Saturday, February 9, 2019

Sunday February 9, 1919. 116th Ammunition Train's Wyoming Guardsmen come home, the Spanish Flu strikes in Cheyenne, 2% alcohol brings protest, Game & Fish supported, Chewing gum, Chinese alphabet, Coffee substitutes, Old Restaurants

So what news greeted Cheyenne subscribers to the Cheyenne State Leader on this Sunday, February 9, 1919?  The Sunday paper, for papers that print them, is usually the flagship edition of the journal. And a lot was going on, with peace talks in Parish, revolution in Russia, the flu epidemic spanning the globe, and the legislature in session.  Let's take a look.


Unemployment was going up and up, as war industries closed down and servicemen went home.  In an era in which the only thing a government could think to do in this situation was to keep servicemen in the service, which was an expensive option that no Congress of that period would tolerate long, the direction things were headed in was obvious, and not good.

Some of those servicemen from Wyoming, in the "116th", would soon be home.  

The paper wasn't clear about what the "116th" was, but it was the 116th Ammunition Train, one of the units that was formed out of the men of the Wyoming National Guard after it was reassigned from its infantry role and broken up. They were a logistical transport unit that took ammunition to the front.  They were part of the 41st Division.

American boys who were coming home just yet, those serving in Northern Russia, were reported to have given the Reds a "licking". That was true of it meant that they'd inflicted heavy casualties upon the Red Army that was advancing against them, but they were not holding their ground.  The Reds were winning in Russia against the Allies and Whites in that area.

A group that some feared was turning Red, strikers in Seattle, were reported to have been beaten in the huge strike going on in Seattle that had been running for several days.

Tragedy struck in Cheyenne when a young woman, age 20, died of the Spanish flu leaving an infant.  Her husband was at sea.

Also in Cheyenne, Governor Carey and Senator Powers received the protest of Sheridan Area ministers regarding the Wyoming state prohibition bill, an act that was pointless in the first place as the 18th Amendment had just passed, as it would still allow 2% alcohol.


In news that remains important to this very day, the same legislature that passed a pointless prohibition bill passed a really important Game & Fish bill that put the Wyoming Game & Fish Department on a permanent footing with a set of statutes on the state's game and fish.

We should all be thankful for the 1919 Legislature for that one.


The Cheyenne paper ran a society page at that time, which seems so odd now.  That same page featured a major advertisement for chewing gum in the form of "sweetmeats", which I've never seen it called before.

Personally I'm not a huge chewing gum fan, liking the rarely seen black licorice chewing gum more than others.  I'll buy Wrigley's on occasion however.  Interesting to see how long its been around and how it was originally advertised.


On the Society page the paper also let us know "one reason China is messed up", which was its written language, the paper felt.

As racist as that sounds, there was some truth to that at the time, which was why there was quite an effort to adopt the western alphabet to the Chinese languages (amongst others).  Indeed, the western system of alphabet was a major achievement due to the ease of its use.  

Be that as it may, now in the computer age, the advantage that once existed in regards to the western alphabet has somewhat diminished, and in China knowledge of its traditional characters is in fact greatly expanding in the current era.


On a different wildlife related topic, major discussion was going on in Cheyenne on the damage caused by predatory animals.

And people were being told, advertisement wise, that Instant Postum "is better for the family than coffee".  No, I don't think so.  We are told that "There's a Reason", but we aren't told what that reason actually was.


A furniture store in Cheyenne was selling out, with illustrations of their wares.


The Albany Cafe was open on Sunday, as restaurants typically are, and was offering a Sunday chicken dinner for .75.

The Albany is still there, and still in the same location.


And new Studebaker's were being advertised.

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