‘This Time Around’

‘This Time Around’
By Roy Welton

After the snow,
And the wind don’t blow,
When the skies turn blue
from gray;
Then comes dust
Rocks and rust –
God just made it that way!
You wait for spring
The usual thing –
And vow you’ll never complain….
So, how can you lose
Your love you can choose;
And everything else to gain!
So, this time around
You can toil the ground,
And feel like you’ve gained some slack –
So, pay the preacher, the butcher and teacher,
And bring your memories back!

    Saratoga/Encampment area historian Dick Perue has a new book out about the history of the Sanger/Jenkins/A-Cross ranch south of Saratoga. The 130-year-old spread was in the same family for five generations before being sold in 2007. Perue has compiled 230 photographs, plus a narrative, into a 178-page coffee table publication.
    For years Perue has used the slogan, “Preserving local history one picture at a time.” However, it wasn’t until he had finished this book that he realized how true it was. The new owners of the A-Cross have removed every, cabin, corral, barn and house from the property. The only record left of the several dozen or more historic buildings on the homestead are the photographs – provided by the families who settled the ranch – which appear in the book.
    Persons wishing to purchase the book may do so from Historical Reproductions by Perue, Box 447, Saratoga, WY 82331, or by e-mailing rperue@saratoga-wyo.com. Cost is $75 per book plus $10 for tax and shipping.
    Perue is a former newspaper editor, publisher and printer who was recently inducted into the Wyoming Newspaper Hall of Fame. He has spent over 60 years collecting historic photographs and manuscripts of the Upper North Platte River Valley, extending from Walcott Junction on the North to the Wyoming/Colorado state line on the South. He has compiled and published several books and pamphlets of local history, and has also presented numerous video programs. He also writes Postcard from the Past for the Wyoming Livestock Roundup.