East Entrance opens Friday - Gate has had many upgrades since beginning

CODY — More than 100 years ago, the first cars lined up to enter Yellowstone National Park through the east gate.

The entrance, which also served as the Yellowstone National Park Sylvan Pass Ranger Station, featured a small cabin with entrance and exit gates on either side, constructed out of large logs for a rustic look.

On Friday, the gate will once again open for the season, welcoming vehicles for the 107th year as the Park itself celebrates 150 years this summer.

The East Entrance to Yellowstone opened to horse-drawn traffic in 1903, with the first motor vehicles allowed in the Park in 1915, according to a Cody Enterprise story. The first cars to come to the east gate did so on July 4, 1915. 

Park historian Tim Manns estimated for an Enterprise story in 1985 that about 772 people entered the Park in 1915. In 2021, the entrance saw 210,612 people, a new record for the gate.

The gate has had various different structures at the site. While the exact dates are unknown, at some point after the ’20s, the log cabin gave way to a more modern structure which featured two small buildings connected by one roof over the two lanes to enter and exit.

In the late ’40s or early ’50s, the roof connecting the two buildings was removed.

The east gate in its current form was built in 1967.

The entrance was designed as part of a program to modernize tourist services and facilities. At the time the estimated cost for the project was $60,000.

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Woman arrested for attacking law enforcement officers

SUNDANCE — A woman who allegedly kicked and fought against law enforcement officers faces numerous felony and misdemeanor charges. 

Jacqueline Krueger of Campbell County is accused of kicking two Crook County Sheriff’s Office deputies who were arresting her. 

According to court reports, the two deputies responded to a call for a welfare check at a bar in Beulah on April 2 at around 4 p.m. A female had been seen exiting her vehicle, stumbling into the front of it and then into the bar. 

Upon entering the bar, the deputies saw a female matching the description. She allegedly gave a false name, and deputies smelled alcohol on her breath and detected bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and constricted pupils consistent with the use of narcotics. 

According to court reports, the female was unable to walk in a straight line while walking out of the bar. 

The deputies took hold of her arms and placed her in handcuffs. Another female arrived on scene, identifying herself as known to Krueger. While deputies spoke with the second female, Krueger allegedly began kicking the door of the patrol vehicle. 

Deputies report that when they opened the door to speak with her she began to yell and blocked them from closing the door with her foot. Krueger then allegedly began to kick the deputies with the heel of her boot and attached spurs. 

One deputy reports being kicked in the groin and inner thigh, while the other was kicked in the shin. 

Krueger has been charged with two felony counts of interference with a peace officer, as well as one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence (second offense, with a known prior conviction in Campbell County from 2021) and three of interference with a peace officer.

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Man who attempted to flee sheriff’s office custody arraigned

SHERIDAN — Fourth Judicial District Court Judge Darci Phillips arraigned Michael Tabor, 37, Tuesday on charges related to a recent runaway incident at Sheridan County Circuit Court. 

According to court documents, Circuit Court Judge Shelley Cundiff sentenced Tabor to 45 days in jail as punishment for three misdemeanor theft charges Monday, March 28. Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Steve Matheson — who, among other SCSO officials, is responsible for courtroom security in Sheridan’s circuit and district courts — ordered the defendant to stand and place his hands behind his back. In response, court documents allege, the defendant ran out of the courtroom. 

Matheson’s affidavit of probable cause in the case indicates the deputy struck the defendant at least three times on the right leg with his baton and deployed his Taser to subdue and handcuff Tabor. 

In response to the incident, Sheridan County and Prosecuting Attorney Dianna Bennett charged the defendant with escape from official detention, a felony punishable by up to three years in prison, a $3,000 fine or both if the escape is the result of a misdemeanor crime. 

Before Phillips, Tabor appeared in a wheelchair and pleaded not guilty to the charge. 

Tabor’s two-day trial is preliminarily scheduled Sept. 19, with a pretrial conference Aug. 16.