Writer

Jackie Dorothy

Jackie Dorothy is a reporter for Cowboy State Daily based in central Wyoming.

Over the past 20 years, Jackie has worked in television, radio and print across Wyoming. In this role, she has won numerous writing and history awards including the Wyoming Governor’s Journalist of the Year and SBA Journalist of the Year.

Jackie is also the podcast host of ‘Pioneers of Outlaw Country’ that explores little known historical stories of Wyoming with entertaining narrative.

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Latest from Jackie Dorothy

In the mining camp of Hartville (pictured), men took the custom of sitting up all night next to a dead friend to the next level. While playing poker and enjoying a shot of whiskey, they’d make sure the dead man was included as part of his wake. Inset: Poker game from Wyoming State Archives

In Wyoming Mining Camps, Dead Men Would Play Poker And Smoke Cigars

In the event someone died at a mining camp — and out of fear that one could be buried alive — miners would stay up with their dead friend overnight. That included, sitting them up and playing poker. The corpse’s winnings would defray funeral expenses.

Jackie DorothyOctober 17, 2026

During his years as a Bureau of Indian Affairs officer on the Wind River Reservation, Leslie Shakespeare had encounters with strange lights, people that weren’t supposed to be there and sounds he couldn’t explain.

Apparitions, Lights And Ghost Soldier: Wind River Cop Says Rez Is Plenty Scary

Leslie Shakespeare saw some unexplainable things as a cop on the Wind River Reservation, including strange lights guiding him, apparitions and a ghost soldier. “I got a cold feeling that wasn’t from the temperature,” he said of his first case, a murder.

Jackie DorothyOctober 17, 2026

Wyoming History: Slim And Quick’s Terrifying Night Sleeping Under A Hanging Tree

A pair of Indian hunters named Slim and Quick weren’t afraid of much, but were terrified the night they unknowingly fell asleep under a hanging tree — and awoke to corpses dangling over them.

Jackie DorothyOctober 17, 2026

Ella Randol, an employee at the Cowboy Bar & Cafe, claims that the bar in Meeteetse is haunted by three spirits. The most dominant spirit is a woman that Randol believes is Sylvia Mikkelson, a founder of Meeteetse who once ran a dry goods store on the same block the Cowboy Bar & Cafe is on now.

Sylvia Came To Meeteetse In 1898, And Cowboy Bar Patrons Say She's Never Left

The ghost of Sylvia Mikkelsen, who ran the Meeteetse dry-goods store in the early 1900s has never left, say Cowboy Bar patrons. Bartender Ella Randol, who says she has spoken with Sylvia, says whenever anyone gets unruly, things get bone-chilling cold.

Jackie DorothyOctober 12, 2026

That Time Gerry Spence Shut Down Shoshoni’s Haunted Blue Goose Brothel

Shoshoni legend has it that a madam killed at the Blue Goose brothel was still haunting the place when famed lawyer Gerry Spence shut it down in the 1960s early in his career. The Blue Goose was known to be a house of ill repute for decades in Shoshoni.

Jackie DorothyOctober 12, 2026

Drew Bott was commissioned by McDonald's to build the pedestal world’s largest Qarter Pounder, which is in Rapid City, South Dakota.

Riverton Sculptor Known For McDonald's 11-Ton Cheeseburger, Philadelphia Eagles, Loves Making Memorials For Vets

When McDonald’s wanted a tribute made for its quarter-pounder, the hamburger giant turned to Riverton's Drew Bott. He had just created a monument for the Philadelphia Eagles after they won the Super Bowl. What really inspires him, though, is making monuments for veterans.

Jackie DorothyOctober 11, 2026

No, The Town Of Shoshoni Is Not Closed Down Despite What Google And Apple Maps Say

Shoshoni Mayor Joel Highsmith is blaming AI for Google and Apple Maps telling travelers on Monday that the entire town is closed down. The messaging caused drivers to end up on isolated dirt roads which can be impassable for large trailers and campers.

Jackie DorothySeptember 28, 2026

Reba Teran is resurrecting a nearly forgotten Shoshone art that's often depicted wrong in Western art. The traditional saddles are made of wood, covered in rawhide, and warriors would be mortified if depicted riding women's saddles.

Wyoming People: Reba Teran Keeps Alive The Art Of Making Shoshone Woman’s Saddle

Reba Teran is resurrecting a nearly forgotten Shoshone art that's often depicted wrong in Western art. The traditional women's saddles are made of wood and covered in rawhide. Frederic Remington is one artist called out for putting male warriors in high-horned women’s saddles.

Jackie DorothySeptember 26, 2026

Paris, Wisconsin, was the first stop on Marvin and Ann Robinson's bucket list to hit every town in the United States named Paris. 61 years ago this October 8 the couple had eloped to Paris, Idaho as teenage runaways.

Casper Couple On A Mission To Visit Every Place Named ‘Paris’ In The U.S.

A Casper couple is on a mission to visit every place named “Paris” in the U.S. It’s a flashback 61 years to when as a young couple, they eloped to tiny Paris, Idaho, to get married. So far, “I probably enjoyed Paris, Illinois, the most," she said.

Jackie DorothySeptember 26, 2026

Wyoming History: Buffalo’s Stately 1880 Occidental Hotel Started As Frontier Tent

Buffalo's stately Occidental Hotel didn’t begin that way, starting as a frontier tent hosting early Wyoming miners. Eventually, the tent became a shack, then the two-story Occidental by 1880. For nearly 150 years, it’s been the social center of Buffalo.

Jackie DorothySeptember 26, 2026

Artist and historian Larry Edgar examines the mysterious 1811 stones from Pappy-Po Butte at Old Trail Town in Cody. Edgar and his brother Bob Edgar investigated the butte after the first inscribed stone was found in 1978. Bob believed that the weathered sandstone inscriptions provide tantalizing physical evidence behind a much older local story of a battle on the butte.

Mysterious 1811 Pitchfork Ranch Rocks Change Timeline Of White Men In Bighorn Basin

Pitchfork Ranch cowboys had long heard about the battle of "Pappy-Po Butte," and the legends were affirmed when sandstone grave markers etched with "1811" were found. It's proof white men were in the Bighorn Basin earlier than thought, historians say.

Jackie DorothySeptember 20, 2026

When Ben Arthur saw that his grandson could not play rough with his toys, he felt nostalgic for the toys his own grandpa had made him. These wooden toys could be thrown across the room and not lose a wheel or be pulled around for hours without falling apart.

Kirby’s ‘Grandpa Ben' Makes Old-School Wooden Toys Kids Can Beat The Crap Out Of

Ben Arthur of Kirby — aka ‘Grandpa Ben’ — has spent the past 40 years making colorful and Wyoming-tough old-school wooden toys that are meant for kids to beat the crap out of. “Kids today need to have toys like I had as a kid,” he said.

Jackie DorothySeptember 19, 2026

Other Authors

Wyoming Hall Of Fame Auctioneer Tom Harrow Has A Lifetime Of Cowboy History

Wyoming hall-of-fame auctioneer Tom Harrower has been building his collection of cowboy history, artifacts and collectibles since growing up on his family’s ranch near Kemmerer. “This is about preserving our stories before they are lost,” he said.

Jackie DorothySeptember 13, 2026

What began as Dwight Koehn's desperate attempt to help feed his cattle nearly a decade ago by growing hydroponic lettuce has ballooned into a new business. Now Greybull Valley Produce sells its produce to stores, restaurants and schools.

Struggling Greybull Cattle Rancher's Gamble On Hydroponic Lettuce Pays Off Big Time

What began as a Greybull rancher’s desperate attempt to help feed his cattle by growing hydroponic lettuce has ballooned into a new business. Now his company produces tons of greens every year and distributes them to stores, restaurants and schools.

Jackie DorothySeptember 13, 2026

Workers in the Lance Creek oil fields in Niobrara County feared during World War II they were on Adolf Hitler's hit list because 25% of Wyoming’s oil came from the area. Hitler never struck, and now about 50 people remain in a town that once had 5,000.

Wyoming History: Lance Creek Oil Workers Feared They Were On Hitler’s Hit List

Workers in the Lance Creek oil fields in Niobrara County during World War II feared during they were on Hitler's hit list because 25% of Wyoming’s oil came from the area. Hitler never struck, and now about 50 people remain in a town that once had 5,000.

Jackie DorothySeptember 13, 2026

What began as a few local bagpipers honoring the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks has become the Lander Bag Pipers, which has become a fixture in the town and memorializes the anniversiary of 9/11 each year since. Above, that first group performs a month after the attacks, as published in the Riverton Ranger/Lander Journal.

Lander Bagpipe Band Began 25 Years Ago As A Response To 9/11 Terrorist Attacks

The Lander Pipe Band began as a one-time performance in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Now 25 years later, it’s played at every local 9/11 memorial service and has become a fixture in the central Wyoming town.

Jackie DorothySeptember 10, 2026

Daisha Thomas, 15, competed in the Excel National Festival at nationals in Boston. Just before she was to compete, another skater ran into her and she ended up with stitches and a black eye. This did not deter the Wyoming skater to skate her best and become ranked 21 nationally at her level.

15-Year-Old Cody Girl Moving Up National U.S. Figure Skating Rankings

Wyoming isn’t built for competitive figure skating, with few ice rinks and elite coaching only available online. Even so, a 15-year-old Cody girl is ranked 21st nationally and the first ever from Wyoming to qualify for the U.S. Figure Skating Excel Series.

Jackie DorothySeptember 07, 2026

Many Native American tribes have legends of the "Thunder Bird," a giant bird that would soar high above the clouds. In 1890, a pair of cowboys claimed to have stumbled on a giant bird in the Arizona desert but skeptics now wonder if it was a hoax rather than a scientific discovery. Locals who claimed to have talked to these ranchers say that it was true though the creature only had a 30 foot wingspan, not 160 feet.

Wyoming History: Was Legend Rock Winged Monster Also Arizona’s ‘Thunderbird’?

Was the winged monster etched in sandstone at Legends Rock State Petroglyph Site in Wyoming also the "Thunderbird" seen in Arizona skies in 1890? A Tombstone newspaper reported it was, but there's no proof and today it lives on only in Plains Indian lore.

Jackie DorothySeptember 06, 2026

Melissa Hemkin has grown garlic for years in the Wind River Range near Lander. When she decided to expand her farm commercially, she said she chose her garlic strains not only for their flavor and ability to grow in the cooler climate, but for their backstory.

Lander Woman Grows 800 Pounds Of Heirloom Garlic, Including 400-Year-Old Variety

A Lander woman grows about 800 pounds of heirloom garlic a season in the Wind River Range, including a 400-year-old variety. Their similarity is they're all hardneck — garlic that prefers cold weather and high altitude — but range widely in taste and heat.

Jackie DorothySeptember 06, 2026

Aaron Vigil is an engineering student from University of Wyoming and grew up Worland. Although he was fascinated by space, he never thought he would work for NASA. Sunday morning, a telescope he has worked on for the past four years was launched into space.

Worland Engineer 'In Awe' Watching Sunday Launch Of NASA Telescope He Helped Build

Worland’s Aaron Vigil watched in awe Sunday as the powerful Roman telescope he helped build was launched successfully on a million-mile journey. The University of Wyoming grad spent four years helping to construct the telescope's Solar Array Sunshield.

Jackie DorothyAugust 31, 2026

The Bettis family of Danville, Virginia, has just biked through Wyoming on their 2,700-miles on the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.

Mom, 8 Kids Nearly Caught In Wyoming Wildfire On 2,700-Mile Great Divide Bike Ride

A Virginia mom and eight of her 15 kids nearly got caught in a wildfire near Lander and a hit-and-run in Montana while on an epic ride of the 2,700-mile Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. She's doing it to help heal from the effects of domestic violence.

Jackie DorothyAugust 29, 2026