Ramirez Avatar

Michael P. Ramirez

Daily Cartoon

Ramirez for 3 15 25

Cowboy State Daily is Wyoming’s largest newspaper with Wyoming’s most experienced journalists. 

<title>Daily Cartoon 2: Saturday, March 15, 2025 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Daily Cartoon 2: Saturday, March 15, 2025

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's managing editor, Greg Johnson.

Greg Johnson

Crime & Courts

Courts

CHEYENNE — A former fifth-grade teacher who had faced nearly 30 charges relating to sexual abuse of children was sentenced Wednesday to 27-30 years in prison.

The sentencing comes after he pleaded guilty in April to two counts of sexual abuse of a minor and one of third-degree sex abuse of a child in an agreement with prosecutors.

Brian Wrhel, 56, was given three 9-to-10-year sentences to be served consecutively, the Cheyenne Police Department reports.

He was first arrested July 28, 2025, about a week after the Laramie County District Attorney’s Office charged him with 16 felony sex crimes.

While out on bond facing those charges, Wrhel was hit with another 11 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor after a search of his cellphone uncovered more than 4,000 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), according to court documents.

His April plea bargain voided a pair of trials that had been set for the former teacher.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"What The Girls Said"}]

Wrhel first came onto the radar of the Cheyenne Police Department when someone at a Laramie County School District No. 1 elementary school called the CPD to report sexual abuse of a minor, according to an evidentiary affidavit written by Detective Damon Hall.

The principal told the responding officer that school staff became aware the week prior that a fifth-grade teacher had been allegedly touching students inappropriately in class.

“An internal investigation was conducted prior to law enforcement notification,” wrote Hall, and Wrhel was placed on leave May 16, 2025.

Investigators identified multiple potential victims, all girls, and arranged for them to be interviewed forensically at Safe Harbor.

Some girls in their forensic interviews described their teacher touching their bottoms, breasts, genitalia, torsos, thighs and backs during class, wrote Hall.

Repeatedly, the girls who allegedly suffered this touching also noticed when Wrhel did it to others, the document alleges.

The teacher’s inappropriate touching happened at his desk, which sat in the back of the class, especially when a girl would go to him for help with schoolwork, Hall related from those interviews.

One girl, whom the others identified as most frequently victimized, said her teacher would touch her “private part” under her pants, and it felt “uncomfortable and weird.”

She said the teacher unclipped another girl’s bra, according to the document.

“Small things,” or more minor, inappropriate touching, started around October 2024, but the touching progressed to where the teacher was touching the girl inappropriately every day, two or three times a day, wrote Hall.

Another girl claimed the teacher put his hand up her shirt “three times each week” and down her pants “four times in one week,” wrote Hall.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Thousands Of Images"}]

Wrhel was out on bond when he was re-arrested following a search of his cellphone, home computer, and other electronic devices that uncovered thousands of CSAM, according to another affidavit filed in his case.

A forensic download of one of his cellphones “recovered approximately 2,102 images of CSAM, eight CSAM video clips, and 5,372 internet searches from (a pornographic website),” the affidavit says. 

A little less than two weeks later, a search warrant executed at Wrhel’s home — specifically his electronic devices — found 1,196 child sex images on another cellphone and another 1,974 web searches from the same pornographic website, according to the affidavit.

“Many of the images were from picture packages viewed or obtained from the website and were individually titled or labeled with a specific theme name from the website,” the affidavit says.

Examples of the titles include: “Nudist Summer Forest Hike with Youngers;” “Nude Pageant Video;” “Family Shower;” “Naked Camping Bubble Fun;” and “Twister Family Game Night.”

“The CSAM images were of children ranging from approximately 4 to 16 years of age and appeared to originate from Russia and the Czech Republic,” says the affidavit. “The images showed the children, both male and female, completely nude and exhibited the genitals and pubic areas of the children in a lascivious manner.”

Had he been convicted on all 27 of the previous charges, Wrhel faced potential for a prison sentence of up to 395 years.

Brain Wrhel and Laramie County School District 1 administration Unknown 1 9 17 25

<title>27-30 Years In Prison For Former Cheyenne Teacher On Child Sex Abuse Charges | Cowboy State Daily</title>

A former Cheyenne fifth-grade teacher who had faced 27 charges relating to sexual abuse of children was sentenced Wednesday to 27-30 years in prison. Without his plea agreement, Brian Wrhel, 56, could have faced 395 years.

27-30 Years In Prison For Former Cheyenne Teacher On Child Sex Abuse Charges

Heinz mark

Mark Heinz

Around Wyoming

Lake Powell, a key reservoir on the Colorado River, is shrinking toward "dead pool," which means water won't flow downriver anymore — and that could in turn pinch Wyoming’s municipal and industrial water supplies with more demand from Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

Lake Powell, on the Utah-Arizona state line, is in dire condition, 

By next spring, it’s expected to fall into “minimum power pool,” meaning having barely just enough water to generate hydroelectric power at Glen Canyon Dam.

If it falls even farther, that could put the reservoir at “dead pool,” or unable to generate hydroelectric power, according to reports.

That's despite roughly 1 million acre-feet expected to be 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘Paper Water Rights’"}]

Dead pool is considered only a worst-case scenario among water managers.

But if it happens, it could lead to some stark choices, said Wyoming state Sen. Larry Hicks, who served on the Legislature’s Select Water Committee.

In such a scenario, “power generation is subservient” to irrigation water rights, he told Cowboy State Daily.

“Power Generation is important, but it’s not as important as maintaining peoples’ livelihood,” Hicks said. 

The looming dilemmas over Colorado River water rest in the fact that water management is rooted in “paper water rights,” he said.

Many of those are tied to the 1922 Colorado River Compact, which includes seven states, Mexico and numerous Native American Tribes.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Just Not Enough Water"}]

In Wyoming, many farmers’ and ranchers’ water rights predate the 1922 Compact, going as far back as the 1880s.

That means if spats break out over Compact water rights as the river’s supply dwindles, farms and ranches along the Green and Little Snake rivers would be largely unaffected, Hicks said.

The Compact designates roughly 15 million acre-feet per year, supposedly evenly split at 7.5 million acre-feet between the Upper Basin and Lower Basin.

The Upper Basin states are Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. Arizona, Nevada and California comprise the Lower Basin.

River flows in recent years have been as low as about 10 million acre-feet, Hicks said.

If the Lower Basin states made an emergency “call on the river” for more access to the Upper Basin allocation, Wyoming’s farmers and ranchers wouldn't catch the brunt of it, he said.

“The Trona industry and big municipalities in Wyoming” would be most at risk of losing vital water, he said.

For instance, even though Cheyenne isn’t physically connected to the Colorado River system, it still depends upon of it because of water-exchange agreements on the North Platte River.

“Arizona is the state that’s most likely to litigate and say, ‘We’re entitled to this water; you need to send it to us’,” Hicks said.

The growing crisis on the Colorado River “is a concern for Cheyenne and our board of public utility,” Mayor Patrick Collins told Cowboy State Daily.

The city gets about “two-thirds of our water” from sources tied to the Colorado River water contract exchange agreements, he said.

Cheyenne has been preparing for potential water shortages, Collins said.

“If they make a call on the river, it’s going to take a while to take effect,” he said, adding that Cheyenne has a roughly four-year backup storage supply.

Cheyenne has been frugal with its water, typically using about half of its full allocation, Collins added.

Despite growth, the city is using about the same amount of water it was 10 years ago, he said.

In the long term, Cheyenne also hopes to break away from Colorado River dependency.

“We have good leads on replacement water from other areas,” he said, without going into detail.

“There is an irrigation district that we’ve been working with, and some industrial users on the Platte River,” Collins said.

Rock Springs mayor Max Mickelson said the city has some water rights dating to 1871, and is therefore immune to any effects tied to the 1922 Colorado River Compact.

“Our system has never overdrawn its allocation the way the Lower Basin has. The current diversion data our Joint Powers Water Board presented to council shows zero deficit under today's conditions. 11,011 acre-feet of annual demand against roughly 2,413 acre-feet available on average, showing no shortfall in any month,” he stated in an email to Cowboy State Daily.

“That's not luck. That's a century of municipal water management that lived within its means. While states downstream built entire metro economies on water that was never really there in average years.” 

The local economy has felt the effects of increasing pressure on Flaming Gorge from the Lower Basin, Mickelson said. The city doesn’t draw from it directly, but is tied to the recreation economy.

“Our recreation, fishing, and marinas economies will all take a hit,” he said. "Our exposure so far has been to the regional environment and economy, not to the water coming out of our faucets.” 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"‘It’s A Concern’"}]

If Lake Powell hits dead pool, that would be a concern for Rock Springs, Mickelson said, noting the federal response to the crisis at Lake Powell is to pull from Flaming Gorge.  

“The Bureau of Reclamation's own modeling, presented to council this May, shows a projected shortfall of 2.0 to 2.3 million acre-feet by March 2027,” Mickelson wrote.

“So, yes, it's a concern, but it is fundamentally about fairness. The Flaming Gorge Reservoir is filled by our river and is treated as insurance for a 1922 compact built on flow numbers that were too generous from the start. We watch Powell's elevation because every foot drop is another argument for draining more from our basin,” he said.

Rock Springs, and Wyoming in general, has been proactive, passing voluntary conservation legislation while keeping underlying water rights protected, Mickelson said.

The Upper Basin should continue in that vein, he added.

“Wyoming has a seat at the table and needs to demand a storage agreement that lets Upper Basin states bank conserved water. We need an explicit federally acknowledged agreement that Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado hold unused apportionment under the original compact. We did not overbuild its claim,” Mickelson wrote.  

Lake Powell Weather Channel 3 7 1 26

<title>Lake Powell Water Critically Low; Wyoming Expects More Demand On Flaming Gorge | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Already at critically low levels, Lake Powell is close to being "dead pool," which means water won't flow downriver anymore. That has Wyoming cities and industries worried that will mean more demand for water from Flaming Gorge Reservoir.

Lake Powell Water Critically Low; Wyoming Expects More Demand On Flaming Gorge

Mac Watson

Daily Video News

It’s time to take a look at what’s happening around Wyoming for Wednesday, July 1st.  I’m Mac Watson

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"– "}]

In an about-face, Gov. Mark Gordon lauded a U.S. Supreme Court ruling Tuesday upholding states' bans on trans participation in girls' sports. But, Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that in 2023 he called Wyoming's first trans sports ban “draconian.”

“Three years later, you have West Virginia and Idaho defending actually more expansive bands in many cases, and they went to the Supreme Court. They argued in defense that their transports bans were constitutional in January. At that time, Governor Gordon urged the High Court to rule in the state's favor. And then on Tuesday, the Supreme Court finally came out and said, ‘Yes, these transports bans are constitutional. These states are fine.’ The governor applauded that again, so this has been a bit of an about-face for Wyoming's top executive. Governor Gordon's office didn't give a direct response to the question about his change of heart.”

Idaho passed its Fairness in Women’s Sports Act in 2020. It was the nation’s first law preventing biological male students from competing on public school and club female sports teams.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"–"}]

Montana rancher Neal Collins said a camera on his barn captured a "herd" of seven grizzlies on his property Monday night. Cowboy State Daily’s Mark Heinz reports that agents from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks hazed 10 grizzlies out of brush across the road from his place.

“A rancher up there, he had a surveillance camera mounted on the back of his, his barn, and he said one of his dogs was freaking out, so he went outside and caught a flash of a bear, so, of course, he scrambled back inside. Check the footage later. There's like a whole group. Well, one of his friends kind of jokingly called it a herd, a whole group of like six grizzlies walking, you know, just kind of casually strolling down, you know, down his lane.”

Collins said no people or livestock were attacked by the bears, and Montana’s FWP used non-lethal “cracker” shotgun shells to scare off the bears.

A Lincoln County man lost control of his truck, crashed through a guardrail, rolled several times and plunged 20 feet into the Snake River. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that the man walked away with minor injuries, but was ticketed by the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

“According to the chronology of events, the driver was driving along the Snake River Canyon, lost control of his vehicle, sideswiped a car hauler, and then once he cleared that, he drove through the guard rail and tumbled three or two or three times into the Snake River, and was pretty far out there in pretty deep water, but because he was wearing his seatbelt, at least presumed to be wearing his seatbelt, otherwise, how the heck did he survive that? He walked away with minor injuries and was treated at the hospital in Alpine and released later that same day.”

The incident occurred near a notorious spot in the Snake River Canyon called the Big Kahuna, the area's largest and most famous rapid.

Prominent Wyoming Democrats say they are not calling for a split in their party due to the growing socialist movement nationally. Cowboy State Daily’s Clair McFarland reports that state Sen. Chris Rothfuss says, “Wyoming is not New York City,” so the issues are different.

“I asked Wyoming prominent Democrats on Tuesday, ‘Hey, is Wyoming seeing this divide?’ and they said no. Their reasons were various. There's very few Democrats here. They tend to discuss things and debate things and tolerate dissent, and they, the landscape in Wyoming is different. So, if you're a party focused on meeting people's needs, what Wyoming people need is very different from what New York City people need.”

The Wyoming Democratic Party is a big collaborative tent, the party’s communications person, Mandy Weaver, told Cowboy State Daily in a Tuesday phone interview.

I’ll have more news from Cowboy State Daily right after this.

Cowboy State Daily News continues now….

Speculation is growing over whether a data center could be linked to pollution discovered in Cheyenne's reuse wastewater system earlier this year. Cowboy State Daily’s Kate Meadows reports that city officials haven't reported the identity of the industrial user responsible for the discharge.

“The Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities announced last week that it had found a biohazard in its reusable wastewater system. The bacterium that they found is naturally occurring in soil and groundwater environments. However, it was not recognized immediately by water treatment specialists. Jonathan Brandt is a water treatment specialist at the University of Wyoming, and he told me that it would be likely that a newer industry would be responsible for this. He said data centers, data center discharges would be the first place I would look.”

The mystery bacterium was found to be cupriavidus gilardii, a naturally occurring organism commonly found in soil and groundwater environments, known for its high resistance to metals.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"},{"type":"italic"}],"text":"–"}]

Police say a Gillette man first denied hitting his ex-girlfriend with his pickup, running over her and speeding away. Cowboy State Daily’s Kolby Fedore reports that after detectives showed him surveillance video, police say he told them it "could have been a moment of black-out rage.”

“Police say that Christopher Paxton allegedly ran over his girlfriend intentionally before driving away. When police arrived at the scene, they saw his girlfriend writhing in pain. She was screaming and yelling, ‘My knee, my knee!’ When investigators took Paxton in for questioning, he initially denied running over his girlfriend, but then they showed him surveillance video from a neighbor, neighbor's ring camera, and then he said he still said he couldn't remember what happened, but explained that it might have been blackout rage. Paxton has been charged with aggravated assault and battery, that is a felony that is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.” 

Investigators say the victim suffered seizures as a result of the accident and was taken to the hospital. No word on her condition.

Gov. Mark Gordon has designated Wyoming’s famous “Path of the Pronghorn,” one of the longest land migration routes in North America, as protected — mostly.  Outdoors Reporter Mark Heinz reports that while conservationists hailed the move, an energy landman said he hopes it doesn’t impede drilling.

“Governor Gordon, on Friday did go ahead and dedicate it as an officially protected migration route, but then there's some caveats that applies only on public land. It does not affect private land in any way whatsoever. And then even on public land, it doesn't mean you get to shut everything down or a bunch of new regulations. It just, it kind of sets some parameters to help protect these lands from things that might impede the passage of the antelope back and forth.”

The 200-mile Path of the Pronghorn is the common name for the Sublette Antelope Migration Corridor, and it's one of the longest land migrations in the Lower 48 states. 

Yellowstone visitors near the popular Grand Prismatic Spring were outraged Sunday watching a man carry a child on dangerous thermals pools. Cowboy State Daily’s Andrew Rossi reports that people online have asked, could someone be charged with child endangerment for doing such a foolish and dangerous thing?

“They said it was Grand Prismatic Spring, and those sort of incidents aren't unusual in Yellowstone National Park, especially during the busiest time of year, which we're in. But they've raised a question: Can someone be charged with child endangerment by doing something like that? And it's a difficult question to answer, because while a lot of people would say that there was a very obvious, and very, there was an obvious present danger in doing that. Someone could be genuinely unaware of what they're doing if it's not explicitly marked right in front of them.”

Greg Jackson is a former deputy chief for the U.S. Park Service’s Division of Law Enforcement, Security and Emergency Services in Washington, D.C. During his career, he was presented with several situations where a child endangerment charge was merited.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"textStyle"},{"type":"bold"}],"text":"—"}]

And that’s today’s news. Get your free digital subscription to Wyoming's only statewide newspaper by hitting the Daily Newsletter button on 

 - and you can watch this newscast every day by clicking Subscribe on our 

 channel, or listen to us on your favorite podcast app.  Thanks for watching - I’m Mac Watson, for Cowboy State Daily.

News image 7 1 26

<title>Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Wednesday, July 1, 2026 | Cowboy State Daily</title>

Wednesday's headlines include:
* Rancher Spots Herd Of 7 Grizzlies
* In About Face, Gordon Lauds Trans Ruling 
* Wyo Dems Say They Aren't New York Socialists

Cowboy State Daily Video Newscast: Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Kolby fedore

Kolby Fedore

Public Safety

What first appeared to be an ordinary construction delay on a lonely stretch of highway west of Casper quickly turned into one of the 

 many of those involved had ever witnessed.

By the time emergency crews reached U.S. Highway 20/26 near mile marker 58 Friday afternoon, two people were dead, seven others had been injured, and strangers were comforting survivors, checking on children, searching for fire extinguishers and handing out bottled water.

On Monday, the Natrona County Coroner's Office identified the two people killed as James Faris Cox, 74, and Susan Horn Cox, 69, of Golden, Colorado.

"That was my aunt and uncle killed in the wreck Friday," their nephew Lee Wolfe told Cowboy State Daily. "They were on the way to their house in Ennis, MT. They lived in Golden, CO."

[{"type":"text","text":"He said the couple was traveling alone."}]

"It was just my aunt and uncle in their truck, no survivors," he said. "My two cousins and their families were heading up there at a different time thankfully."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Semi, Multiple Vehicles Involved"}]

The Wyoming Highway Patrol said the crash involved multiple vehicles, including a semi-truck.

"Two confirmed fatalities. Seven injured. Seventeen people involved, two flown by helicopter, the others were taken to Wyoming Medical Center by ambulance," Wyoming Highway Patrol spokesman Aaron Brown said. "This is still an active investigation." 

As of Monday afternoon, investigators had not released a preliminary cause of the crash, and no criminal charges had been filed.

The Natrona County Coroner's Office said it is investigating the fatalities along with the Wyoming Highway Patrol and Natrona County Sheriff's Office.

[{"type":"text","text":"Krista Nethercott of Jackson never saw the crash itself."}]

She had been traveling toward Casper with a neighbor after taking her son to enroll in college when traffic suddenly came to a stop.

[{"type":"text","text":"At first, she assumed the delay was caused by nearby road construction."}]

"There were these pylons on the right-hand side that kind of tell you there's construction," she said. "But there wasn't anything alerting you to slow down. There wasn't a flagger."

After waiting several minutes, she said she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

She stepped out of her vehicle and walked toward the front of the traffic backup.

"That's when I could see there were cars on both sides of the road," she said. "I was like, 'Oh my goodness.'"

Nethercott said she immediately ran toward the wreckage to make sure someone had called 911 and to offer whatever help she could.

She said she told him, "I'm a funeral director. I'll help you. I'm not scared to see death." 

Working with another bystander, she checked on the occupants of one of the most severely damaged vehicles — the Coxes' pickup.

"The gentleman was immediately deceased," she said. "The lady probably lived a couple minutes."

[{"type":"text","text":"She said both appeared to have been wearing seat belts."}]

The truck was crushed so badly, she said, that she believed rescuers ultimately would need the jaws of life to remove the couple.

"If the woman had lived longer, I don't think this gentleman and I could have ever taken her out of the vehicle," she said. "That's how crushed it was."

Despite witnessing the aftermath firsthand, Nethercott said she has no idea what caused the collision.

"I don't know if the semi-trailer didn't slow down and ran into people, or if somebody was trying to pass too many vehicles. I couldn't ascertain that at all. It was just mass metal and cars," she said. 

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Before The Sirens"}]

The crash occurred about 45 miles northwest of Casper, and Nethercott estimated it was roughly 30 minutes before ambulances and fire crews reached the scene.

"It seemed like it was a long time to see paramedics," she said. "But considering you're out in the middle of nowhere, I don't think they could have gotten there any quicker."

Long before emergency vehicles arrived, however, strangers had already organized themselves.

Nethercott estimated around 10 people got out of their vehicles and immediately began helping.

One man walked the line of stopped traffic asking whether anyone had a fire extinguisher. Another, who identified himself as working at a pediatric clinic, examined a young child who remained safely strapped into a five-point car seat while the boy's injured father tried to comfort him.

Others brought camping chairs for survivors to sit in while Nethercott handed out bottled water from her vehicle.

"There were people left and right getting out of their vehicles and trying to find anything that could be used," she said. "Whether it's water, an emergency medical kit or a fire extinguisher."

[{"type":"text","text":"The scene itself was almost impossible to comprehend."}]

"There was debris all over the place," she said. "Food, toilet paper, paper towels ... it looked like somebody had been camping. There was glass everywhere, bumpers everywhere."

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"'The Wyoming Way'"}]

The Natrona County Fire District described responders arriving to "a very chaotic scene" involving multiple damaged vehicles, a large debris field, numerous victims and a large bystander presence.

The response included firefighters from the Natrona County Fire District, ambulances from Mills Fire Department, Banner Wyoming Medical Center and Evansville Fire/EMS, Wyoming LifeFlight, Guardian Flight, the Natrona County Sheriff's Office, Wyoming Highway Patrol, WYDOT crews, dispatchers and road construction personnel.

[{"type":"text","text":"Fire officials said 17 people were directly involved in the crash."}]

In a statement, the department singled out the motorists who stopped to help before first responders arrived.

"Crews would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all the bystanders who assisted victims immediately after the crash, while waiting for help to arrive, as well as while responders were on-scene, offering shelter during the passing of a thunder cell, emotional support and minor patient care," they wrote. 

[{"type":"text","text":"\"The true spirit of the 'Wyoming Way' was in full force this day.\""}]

Nethercott said, "There were people left and right getting out of their vehicles and trying to find anything that could be used. They didn't sit around and wait for somebody else to do it."

[{"type":"text","text":"The moment she has replayed most, however, involved Susan Cox."}]

Although there was little anyone could do medically, Nethercott said she wanted to make sure the woman did not spend her final moments alone.

"We told her help was coming,” she said. "We don't know what happens when people are unconscious, but we wanted her to know somebody was there."

Only after that did she turn her attention to survivors who still could be saved.

Among those survivors is Kensi Van Patten. A 

 campaign organized on her behalf says she suffered serious injuries in the crash and faces a lengthy recovery while her family copes with mounting medical expenses. 

The fundraiser asks for donations to help with medical costs and lost income during her recovery.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol, Natrona County Sheriff's Office and Natrona County Coroner's Office continue to investigate the crash. 

Double Fatal Crash Go Fund Me 6 29 26

<title>Witnesses Describe Chaos, Compassion After Wyoming Crash That Killed Colo. Couple | Cowboy State Daily</title>

An older Colorado couple have been identified as the two people killed in a Friday multi-vehicle crash west of Casper. "We made sure she wasn't alone,” said a Jackson woman who was among those who stopped to help the couple and others hurt in the crash.

Witnesses Describe Chaos, Compassion After Wyoming Crash That Killed Colo. Couple

Headshot of Cowboy State Daily's Feature Reporter, Andrew Rossi.

Andrew Rossi

Many relics from the age of the steam engine in Wyoming remain. Some are grandiose, like 

One of these relics is the Lusk Water Tower, a point of pride in eastern Wyoming. It’s one of the few structures of its kind remaining in the United States, still standing strong 140 years after it was built.

“It's pretty important and iconic to the community,” said Leslie Stewart, a volunteer at 

. “I think there would be a drive to save it again if we needed to.”

It's also significant as one of only six surviving redwood water towers in the United States, according to the Niobrara County Historical Society.

[{"type":"text","marks":[{"type":"bold"}],"text":"Built Better"}]

In 1886, the Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Railway was establishing a line to connect Douglas and Chadron, South Dakota. This necessitated new depots and water towers along the route to ensure the steam engines kept running.

The redwood water tower in Lusk was built in 1886 to keep steam engines running between Wyoming and South Dakota. While the engines are gone, the tower endures 140 years after it was built and is one of six such relics still standing in the United States.

Daily Cartoon 2: Saturday, March 15, 2025

Michael P. Ramirez

Cartoonist

More in Daily Cartoon

Daily Cartoon 2: Thursday, July 2, 2026

Daily Cartoon 1: Thursday, July 2, 2026

Daily Cartoon 2: Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Daily Cartoon 1: Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Most read

Daily Cartoon 2: Saturday, March 15, 2025

Authors

Michael P. Ramirez

Cartoonist

More in Daily Cartoon

Daily Cartoon 2: Thursday, July 2, 2026

Daily Cartoon 1: Thursday, July 2, 2026

Daily Cartoon 2: Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Daily Cartoon 1: Wednesday, July 1, 2026

Most read