We drove all night changing drivers every three hours. With blood shot eyes peering into the rising morning sun we cruised down the hill into Ten Sleep. From the top of the hill you can view the entire settlement – all 23 buildings on Main Street, the High School and a number of old-time residences.
Ten Sleep has two restaurants that are open when the cook feels like cooking, three bars and one “Stop-N-Go” market. The only pay phone In town is at the Stop-N-Go and it has a 20 foot cord on the receiver so you can dial the number you want and then sit in your car, out of the weather, to talk. At times there are three cars lined up waiting their turn to use the phone.
Perhaps the best establishment in town is Dirty Sally’s Saloon. You enter through good, old-fashioned, swinging saloon doors. I don’t think I would be able to guess how many cowboys have passed through those doors.
At some point in time the saloon was purchased by the shapely Kitty Russell who played the operator of the Long Branch Saloon on Gunsmoke for so many years. Her TV name was Dirty Sally.
I mentioned that this was perhaps the “best” establishment in town for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the entrance. This is real western – swing doors and clapboard exterior. There are none of the Marlboro or Coors advertising signs plastered on the out side – you know – 6-packs for $6.99 stuff. This is a classy place.
As you enter there is a small general store that has an amazing amount of supplies in it. The kind of stuff you wish you could get at the local hardware store but they don’t know were to get it stuff. Off to the side, around the corner and through a doorway, is the gun/knife/brass knuckles/everything to get you in trouble stuff. There is an amazing collection of blow-em-up stuff in there. I know this because the gun room is where you have to go if you want to get a fishing license. Oh, yeah, they have some fishing supplies there too.
At the back of the main room is the bar with the local gossip page is posted on the wall – you know – the bounced check list – there for all who enter to see.
It is here, at the bar, that three city boys made there entrance into the folklore of Ten Sleep. You see, we started something new in this town that had not seen anything new since the introduction of the automobile.
Having purchased our fishing licenses we sundered up the bar and asked about getting a strawberry rhubarb pie for dinner. The young gal behind the counter told us that there was none available but she could get one for tomorrow if we ordered it today. We immediately placed our order. Her next comment caused each of us to get a little funny feeling in our stomachs. “Ya’ll know that our pies are made by the girls in the home economics class at the high school, don’t you?”
Gulp. Decision time – pie or no pie. We said, “well I guess we’ll just have to give it a try on one condition.” “What’s that,” she replied. “Double or nothing,” said John.
“What?” she questioned. “You know, we’ll flip you for it – double or nothing,” said John. She got a funny look on her face and said she’d be right back. A moment later she returned with the manager (her husband) and asked us to explain John’s proposition to him. He got a big belly laugh out of it and said “Sure, you’re on.”
We lost! The total price for the complete strawberry rhubarb pie, after doubling the original amount was $5! Loren chimed in, “No way! We’re not paying that much! It costs more than that for a single slice from where we come from.” I think that we settled on $7.50 for that first pie.
It was time to go fishing…and so we did.
