Economy taking its toll on businesses that have long been state landmarks

Owning and taking care of horses is obviously one of the great joys for a lot of Wyoming people. To me, I like to ride them, but have never had the urge to own one.

Imagine my surprise back in the 1970s, when one of my former business partners (and my boss) Bruce Kennedy asked me to spend a week at his Greybull house, looking after his property and mainly, babysitting his prize horses. I also helped to manage our newspapers in Greybull and Cody, but most of my memories are about taking care of his four-legged critters.

I really enjoyed working with those horses. And while handling that chore,...