Hey, Answer Girl -

I was born and raised in Casper, but never knew what "Natrona" stands for. Where did the name come from and why did the county get named Natrona?

- Casper Native

"Natrona" is one of those awesome combination names. According to "History of Natrona County Wyoming 1888-1922" by Alfred James Mokler, "Natrona County derives its name from the natural deposits of natrum or carbonate of soda, which is found in the numerous basins and lakes that abound in the central part of the state."

Natron is as a white or colorless mix of sodium carbonate decahydrate and sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), with small parts of sodium chloride (household salt) and sodium sulfate. Trona is hydrated sodium bicarbonate carbonate, and it's mined as the primary source of sodium carbonate in the United States.

Judge Charles E. Blydenburgh of Rawlins suggested "Natrona" as the county's name, and Natrona County became the 13th county in the Cowboy State.

Hey, Answer Girl -

If I were to write a check to "Anonymous" and send it to you, could you cash the check at a bank? Or would your name have to be "anonymous?"

- Bruce B.

A check written out to "Anonymous" wouldn't be valid, according to Jonah Bank personnel, unless the person cashing the check was, indeed, named "Anonymous." (But seriously, how cruel would your parents have to be to name you that?)

Any check's validity is dependent on the ability of the person cashing it to prove that they are the person for whom the check was intended. Thus, if the check is written out to "Anonymous," you'd have a hard time proving the check was intended for you and not some other random person.

A loophole to the burden-of-proof system is to write checks out to "cash." Such checks can be cashed by anyone, so Jonah Bank warns that making a habit of writing checks to "cash" could be a bad idea.

Another loophole: change your name to "Anonymous" or name your business "Anonymous." Although, I'm not sure it's worth it.

Contact reporter Megan Lee at (307) 266-0616 or megan.lee@trib.com

Ask Answer Girl

Answer Girl tackles questions about Casper, the universe and everything else. Submit your questions by e-mail to megan.lee@trib.com, or call Megan Lee at 266-0616. You can also write to Answer Girl, Box 80, 170 Star Lane, Casper, WY, 82602.