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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Benton was literally a Hell on Wheels town. In 1868, the Union Pacific Railroad had two to four miles of track laid a day and an entire town would follow these tracks as they pushed deeper into the Wyoming Territory. Not only saloons, but banks and grocery stores followed the crews that were building the railroad. These towns were virtually lawless and shootings were common occurrences according to the newspapers that also followed the railroad.

Wyoming History: 100 Murders In 3 Months, Lawless Benton Was ‘Bred By The Devil’

Of the Wyoming Territory towns that arrived on wheels along the Union Pacific Railroad, none were as tawdry, bawdry and lawless as Benton, which witnessed as many as 100 murders in its three-month lifespan. Benton, it was said, was "bred by the devil."

Jackie DorothyJuly 05, 2026

Matt Rasmussen, vice president of the Wyoming Herpetological Society, is an expert at herping, finding amphibians and reptiles in their native habitat. He is inviting others to safely search Wyoming for secretive creatures that are not as rare as you may think — only good at hiding.

Many Of Wyoming’s Seldom-Seen Snakes Aren’t That Rare, They Just Like To Hide

Wyoming's bright orange pale milk snake, rubber boa and plains black-headed snake are elusive, but not as rare as most people think — they just like to hide. Most of the state's secretive snakes only come out at night or when conditions are right.

Jackie DorothyJune 28, 2026

George "Bear" McClellan was one of Wyoming's most colorful characters in the early 1900s. Standing at six-foot-six, McClellan had earned his nickname as "The Bear" for hunting the beasts in the Big Horn Mountains beginning in 1885. He shared wild tales of riding bears and roping them.

Wyoming History: State Sen. George ‘Bear’ McClellan Claimed He Rode Grizzlies

Wyoming state Sen. George B. McClellan, who served in the Legislature from 1904-1934, was a source of "non-stop entertainment" according to media reports. He said the "B" in his middle name stood for bear because he trained grizzlies and rode them like a horse.

Jackie DorothyJune 27, 2026

Left Hand (left) was 22 years old when he snuck away from the agency at Fort Robinson and ended up fighting with the Sioux and Cheyenne in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

The Arapaho Five: Unsuspecting Braves Who Fought Custer 150 Years Ago This Week

Five young Arapaho braves snuck off from Fort Robinson 150 years ago this week and fought the 7th Cavalry at Little Bighorn, where General Custer met his demise. They later told their story to actor and adopted member of the Arapaho tribe, Tim McCoy.

Jackie DorothyJune 24, 2026

Teapot Dome Oil Fields Were Plenty Scandalous Before Historic Scandal Of 1920s

Years before armed Marines invaded Wyoming and a cabinet secretaries went to prison for the Teapot Dome scandal of the 1920s, those same oil fields were already plenty scandalous. Arguments over land were often settled by whoever had the quickest draw.

Jackie DorothyJune 21, 2026

Roger Haight started carving ivory soap as a Boy Scout and, after retiring as a professor of microbiology, joined a Big Horn wood carving group. His home is now a wood carving museum with over 400 carvings on display, mostly of birds.

Wyoming Woodcarvers Say Their Work Is A Hobby, Others Call It Art

Sheridan's Don Johnson and Roger Haight may not consider themselves artists, but they create extraordinary works based on what they see every day. Johnson builds modern birdhouses while Haight carves lifelike birds, and both are being hailed as Wyoming folk artists.

Jackie DorothyJune 21, 2026

Miners brought their families with them to the coal mining camps and the children attended small schools, usually with just one teacher. When not in school, Stanely Kuzara said that it was fun to play in the hills, around the mines and, during the winter, on the iced over river.

Wyoming History: Surviving A Dangerous Childhood Growing Up In Coal Town Of Dietz

The ghost town of Dietz was once a thriving coal mining community near Sheridan. Stanley Kuzara grew up around the mines where explosions were commonplace. Families would rush to the mines to discover if the men working that shift had survived.

Jackie DorothyJune 20, 2026

In her quest to discover who Harvey Logan really was, Dawn Newland retraced the outlaw’s trail and even visited the remains of his remote cabin.

Wyoming History: Kid Curry May Not Have Been The Wild Gunman Legends Say He Was

Harvey Logan, aka Kid Curry, was not the wild gunman Wild West legends have made him out to be, a historian discovered while researching The Kid. “He did become an outlaw, but there was a lot of good about him,” she said.

Jackie DorothyJune 14, 2026

When Frontiersman OP Hanna Stopped A Lynch Squad From Hanging A Man For A Killing A Mule

After serving on Johnson County’s first grand jury in 1881, OP Hanna suddenly developed a respect for the law, talking a lynch squad out of hanging a man for killing a mule. “Had I not arrived just when I did ... they surely would have hung him,” he said.

Jackie DorothyJune 13, 2026

Wyoming People: Fremont County’s Ed McAuslan Learned To Be A Coroner On The Job

Ed McAuslan was the longtime Fremont County coroner who learned his trade on the job as a young cop recruited into the office. A rash of 100 attempted suicides by hanging in 1985 — 12 successful — opened his eyes wide to “an issue no one talked about."

Jackie DorothyJune 07, 2026

In 1812, fur trader Robert Stuart and his six companions built the first recorded cabin in Wyoming at Bessemer Bend. They were traveling from Oregon to St. Louis after they had lost their ship and had to travel back east overland. They spent five weeks recuperating at Bessemer before fear of Indian attacks sent them on their way again.

Wyoming History: Once A Bustling City On Oregon Trail, Bessemer Now A Ghost Town

Bessemer Bend, now peaceful ranchland, was once a stop on the Oregon Trail and a bustling city known as the “Queen City of the Plains.” Now it’s a true Wyoming ghost town that disappeared when Casper was picked as the county seat.

Jackie DorothyJune 07, 2026

Wyoming History: How The Sundance Kid Earned His Infamous Nickname

Harry Longabaugh became the legendary outlaw the Sundance Kid after a series of thefts and escapes landed him in the jail in Sundance, Wyoming. While serving his 18-month sentence, he met other notorious outlaws and gained his infamous nickname.

Jackie DorothyJune 06, 2026

Other Authors

For 30 years, Miner’s Delight in Atlantic City drew the rich and famous for French food in the middle of nowhere. “One patron said it was the only place where she was willing to wear heels through cow manure to get in,” said the local historical society.

For Upscale French Cuisine, ‘Miner’s Delight’ in Atlantic City, Wyoming, Was Tops

For 30 years, the Miner's Delight restaurant in remote Atlantic City, Wyoming, was the place to go in the Cowboy State. Started by an advertising executive from New York, the upscale French cuisine attracted diners from hundreds of miles away.

Jackie DorothyMay 31, 2026

An egraving depicting Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer's last stand at the Battle of The Little Bighorn in 1876.

Wyoming History: The Courier Who Carried First Dispatch From Custer’s Last Stand

John “Josh” Deane came West looking for adventure — and got more than he bargained for when he took a job as a military dispatch rider. It was 150 years ago that he found himself carrying the first message about Custer’s last stand to Wyoming’s Fort Brown.

Jackie DorothyMay 31, 2026

For 45 years, Monsieur Philip Krass smoked cigars, fished the Big Horn Basin and would drive more than 100 miles for a game of bridge. “If you needed him for an emergency, you had to figure out who was hosting that night’s bridge game,” said Dee Arps, 108. Here, he's pictured with Iris Cavalli of Thermopolis, 90, who was the secretary and execultor of Krauss' estate and knew him well.

Wyoming History: Monsignor Philip Krass Loved Smoking Cigars And Playing Bridge

For 45 years, Monsignor Philip Krass smoked cigars, fished the Big Horn Basin and would drive more than 100 miles for a game of bridge. “If you needed him for an emergency, you had to figure out who was hosting that night’s bridge game,” said Dee Arps, 108.

Jackie DorothyMay 25, 2026

Mark Potter of the Wind River Canyon left the chaos of city life in Denver for a quieter life in Thermopolis. Potter was not expecting the isolation from the conveniences of modern life such as fast food and home improvement stores but has discovered that he loves being away from the busy social life he once led. He said that he has discovered the simple joys of mowing his lawn and taking care of his mom’s 15-year-old Chihuahuas he had inherited.

Wyoming People: Mark Potter Gives Up Big City Chaos To Live In Wind River Canyon

Mark Potter gave up a chaotic life in Denver to live in isolation in Wyoming’s Wind River Canyon with a pair of yappy dogs. He likely saved his neighbors May 16 when he called 911 to report a wildfire near the railroad tracks in the canyon.

Jackie DorothyMay 25, 2026

Wyoming’s monastery in the Bighorn Basin is being built in the Gothic style of the medieval monasteries of Europe. The blocks of stone are designed on a computer and carved by a robot rather than by hand, saving decades of work and millions of dollars.

Wyoming’s Mountain Monks: Simple Men Of Faith Go High-Tech To Build A Gothic Monastery

Wyoming’s Carmelite mountain monks are using computers, heavy machinery and robots to build a massive Gothic monastery in the mountains of the Bighorn Basin. It’s a stark contrast to the simple lives of faith these men live making coffee and raising cattle.

Jackie DorothyMay 23, 2026

By 1905, the town of Battle in the Sierra Madres of Wyoming had been mostly abandoned and the buildings left behind by the 1910s. Once a lively town, Battle boasted five saloons, numerous houses of ill repute, several retail stores, two hotels, a post office, newspaper and school.

Wyoming History: In Ghost Town Of Battle, Miners And Sheep Men Hated Each Other

Now a ghost town, Battle in the rugged Wyoming Sierra Madres lived up to its name, where miners and sheepherders hated each other. “The raucous music of its honky-tonks was interrupted more than once by a miner-herder foray,” historians wrote.

Jackie DorothyMay 17, 2026

The first cars to legally enter Yellowstone National Park happened in 1915. Thirteen years before, Henry G. Merry crashed through the gate with his 1897 Winton which was officially the first car to drive into the park.

Wyoming History: First Car In Yellowstone Was A Gate-Crasher Who Got Cars Banned

Henry Merry became the first person to drive a car in Yellowstone in 1902 when he crashed the park’s gate at 25 mph in his 1897 Winton. After he and his wife were kicked out, cars were officially banned in Yellowstone for another 13 years.

Jackie DorothyMay 17, 2026

Eldon Hongo quit a six-figure career to do what he really loves — training bird dogs — and made just $12,000 his first year. Now the Cheyenne-area trainer’s resume includes 17 national champion bird dogs and a reputation as the best in the business.

Fire Chief Says Wind River Canyon Fire Started By BNSF Train "Mechanical Issue"

Fremont County Fire Chief Ron Wempen told Cowboy State Daily the Wind River Canyon fire was started by a "mechanical issue" on a BNSF train. "Initially, they had a fire on board the locomotive itself," he said of Saturday's fire which grew to 133-acres.

Andrew Rossi & Jackie DorothyMay 16, 2026

Portuguese Fort Painting inset scaled 5 10 26

Wyoming History: Oldest Fur Trading Fort Survived Indian Attacks, But Not Jim Bridger

Antonio Montero and his mountain men survived a 40-day attack by Sioux warriors at what’s known today as the “Portuguese Houses,” Wyoming’s oldest fur trading fort founded in 1834. But it was rival Jim Bridger and Crows that finally chased Montero away.

Jackie DorothyMay 10, 2026