Do most towns have their '9 old men'?

Back in the 1930s and 1940s, our little town of Lander had a group of crusty old fellows known as “the 9 old men” who pretty much ran things.

Now keep in mind, in those days Lander was a big town in Wyoming. It was bigger than Gillette, Douglas, Cody, Riverton, Green River, Evanston, Rawlins, Worland, Jackson, Powell and Buffalo. Today, most of those towns are bigger than Lander or about the same size.

Our nine old men included Pharmacist George Case, Hotelier Harold Del Monte, Banker Harold Parks, Publisher Ernest Newton. Dentist Lester Hunt and others.

This morning and just about every day f...