With the oil boom resulting from the Salt Creek Field, Casper had amazing growth. In the twenty year period from 1910, Natrona County grew from a population of 4,766 to 24,272 in 1930 before it leveled off during the Great Depression. The result as indicated in the following photos was a transformation of center Street from a dirt thoroughfare lines with false-fronted stores and saloons, to a street dominated by grand hotels and motion picture palaces. The Oil Exhange Building, now known as the Consolidate Royalty Building, was constructed in 1917 and was designed byGarbutt and Weidner. On the left in the right hand photo is the Hotel Townsend, still a landmark in Casper. On the right is the Gladstone Hotel, now gone. Other important buildings related to the oil industry included the art deco Ohio Oil Company Building (now Marathon Oil).

Casper-Salt Creek Stage about to depart from in front of Hotel Henning, approx. 1920.

The Hotel Henning, formerly the Midwest Hotel, was on the southwest corner of Center and First. The 150 room hotel was owned by W. F. Henning. After Henning's death, the building was sold and torn down. A bank now occupies its location. As discussed with regard to Oil Camps, the oil boom hit Wyoming about 1916 with the development of the Salt Creek, Midwest, and Big Muddy Oil Fields. The center of this boom was Casper; and in Casper the Hotel Henning was the center.

Hotel Henning courtesy car, approx. 1920.

W. F. Henning, himself, had a reputation for being a bit difficult to work with. In one instance, he had the hotel's auditor arrested for allegedly stealing a night's receipts. After the charges were dismissed, she successfully sued, the jury finding upon disputed evidence that "some time during the year 1928 the defendant [Henning] made threats against the plaintiff that he would get even with her because she refused to give false testimony at defendant's request in a divorce action then pending between defendant and his wife." See Henning v. Miller, 44 Wyo 114, 8 P. 2d 825 (1932). In another action, a real estate broker managed to get Henning's signature on a contract to sell the hotel. In an appeal, the Supreme Court noted testimony that "any man that could deal with Mr. Henning should be congratulated as Mr. Henning was one of the hardest men in Casper to do business with." Desmond v. Poulos, 69 Wyo. 129, 237 P. 2d 853 (1951).

Hotel Henning, 1930's

As observed by Professor T. A. Larson in his History of Wyoming, "Speculative fever raged in Casper in 1916 and 1917 after exciting discoveries on the Muddy east of Casper."

Casper historian A. J. Mokler recalled, "Men in all walks of life neglected their business and their professions to buy and sell oil stocks." Leslie A. Miller, President of the Chief Oil Company, and later governor, testified before the House of Representatives that there was a "whole herd" of promotors, who for the greater part "do very little drilling. Once in a while to protect themselves from the Post Office Department they do a little drilling, but their chief aim is to sell stock."

Alfred James Mokler was the publisher of the Natrona County Tribune, an ancestor of the present day Casper Star-Tribune; editor of the short-lived Wyoming Pioneer, a bimonthly historical journal; author of History of Natrona County, 1888-1922; Grand Historian of the Wyoming Masonic Grand Lodge; and served two terms as Master of Casper Lodge No. 15.

Indeed, as noted by Professor Larson, most of the trading was done in the lobby of the Henning. Customers would would overflow into the street on many evenings. Most of the speculative companies went belly-up. Most of the oil in the principal fields was controlled by the major operators, Standard of Indiana (now BP), the Midwest Oil Company (merged in 1920 with Standard), Ohio (now Marathon), and Sinclair

Lobby, Hotel Henning

Other principal hotels were the Townsend, The Gladstone, and the Wyatt. The movie palaces in cluded the Iris later the Rex, the Rialto, and the art deco America theatres.

Iris Theatre, 1922

The Iris was constructed by William Roy Sample in 1912. Previously, he had operated the Bell Theatre in the old Casper Town Hall. Sample also owned the America directly across the street.

Left, Advertising Photo, Hotel Gladstone;
Right, Rex Theatre, 1939. Photo by Thomas Carrigen

Thomas Carrigen (1896-1967) had a photography studio on Center Street.

Center Street, approx. 1947. Photo by Thomas Carrigen.

On the left hand side of the street is the Rex. Directly across the street is the America Theatre. On the exteme right hand side of the photo is the Rialto. During Saturday Mantinees, children were admitted to the Rex for ten cents.

Center Street, approx. 1956. Photo by Thomas Carrigen.

Next page: Caper continued.