Making history, Annual historical society meeting returns to Newcastle

From Friday, Sept. 6, to Sunday, Sept. 8, the Weston County chapter of the Wyoming Historical Society will host the state organization’s annual meeting, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that it will be a historic gathering because the last time the local chapter hosted this event was about three decades ago.

During the get-together, members will attend to important business, such as swearing in new members and voting for any changes to the organization’s bylaws, but the local chapter is preparing to offer multiple events free to the public that should be of interest to both historical society members and nonmembers alike.

A variety of guided tours will take place Friday afternoon. These will include tours of the Anna Miller Museum, downtown Newcastle, downtown Upton and the Beaver Creek Loop. A speaker will also be present at Newcastle’s oldest place of worship, Christ Episcopal Church, to tell about the church’s history and the origins of its stained-glass windows.

On Friday evening, a tour of Old Town and the Red Onion Museum will take place in Upton. Upton resident Sam Haptonstall will present the history of Old Town.

Two separate sit-down presentations will be held on Saturday at around 2:30 p.m. Lucas Keeler will discuss Whoop-Up Canyon, and Rhonda Stearns will share information about Cheyenne River cowboys and cowgirls.

“She (Stearns) is the premier cowgirl of Weston County,” said Dr. Mike Jording, the local chapter president.

One more tour will take place on Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon. Those interested may go to the LAK Reservoir to learn from Jan Farella and Dean Johnson about the history of this operation and area.

The President’s Banquet will be held Saturday at 5 p.m., and nonmembers are asked to pay $30 to attend. If the promise of a nice dinner is not enticing enough, one might also consider that the keynote speaker will be acclaimed photographer Paul Horsted, who will be talking about his book that traces General George Armstrong Custer’s 1776 route with historical photos and modern photos for comparison.

Horsted was a speaker at the last annual meeting held in Newcastle about 30 years ago.
“His return is an anniversary of sorts,” Jording said.

According to Jording, the “most special thing” about the annual meeting is the awards banquet, which will take place at noon on Saturday.

Each county chapter of the society has the opportunity to nominate “people, groups, or entities for preservation or interpretation of Wyoming history.” Members and nonmembers alike are eligible for these awards. Some of the awards, such as the Mabel Brown Cumulative Contribution Award, are quite prestigious. According to the historical society, this award is given to “a living Wyoming resident who … has made valuable contributions to the understanding and awareness of Wyoming and its history.” It is named after the noted Weston County historian and editor of the magazine “Bits and Pieces,” which covered Black Hills history and was published from 1965 to 1987.

According to Jording, something that makes this year’s get-together different from other annual meetings is a longtime local tradition of generating funds for the society through the sale of prints of a painting by renowned Jackson Hole artist Conrad Schwiering. Titled “Autumn Magic,” the original painting was purchased about 35 years ago by local couple Lucille and Dick Dumbrill, who established the print sale fundraiser. Just before the annual meeting, on Thursday evening, a presentation on the painting and fundraiser will take place at the Antlers.