Looking back at 2019

January

As the year began, Dick Claar, who served as mayor of Moorcroft several years ago and had again been seated in that office, stood to swear his oath of office. Pine Haven called a special meeting to swear in newly elected Bill Cunningham as mayor.

The Moorcroft Town Council was working towards implementing a more impartial solution to inequitable billing of water investment fees by amending the municipal ordinance governing these fees. Once written and approved, the council said that it planned to enforce them.

Pine Haven signed another three-year contract with Victory for town’s garbage pick-up, though the town’s residents had problems dealing with the new crew and the council was obliged to investigate the problem.

The Moorcroft landfill opened again to outside customers. Pine Haven Public Works Director Sunny Schell commended Pine Haven residents for their efforts during the water crisis.

February

The Wolves wrestling team competed in the Wyoming High School Athletic Association state tournament in Casper at the event center. They qualified 16 wrestlers in their fight to continue their six-time straight state championship title since 2013 by making it number seven.

Moorcroft High School teacher and advisor Andrea Wood, along with some 40 sophomore students, were working hard researching the resources available to them at the Texas Trails Museum. The kids were spread throughout the building reading pioneer books on the early families and towns of the county as well as examining pictures and writing story drafts.

March

The bold and the brave took part in the second annual Jackalope Jump fundraiser at Keyhole, leaping into the freezing water to raise money for Special Olympics in the county.

The Teen Room in the Moorcroft Town Center (MTC) officially opened the doors for area youths. The Secret Squirrel Brigade, under the auspices of advisor Andrea Wood, had been working diligently for over a year to see this enterprise benefitting local teenagers become a reality.

With the deep snow and rain, no one was surprised to see flooding in the area. The clearest indication of the amount of melt that had taken place since the arrival of the biggest snow storm of the season could be seen at the rest area, which was almost completely underwater as the week began.

April

The Easter Bunny was hard at work visiting youngsters across the area, turning up at R Place and the MTC along with hundreds of colored eggs for little ones to seek.

The Moorcroft Volunteer Fire Department was called out to a structure fire of a family home at 414 Park Street. The cause of the fire was found to be an electric space heater on the front porch.

The Moorcroft council revamped its rules for junk, responding to concerns about fire hazards and vague wording expressed by the police department.

WYDOT’s TAP grant facilitator Sarah Ellis visited the Pine Haven Town Council via telephone to discuss funding for the continuation of the bike/walking path from the existing concrete that meets east Waters Drive to eventually loop along Pendleton and through Boe Drive before returning to Waters.

May

VFW Post #25 closed down after more than 70 years of serving the community. State Chief of Staff Pete Quinnell offered the town of Moorcroft the building and two lots previously used by the now defunct local post.

Guardians of the Flame ran through Crook County bearing the Special Olympics torch, beginning in Hulett and moving through Moorcroft towards Gillette as it made its way to Laramie for the Special Olympic Games. The spectacle was part of the nationwide Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run.

Both Pine Haven and Moorcroft implemented spring cleaning events to tidy up their respective communities before the onset of summer.

With construction season approaching, the Moorcroft council prepared for projects including the Powder River Sewer Project, lagoon and parks. Whitcomb FFA announced it would now be offering local kids the opportunity to host livestock projects in town.

June

The first Lakeview Show and Shine event drew a crowd with an estimated 120 guests perusing the classic cars, trucks and motorcycles.

At the final budget workshop one pay period before the end of the 2018/2019 fiscal year, Moorcroft showed a potential deficit going into the new fiscal year, causing the governing body to look at serious immediate cutbacks in all departments to ensure roll over funds for the implementation of the 2019/2020 budget.

The State Lands and Investments Board gave its blessing to the Powder River Water Project in the form of a $437,500 grant for the final stage of Moorcroft’s complete infrastructure replacement.

Montana Conservation Corp, the Bureau of Reclamation and Pine Haven Volunteer Department teamed up to complete the first phase of a fire mitigation project to create a buffer zone around Pine Haven in the event of a catastrophic fire.

July

Jubilee Days was well attended this year, with local country music star Chancey Williams drawing in an estimated crowd of 2000 for his concert during the evening. Other main events included the Friday Fun Night, parade and a display of vintage vehicles courtesy of the Texas Trail Cruisers.

The July 4 weekend saw the Pine Haven Volunteer Fire Department ignite a firework display over the lake at Keyhole Reservoir.

A tornado touched down during a heavy storm just west of Moorcroft, fortunately doing little damage and causing no injuries.

Lightning struck a transformer and a number of area residents and businesses were affected for several hours. The same strike traveled up the power line and wiped out the two electric pumps that are responsible for moving water from the Madison well, approximately six miles east of Moorcroft into the municipal tank.

August

Fair week wrapped up with plenty of participation in every event, from dog showmanship to the youth stock rodeo.

Moorcroft seniors have used the town-owned center on North Big Horn for many years, but as the almost century-old building and its fellows fell further into disrepair, the decision was made by the town council that the structure was no longer a safe haven as a gathering place and the seniors were offered a new center at the Moorcroft Town Center.

Another storm raged through the area, bringing down tree branches and causing damage to property. Town police and EMT personnel were commended at a council meeting for their assistance in delivering a baby at the side of the road earlier in the year.

The first human case of West Nile virus in the county in several years was reported.

September

The annual Heritage Round-Up event drew a crowd for its tenth anniversary. It was standing room only for guests as they enjoyed demonstrations along with chili and fry bread.

Pine Haven Days was also a great success, with celebrants enjoying events ranging from the parade to a fish fry and a pancake breakfast.

Fire season finally arrived with several small grass fires in the area, though the unusual weather meant it didn’t stick around for very long.

Residents of Cheyenne and Powder River Avenues watched E&S Services moving gas lines from the alley between the two avenues to the front of their homes in anticipation of the Powder River Sewer Project that started Monday. The office and shop of Moorcroft Business Glenn Construction lost water service due apparently to a homeowner turning off the tap.

Kids at the schools were introduced to Rachel’s Challenge, a program that promotes kindness and humanity to honor the legacy of the first person killed during the Columbine High School tragedy.

October

“I work for the Boddi family for 14 years [and] I come from Russia…Our host for the evening, Mr. Boddi, was murdered today! Tonight, we see if we can find who murdered him.”And thus the annual MACC Awards Banquet began as visitors attempted to solve the mystery.

At a meeting of the newly formed and as-yet informal Moorcroft Community Development Committee, Ron and Linda Caylor hosted a gathering of around a dozen individuals and business owners from the “main street” area along Big Horn Avenue.

Winds of over 60 miles an hour hit Moorcroft and branches fell, taking out a number of private yard fences and blocking driveways. Moorcroft and Pine Haven both prepared for the arrival of winter, finishing up projects that had been running through the summer months.

November

The Moorcroft High School (MHS) student body and staff celebrated a year’s worth of hard work and accomplishment. The Wyoming Department of Education had shared the results of their examination of students’ overall performance throughout the state and while all of Crook County scored well, MHS scored highest, exceeding state average and expectations.

The council decided not to include the current town hall building in a bid package that would offer up other buildings along the same street for sale. The council also announced that, due to a tightening of the town’s fiscal belt, snow plowing may occur less this winter over the weekends.

The Moorcroft Interfaith Community provided a moment of solace with a Service of Remembrance for those experiencing grief during the holidays.

December

The council heard that it had the go-ahead from Wyoming Business Council to pursue a grant to look at the future of the MTC.

The county’s year-long study to find a solution for water issues in the area around Carlile was announced to be well underway, the county commissioners heard. Landowner surveys had been sent out and collected and well sampling had taken place across the study area.

The first major snow storm of the winter was kind enough to wait until after Thanksgiving Day to interrupt travel, though the cold wind and fog in some areas on the holiday itself certainly spoke of what was to come.