hose and
interwoven socks. The advertisement invited the community’s “inspection.” 
The following month, Olinger’s put in a creative advertisement in the Dec. 29, 1932, edition of the News Letter Journal that takes the reader on a journey through time by comparing the over 50-year difference in fashion trends from 1882 to 1933. 
In 1882, the article noted that the women wore hoop skirts, bustles, petticoats, corsets, cotton stockings, high-buttoned shoes, ruffled cotton undergarments, flannel nightgowns and “puffs in hair.” They also did their own cooking, baking, cleaning, washing, ironing and raising of large families —“too busy to be sick.” They were known for faithfully attending church on Sundays. 
Men typically had whiskers and wore square hats, ascot ties, red flannel undergarments and big watches and chains. They chopped wood, only bathed once a week and drank 10-cent whiskey and 5-cent beer. The modes of transportation included bicycles, buggies and sleighs. Men in that day were involved in politics, worked 12-hour days “and lived to a ripe old age.” 
Before moving on to the fashion of the 1930s, the article included a note on the stories of the time. Store owners used coal oil lamps, stocked everything from a needle to a plow, trusted everybody, never took an inventory and placed orders for stock a year in advance. It was also noted that they “always made money.” 
By 1933, the women of “today” wore silk stockings, short skirts, low shoes, no corsets and “an ounce of underwear.” The common hairstyle was a bob, and it wasn’t unusual to see the ladies smoke, “paint and powder,” drink cocktails, play bridge, drive cars, own dogs and get involved in politics. 
“Men have high blood pressure, wear no hats and some no hair, shave their whiskers, shoot golf, bathe twice a day, drink poison, play the stock market, ride in airplanes, never go to bed the same day they get up — are misunderstood at home — work five hours a day, play 10 — die young,” the article says, in contrast
to 1882.
Store owners relied on electric power, had cash registers and elevators, trusted nobody, never had what customers wanted, never purchased stock in advance, never took an inventory. With all the “dollar day, founder’s day, rummage, (and) economy day sales,” they never made money. 
“But we’re glad to be in Newcastle. We’re glad we’re not living fifty years ago. We want to remind you we’re going to have a January Clearance Sale. And now—a Happy New Year for 1933,” the advertisement says. 
A news report from May 4, 1939, announced that the front of the store was remodeled to a similar finish of the Castle Theater next-door, with the exception that the store was colored brown rather
than cream. 
On July 23, 1943, a bill of sale was signed in which Sam and Hellen Hale purchased the Newcastle ready-to-wear store from Ralph Olinger and his wife, according the Sometime Ago section of the July 22, 1993, paper. The Hales were familiar faces to the community and required “no introduction” and planned to operate the store under the same name. Additionally, Sam was the superintendent at the Newcastle school since 1940. 
An article from March 7, 1946, noted that the Olingers left Newcastle and opened a new apparel store in Lusk. By Sept. 5, 1946, the News Letter Journal reported that C.M. Hall replaced Helen Hale at Olinger’s Clothing, which Hale had for three years.  Later C.M. Halls and his wife took over the Newcastle store and changed the name from Olinger’s to Halls’, according to a news report from Jan. 1, 1948, but soon after, they moved out
and moved to Arizona for Halls’ heath. 
“We wish to take this means of thanking our many friends and customers for the fine patronage extended us during the past two years in which we operated our clothing store,” the Halls said in the March 11, 1948 paper. 
The company was sold to Wallack Department Store was the next business to move in. Ralph Wallack was the grand chaplain of the Order of the Eastern Star of Colorado, and he was also a Masonic Lodge member and Shriner. By July 1, 1948, they installed an X-Ray machine, which was used for an interesting purpose. Cash recalled that whenever shoes were purchased at
Wallacks, the customers didn’t leave until an X-ray was taken of their feet to ensure they fit properly. However, the store had to stop this practice because there was no protection against the radiation. 
Evidently, Wallack didn’t stay long in that building because according to an article from June 9, 1949, they were constructing a new building, which Cash said is the present-day home of the
Wedding Closet. 
Next week, Cash will discuss the series of flower shops that occupied the lot 10 after the clothing stores.