August 23, 2024|
Photo – Leaping rainbow trout – Courtesy Adobe Stock
An old American motto advises, “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it”. The director at the Saratoga Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce takes the same position when it comes to the town motto.
“Why change what works?” Amanda Knotwell asks.
On Thursday, Bigfoot99 reported that a member of the Carbon County Visitor’s Council asked the governing body of Saratoga about changing the town’s motto. One town council member bit at the idea and suggested taking recommendations for a new slogan. The visitor’s council member said “Where the Trout Leap on Main Street” is outdated, and Saratoga should choose a modern slogan that reflects more opportunities for adventure than simply fishing.
The slogan has been around longer than any newcomer to the Valley, and has proven its worth. In 1907, Saratoga began hosting the Railroad Day Celebration and Fish Fry. Community members would cook thousands of fish for attendees. Three years later, Outing Magazine featured an article about Saratoga titled, The Greatest Trout Fishing in the World.
Platte Valley Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer Amanda Knotwell said Saratoga took its current motto from an Outdoor Living Magazine article written at the time. Knotwell said the author is believed to have been inspired to write the article after witnessing the throngs of trout in the North Platte River.
Knotwell said “Where the Trout Leap on Main Street” is more than a simple slogan. The chamber of commerce CEO said many of the town’s institutions use the trout as a mascot.
Knotwell said trout and Saratoga are inseparably connected forever. The chamber CEO said most residents, including herself, oppose changing the town’s motto to appeal to tourists.
Knotwell said the current motto doesn’t prevent anyone from wanting to visit the town. The chamber CEO questioned the logic of altering the town’s nearly century old slogan.
As time moves on, what was once a defining aspect of a place may no longer be as relevant in the present. Knotwell used Casper and Laramie as examples of cities continuing to honor their past.
The town council approved an expenditure of money a few years back to install sculptures of leaping fish along the bridge over the North Platte on the south side of town along Highway 130.
Knotwell asked if it’s not broken, why change it, especially if the appeal is to outdoor adventurers?
