CASPER — A storm that dumped about 5-6 inches of wet, heavy snow across Casper last week that contained a record amount of moisture has mostly melted.
But the impact of the storm still can be seen in a big scar on the massive 22-foot-around cottonwood tree that stands outside the home of Jim and Sally Belcher on South Lincoln Street in central Casper.
The Belchers were in Arizona when the storm hit and they learned the cottonwood, rooted between their home and the street, had partially broken and left a huge chunk of tree and debris sitting in front of their home and yard. Neighbors reported to them that the crash from the huge branch woke them up in the middle of the night.
For them, the scar will be a reminder of the good that resides in the heart of the community.
“Our neighbor sent us 23 pictures when she sent the emails that we had damage at our house,” Jim Belcher said.
The couple called their good friend Art Boatright, who lives a few blocks away, to just look at the damage and let them know who would good to call to work on the cleanup.
Boatright was driving his truck early Wednesday already cleaning up around his own street when he got the call from Belcher. He swung by the house to see the fallen chunk of cottonwood with leaves and debris laying across sidewalk, and out into part of the street corner.
“It was about a third of that tree and it wasn’t dead, either,” Boatright said. “It just snapped in the right place and … cottonwoods can be bad when they come down like that.”
Boatright downplays what comes next, but the Belchers see things differently.
Big Tools Needed
As president and owner of Mobile Concrete in town, Boatright had a dump truck and front-end loader at his disposal.
He decided that instead of giving the Belchers an idea about who to call, he would just do the work himself. Boatright said with the right tools — chainsaws and a company employee who helped him — it took four hours and three big dump truck loads to clear his neighbor’s property.
“He's done me a lot of favors,” Boatright said. “I thought, ‘Well, maybe I can get back on some of those favors he's done for me.’”
The Belchers believe Boatright’s actions go way beyond what they were expecting. They just wanted their friend to tell them who to call.
“He and one of his employees worked at our house for four hours,” Belcher said. “He had to cut (the big branch) with a chainsaw, and then they had to roll it to an extent they could get it into his front-end loader, and I'm not talking about a bobcat, I'm talking about a big front-end loader, and then lift it up into a dump truck so that he could haul it away.”
The Belchers said Boatright then turned his efforts to helping other neighbors around them.
The Belcher House on South Lincoln in Casper now has a scarred cottonwood fronting it. But it’s a reminder of how good neighbors help one another. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily) 
Left, the huge branch that was ripped off the 100-year-old cottonwood tree outside the Belcher residence on South Lincoln Street in Casper left a huge scar. Right, a huge branch was ripped off the cottonwood outside the Belcher residence on South Lincoln Street in Casper. It took three dump-truck loads to get rid of the debris. (Dale Killingbeck, Cowboy State Daily; Courtesy Art Boatright)
Not Alone
Boatright said he was not alone in pitching in and that several other people in the neighborhood were out on the street helping clear debris. He also credits crews from the city who were quickly out on the street helping cut limbs and clean debris.
A city crew helped him at the end of his cleanup of the Belcher property.
Both Boatright and Belcher see the storm not only as something that damaged a lot of trees around Casper, but also a reminder of the character of many of the people who call it home.
“He just took it upon himself, got one of his employees to help, and dropped everything he was doing right then,” Belcher said. “You couldn’t ask for a better friend or neighbor.”
Boatright points to the others who were out on the streets as well, and is thankful to be in a city where people still reach out and care.
“I noticed a lot of people out helping people. I wasn't the only person helping,” Boatright said. “Casper is good about that. I will say that that's one really great thing about this town.”
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
