I know you asked me a long time ago at this point to do a story on the Opera House. Sorry for my delay but is this what you were thinking about? Is there something I am missing? Changes? etc? Let me know. ~ Mary

BACK to GRANDEUR for OPERA HOUSE

The sleepy town of Encampment Wyoming has a building renovation project underway that will bring the old west mining community’s grandeur back. The quaint community of 450 people was once the boom of the copper mining industry. In 1902, the town constructed the Grand Encampment Opera House to provide a meeting place and a year later a stage to perform their famous plays. The grand building was constructed on log beams as the foundation & underwent lack of maintenance and poor construction of additions over the years.

The Town of Encampment’s Mayor Greg Salisbury appointed Councilwoman Mary Martin to head the project back in 2008. The intent of the project is to maintain the visual impact and historical presence of the building and to expand on this impact by creating a more useable and marketable facility. The Grand Encampment Opera House Committee was formed which was composed of representatives from the organizations that use the facility. They held a public hearing at the beginning of the project and 100% of those in attendance expressed the need to renovate the facility and preserve its historical appeal, rather than demolish it and build a replica. With that in mind a careful assessment of the facility was made.

During the process, the committee decided that the project would include preservation of the Bell Tower, the historical signature walls, the stage area and the main hall. All of this plus the remainder of the facility underwent extensive rebuild after the demolishing phase revealed structural problem if left intact. ADA accessibility issues were also addressed through proper entrance, egress, restrooms, etc. A kitchen facility was added into the floor plan as well as ample storage for tables, chairs, exercise equipment, Opera Company props, Community Choir risers and music, etc. A retractable was added in the center of the main hall so that separate meeting areas can be made available. This addressed conflicts in the facility use by allowing more than one organization to meet at the same time. The historical ticket office in the front of the building was also renovated so that it can serve its purpose & house the Audio Visual equipment. Opposite the ticket window a coat/cry room allows a parent to remove a crying baby from the performance area, yet still be able to see and hear the performance through a window and built in speaker system.

The historic Bell Tower is being renovated. It is the focal point of the facility and has an important historical visual impact on the community. A small meeting room is now inside the tower’s base with the bell still in place at the top of the tower. Separate access was made to this meeting area so that it can be utilized independent of the main hall, in an effort to avoid future scheduling conflicts. There is a unisex ADA compliant restroom and hostess sink area added to that end of the facility as well.

The exterior of the facility was updated with white steel siding that will maintain the same visual impact the facility has been known for but now with attractive red trim. On the south side of the Opera House the large cottonwood trees that have damaged the foundation have been removed. Additional ADA compliant parking spaces will be added at the front of the facility and an accessible third entrance was added on the North side through the Kay Ellie Herring Sartin Memorial Park. Proper lighting was added to the exterior and to the park area.

As the summer of 2011 draws to a close the Grand Encampment Opera House’s renovations are getting close to the grand re-opening. It is an irreplaceable piece of historical and cultural history in our community and we are so excited to show off her grandeur again. The funding for the project was provided through Wyoming’s State Land & Investment Board and the Wyoming Business Council; along with the Town of Encampment.

Fine with me. (We are hoping for a Grand Opening around Christmas with a good ole’ fashion Chistmas Party.)

When you visit Encampment during the season that the Grand Encampment Museum is open for visitors, you will find a great deal of historical information about the Grand Encampment Opera House, constructed for community use during the heyday of Grand Encampment in the early 20^th century.

The Opera House was a center of the community for large gatherings celebrating all stages of life from beginning to end. Important community meetings were held at the Opera House. To accommodate the hospitable spirit of the community, kitchen facilities that fit the era were included.

Over time, the foundations under some of the structure gave way and parts were rendered unusable. Other parts were changed to accommodate dressing rooms and storage areas for the sets belonging to performance groups, the city offices, council chambers and for a time a small library.

The next post will be a guest post about how preservation proposals came forth in 2008. Mary Martin, Encampment Town Councilwoman and community servant in many other ways has put a time line together of the improvements being applied to the Grand Encampment Opera House.

Thank you for visiting Riverside Lodge.  You’re invited to share your experience at our place with others at the new Guestbook Page.

Your email information will be kept completely private.  Just leave your comment and we will be notified in our email that it is there.  Then, we can add it to the list.

Monte Vista Vacation Homes is now on Facebook.   The link is http://www.facebook.com/RiversideLodge.

Come on over and ‘Like’ us!

‘Tis the season to be outside in the mountains, fishing the creeks and lakes and HIKING. The Encampment River Trail is a favorite. Many hikers make hiking this trail an annual or even more frequent experience. The trail follows the Encampment River which is a red ribbon trout fishing stream, popular with fly fisherman all over the world.

The trail head is an easy drive from Riverside Lodge. At about 15 miles one way, you will be a real enthusiast if you make the trip to the end at Commissary Park, near Hog Park Reservoir and back to Riverside Lodge in one day. Some people go part way and turn around. Others make arrangements for a vehicle to meet them at the end and get a ride back to Encampment.

The trail is largely a foot trail. Horses can go the entire trail (be a friendly rider and clean up after your horse). There is a point where no wheeled equipment is permitted. The bridge across the Encampment River at the trail head is a beautiful experience. There is a very nice parking lot there.

Bring water and a light sweater or jacket. Quick rain showers can chill you quickly. Wear comfortable shoes and if you insist on wearing shorts, understand that there may be some brush that can scratch you. Oh, and did I say, bring water. I would also tuck a flashlight and camera in the back pack. You will almost certainly want the camera and some folks have hiked longer than they expected to. Coming out after dark isn’t impossible, but it works better with a light.

Call us at 307-710-5660 for reservations at Riverside Lodge and information about hiking the Encampment River Trail.

The Google alerts that keep me updated on news to make ‘fodder’ for this blog served up an eBay auction this morning.  A power seller in Nevada had listed an envelope with an Encampment, Wyoming cancellation.  The letter was sent to someone in Michigan.

Encampment historically AND currently, Encampment is known as the gateway to the Sierra Madre Mountains plus close access to Snowy Range, wildlife sports and historical experience.

Check out the views at Riverside Lodge and call us today about a reservation. You can send your own letters out with an Encampment cancellation with the possibility of creating an historical piece of paper.

In 1961, a UW Geology Professor named Mears discovered an ancient Mammoth skull in Carbon County, Wyoming, near the County Seat of Rawlins. That skull has been housed at the University of Wyoming, but there are plans to permit a visit elsewhere.

According to a release from the University of Wyoming, the skull will be on loan as part of an exhibition at the Chicago Field Museum. The release continues with quotes from the paleontology department about the unique qualities of the skull which attracted the attention of those planning the exhibition in Chicago.

Wyoming is the resource for many fossil finds of ancient creatures such as the mammoth and dinosaurs. You can learn more about some of the digs when you are visiting Wyoming. When you stay at Riverside Lodge in Riverside, Wyoming, you will have access to broadband internet to further your research about the paleontology of Wyoming. At the Grand Encampment Museum, you will be able to examine the life style of the past hundred years or so. At various other geological museums in locations such as Laramie or Thermopolis, you will be able to learn about times even further back than the 1800s.  Read more about the exhibit planned between UW and Chicago Field Museum at this news release.

Contact us today at Riverside Lodge to make reservations for your visit to one of the most exciting historical parts of the US.

The Wyoming Tourism Center has released the scheduling for 2010 events and featured  Copper Days Festival at Encampment/Riverside here in Wyoming.

The Festival features a parade of antique machinery and cars, most particularly TRACTORS.  The tractors and small engines, old equipment and toys are on display while tractor pulls are major entertainment for visitors.   There is a good, old-fashioned melodrama for indoor entertainment put on by some extremely good actors living in the community.

I am a tractor and farm toy collector, so I’m ‘deep’ into Copper Days and know that you would enjoy every bit of it.

Call Riverside Lodge today to make reservations for your antique visit to the Sierra Madre Mountain Range and the Medicine Bow National Forest.

Wyoming might easily be another way to spell “H-I-S-T-O-R-Y. The background stories and tales of the old days are thicker than fleas on a dog and they are about real people.

Just as Wyoming is an historic area, the rest of the WORLD goes round.

When you are visiting the community around Riverside Lodge, you will be shoulder to shoulder with people who have visited history and tracked the history of Wyoming all around the world to Argentina, following the paths of the infamous team, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

In the December 13, 2009 edition of The Argentine Post, an article by John D. Farr reminisces about the Wild Bunch in Wyoming and Argentina. Farr spends part of his time in Encampment, where he visits friends, including Jerry Paxton, Encampment resident and Carbon County Commissioner. Farr spends the rest of his time in Argentina at Junin de Los Andes and Patagonia, where he traveled with Paxton this fall as they through the back roads of the Andes.

Farr’s interesting article tells of the visit to a cabin that is historically connected to Butch Cassidy. There is a photo of that cabin, plus other spots where Cassidy and company were supposed to have been. There is an excellent photo of one assortment of the Wild Bunch that has a much brighter looking group than some photos present. Maybe the photographer had a better monkey than others.

Check out the link to a news source from the other side of the equator which is linked historically with Wyoming. Did the Sundance Kid and Butch Cassidy survive their ventures into South America and return to the US to become quiet old men? Farr thinks so.

You can participate in the continuing history of Wyoming by visiting the state, the mountains and making yourself very comfortable at Riverside Lodge. Call 307-710-5660  today for your reservations.

A few years ago, Gay Day Alcorn wrote a history book about this area entitled Tough country: The history of the Saratoga and Encampment Valley, 1825-1895 The high desert around the Sierra Madre Mountain Range is TOUGH country, beautiful and wild.  These characteristics are part of the attraction for guests at Riverside Lodge.

A recent article in the Casper Star Tribune about the wilderness around the Sierra Madre Mountain Range entitled “New Help for Beetle Fight” outlines some steps being proposed to control one of Natures little varmints, the bark beetle.   The bark beetle is considered to be responsible for timber destruction in over 2.5 million acres in the Rocky Mountain area.  Of the forests affected, the Medicine Bow NF seems to be the hardest hit.

Nature is TOUGH and one of the principles of multi-use management is to intervene when the wild things become destructive to the ecological system.  Intervention with the bark beetle has been too slow, but any intervention would be better than none.  We want our forests to be managed for the enjoyment and prosperity of the guests who come to Riverside Lodge.