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safe parking
magnetic metal mint-box container
log only, no room for swag
This building is now a gym, but once it was the location of the Star Valley Independent newspaper office. The first paper, The Star Valley Pioneer, was printed in 1901. In 1902, the name was changed to the Star Valley Independent. That same year, Anson Vasco Call was elected Mayor of Afton. Anson's 2 sons, Truman and Roland Barlow (RB) bought the newspaper, which was then being printed in the basement of a store which now stands two doors north of the famous elkhorn arch on the east side. Eventually, RB's two sons, Lee and Max (my father) took over the business and built a new building for it, here at this location.
Lee and Max were very close as brothers, both self-motivated, good citizens involved in every good cause. Their goal was to cover everything of importance to their readers, from politics to schools and church events to farming, and everything else. From the start, Lee and Max were, committed to the highest journalistic standards and eager to make their paper the best in the state. This they did. The paper and its editors won many awards from the Wyoming Press Association, of which both of them, in turn, served as president.
The paper held the communities of the valley together; it was the thing everyone used to keep in touch and know what was going on; here, besides local and state news, you could find coverage on high school sports, business ads, church dances, weddings, births, obits, and recipes by the valley's best cooks. The Call brothers and their families tirelessly served the good people of Star Valley for four generations. They deserve to be praised for their good work and remembered for the role they played here.
As a child, I visited "my daddy's printing office" on a daily basis. To me, it was a magical place. I remember the huge linotype machines that reminded me of long-necked dinosaurs looming over me. I remember the wall holding the upper and lower cases of alphabet letters. I remember the big press that grabbed sheets of newsprint like a frog grabs flies, whipping them down its gullet and spitting them out with printing all over them. Then, off they went to the folding machine, that grabbed the sheets with alien-looking suction-cup fingers and whisked them along, folding them with the dexterity of a hotel maid folding towels. I remember the smell of the printing ink. I especially remember the dark room where the negatives were developed. You walked in through a heavy curtain to a room of complete darkness except for the small red light bulb dangling from the ceiling over head like a devilish red eye. This was a mysterious place, filled with strange fumes and wet dripping photographs hung to dry with clothespins on a wire. But, most wonderful of all, were the metal tubs of developing fluids where magically, images appeared on blank sheets of paper!
Go ahead. Peek inside the window. You'll still see where Lee and Max's office was in the back. Try to imagine piles of folded newspapers and printing machinery and tables and stools. This place was the hub of information for everything you would want to know. It was the historical archive of the valley's history, as well. Even today, if you want to know what life was like or to research any event that took place in Star Valley over the past ninety years, ask to see the Star Valley Independent archive. It's all there.
While the paper was here, this building was a place of both industry and merriment. As it was a family business, I was surrounded by my uncle, aunt, cousins, older brother as well as my father whenever I stepped through the door. They worked darned hard and kept long hours seeing that the paper got out each week without fail, but they also loved to joke and have fun, and never seemed to grow tired of each other's company. This building is filled with ninety years of happy memories. Happy times.
I hope you enjoy your visit here. Madambutterfly1822. Proud to say, I'm a Call!!!
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