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

As proposed members of the future Trump administration consider making it legal to sell raw milk, it is already legal in several states, including Wyoming. Raw milk can be sold directly from the producer, like Little Acres Farm in Lovell, to the consumer who assumes the risk.

Raw Milk Is Legal In Wyoming, And Trump Might Soon Make It Legal Everywhere

Raw milk is already legal in several states, including Wyoming, and the incoming Trump administration could make it legal nationwide.

Jackie DorothyNovember 18, 2024

Roedy Farrell at the Texas Tech College Rodeo in Lubbock a couple of weeks ago.

Wyoming Bareback Rider Roedy Farrell Closes In On Pro Rodeo Dream

Thermopolis cowboy Roedy Farrell was born to be a rodeo star. The son of a National Finals Rodeo bull rider, Roedy competed in Cheyenne Frontier Days for the first time last summer. Now 19, bareback riding is his sport of choice and he's decided to go pro.

Jackie DorothyNovember 17, 2024

White Mountain and Pilot Butte near Rock Springs, Wyoming, viewed from a distance. The search for a missing 16-year-old boy in 1963 led to the formation of Sweetwater County Search and Rescue. But the boy, Edward Eskridge, was never found. That still haunts a now 90-year-old George Liska, who helped with the search for the teen.

The Boy Never Found Still Haunts Wyoming Searcher 61 Years Later

When a 16-year-old boy went missing in the Wyoming Wilderness in 1963, a desperate search was launched. More than 200 looked for Edward Eskridge, including the National Guard, but he was never found — and it still haunts one of those searchers, 90-year-old George Liska.

Jackie DorothyNovember 17, 2024

A painting of Big Nose George Parrott, a man who murder came naturally to, holding up the Deadwood stage, by Charles M. Russell.

The Dangerous Job Of Driving Stage In Wyoming: Robberies, Run-Away Horses And Rock Slides

Coal miner John Hulse discovered that driving a stagecoach in Wyoming was more dangerous than working in the mines. He survived hold-ups, run-away horses and rockslides before returning to the Gebo coal mines.

Jackie DorothyNovember 17, 2024

Drought and wildfires is forcing more Wyoming ranchers to sell off more of their cattle. At Torrington Livestock Markets on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, it was the largest sale in at least a decade.

Drought, Wildfires Prompt Torrington’s Biggest Cattle Sale In A Decade

Drought and wildfires are prompting cattle ranchers in Wyoming and around the region to sell more of their cattle than ever. The Torrington Livestock market had its biggest cattle sale in a decade Friday, with 4,000 bovine sold.

Jackie DorothyNovember 15, 2024

Ava Cole is surrounded by rocks of all types and her jewelry at Ava’s Silver and Rock Shop in Thermopolis, Wyoming.

Wyoming Rockhounds Have Been Making Museum-Quality Jewelry And Art For 50 Years

If there’s something Wyoming has plenty of it’s rocks and minerals, but it takes true artists to turn them into something unique and valuable. That’s what Eddy and Ava Cole, from Thermopolis, have been doing for 50 years, turning out museum-quality jewelry and rock art.

Jackie DorothyNovember 10, 2024

"1st Battalion" is a sculpture at Mt. Pisgah Cemetery in Gillette, Wyoming, where hundreds of military veterans are buried.

The No-Longer-Forgotten Veterans Buried In Gillette’s Mount Pisgah Cemetery

There are more than 1,000 veterans buried in Mount Pisgah Cemetery in Gillette dating back to the Civil and Spanish American wars. But many of them have become forgotten. Two local historians are unearthing and sharing their stories.

Jackie DorothyNovember 10, 2024

Kathy Sorensen is a self-proclaimed advocate for all the things people hate. She nearly always has her camera ready to catch the bugs, reptiles and pests in action and will adopt the ones in need.

Wyoming’s Critter Lady Loves All Those Creepy-Crawlies Others Hate

If it creeps, crawls or grosses you out, chances are Kathy Sorensen — aka Wyoming's critter lady — loves it. She's a self-proclaimed advocate for all the things other people hate, and does photo shoots with them.

Jackie DorothyNovember 10, 2024

Tom Skinner's Hole in the Wall Saloon in Thermopolis in 1908. The infamous outlaw gang wouldhang out there.

He Cowboyed With Outlaws Before Chasing Them As Bighorn Basin’s First Sheriff

Virgil Rice tracked horse thieves and had epic shootouts with notorious outlaws as the Bighorn Basin’s first sheriff. Before that, though, he cowboyed with future members of the Hole in the Wall Gang.

Jackie DorothyNovember 09, 2024

Jim Hicks, 89, has been in the Wyoming newspaper business for 60 years. He continues to write satire as “Sagebrush Sven” in the Buffalo Bulletin, the newspaper he once owned and now published by his son, a third-generation Wyoming newspaperman. Sagebrush Sven began as a non-humor column… until it was taken over by Jim Hicks who used the opportunity to share humorous observations from around his small town of Buffal. His wife, Mary Hicks, illustrated many of his columns.

Jim Hicks — And His Alter-Ego Sagebrush Sven — Have Made Wyoming Laugh For 60 Years

After 60 years as a Wyoming newspaperman, Jim Hicks is still writing his weekly humor column for the Buffalo Bulletin. He and his alter-ego Sagebrush Sven continue lampooning Buffalo, the Cowboy State and himself.

Jackie DorothyNovember 09, 2024

Wyoming Sheep Industry Cheers As Denver Voters Kill Slaughterhouse Ban

Denver voters killed an ordinance Tuesday that would have shuttered a large slaughterhouse that processed 20% of America’s lamb, and more than 50% of Wyoming's. Cowboy State ranchers are cheering the proposal’s defeat.

Jackie DorothyNovember 06, 2024

House District 47: Bob Davis, R, Keeps His Sweetwater County Seat

In District 47, Robert Davis, Republican incumbent, beat Democratic challenger James Wilson on Tuesday to continue serving in Wyoming’s House of Representatives.

Jackie DorothyNovember 06, 2024

Other Authors

House District 28: Winter, R, Wins Another Term in Wyoming House

Wyoming House District 28 went to incumbent Republican John Winter, who handily beat Democratic challenger Larry Alwin on Tuesday.

Jackie DorothyNovember 06, 2024

Candace Toledo dances in a jingle dress she created.

Wyoming Navajo Dressmaker’s Work Has Been In Movies, Powwows And Carnegie Hall

Navajo dressmaker Candace Toledo of Arapahoe, Wyoming, has found inspiration through creating traditional and modern Native American fashion. Her one-of-a-kind creations have been featured in a Disney movie, at powwows and at Carnegie Hall in New York.

Jackie DorothyNovember 03, 2024

Deputy Clark said they posted this photo of Williams Road to highlight the fall colors.

Find The Sheriff In Niobrara County -- A ‘Where’s Waldo’ Activity To Connect With Residents

In Niobrara County, locals are invited to guess where local deputies are every Friday. The department posts a photo of a Sheriff’s Office vehicle somewhere in the rural county and people somehow figure out where the deputy is.

Jackie DorothyNovember 03, 2024

The first block of Gillette Avenue is haunted, some say — every building.

Haunted Wyoming: Gillette Avenue May Be The Most Haunted Street In Wyoming

There are those who insist the ghosts come out after dark in downtown Gillette. From First to Second streets, “The entire first block of Gillette Avenue is haunted."

Jackie DorothyOctober 30, 2024

Young cowboy Levi Logan wanted his horse, Snip, to join him for Halloween trick or treating so the duo will be galloping from house to house as the Headless Horseman.

Like A True Woming Cowboy, 10-Year-Old Plans To Trick-Or-Treat On Horseback

When 10-year-old Levi Logan chose his Halloween costume, he wanted one that included his best friend — his horse, Snip. So Levi and Snip will trick-or-treat around Thermopolis, Wyoming, as the Headless Horseman.

Jackie DorothyOctober 30, 2024

Johnson County sheep rancher Mike Miller trails about 150 ewes and lambs down Echeta Road into Gillette in May 2024.

Proposed Slaughterhouse Ban Could Devastate Wyoming Sheep Ranchers

An animal rights group wants to shut down the only slaughterhouse in Denver city limits. Those who oppose a local ballot measure say it would cost thousands of jobs and could devastate sheep ranchers in Wyoming and throughout the U.S.

Jackie DorothyOctober 30, 2024

The Sweetwater County Library in Wyoming was built in 1979 on the site of a former cemetery. It was discovered during construction that not all the graves were reinterred up the hill at the new cemetery. Many of the library staff and patrons have witnessed unexplained occurrences that they believe are related to the disturbed graves of Green River’s former residents.

Haunted Wyoming: Sweetwater County Library Built On Pioneer Graves And Were Not Moved

If it sounds like the movie Poltergeist, there are similarities. The Sweetwater County Library was built on an old cemetery and the graves were supposed to have been moved. But not all of them were.

Jackie DorothyOctober 27, 2024

Ten Sleep Hill Climb cu David Francis mustang 10 27 24

Wyoming Rewind: Ten Sleep Hill Climb Was 100 MPH Of 2-Lane Road With No Guardrails

For 20 years, the Ten Sleep Hill Climb drew thousands of people to watch driver race up old Highway 16. It was a steep, dangerous race at more than 100 mph on a winding, two-lane road with no guardrails.

Jackie DorothyOctober 27, 2024

The final flight of the Yankee Lady over her home airport before the B-17's final cross-country flight, including over Wyoming.

Famous Yankee Lady B-17 Bomber Makes Final Flight Over Wyoming

The Yankee Lady, a World War II B-17 Flying Fortress, made her final flight across the West and Wyoming this past week. It was emotional for fans of the famous bomber, which was featured in the movie “Tora! Tora! Tora!”

Jackie DorothyOctober 27, 2024

Haunted Wyoming: White Devil, The Spectral Horse That Protects Wild Mustangs

The White Devil was a ghostly white stallion in the 1800s who protected his herds of wild mustangs against the cowboys who attempted to rope them. It's said that this spectral horse still roams the Rattlesnake Range above Casper, Wyoming.

Jackie DorothyOctober 27, 2024

Fort Fetterman State Historic Site composite getty 10 26 24

Haunted Wyoming: Soldier Was Ambushed And Buried In 1866, Then He Returned To Fort

Known as “Dead Duck,” a Wyoming Territory soldier was killed in an ambush by Indians during the Fetterman Fight in 1866, and buried. At least that's what he was told when he returned to the fort.

Jackie DorothyOctober 26, 2024

The Historic Greybull Hotel is in downtown Greybull, Wyoming. It was built in 1916 during the town’s oil boom and is a reminder of the past.

Haunted Wyoming: Ghosts Still Have Prohibition Liquor Parties At Greybull Hotel

The historic Greybull Hotel was owned by a rum runner during Prohibition who had a hidden speakeasy in the basement where he served up illegal scotch. Seems the good times never stopped for the ghosts that still hold Prohibition liquor parties there.

Jackie DorothyOctober 26, 2024

Wyoming Ranchers Say Fed Guidelines To Reduce Beef More Evidence Radical Interests Have Taken Over

New federal guidelines released this week suggesting Americans eat less beef is more proof that radical interests have taken over, say Wyoming ranchers and farmers. It's all political they say and has nothing to do with science.

Jackie DorothyOctober 23, 2024

A firefighting "spike" camp set up at Antelope Butte Ski Resort to battle the Elk Fire.

Antelope Butte Preps For Ski Season In The Shadow Of Massive Wildfire

Getting ready for the ski season has been more challenging this year at Antelope Butte Ski Resort. That’s because the resort also has been a spike camp for some of the hundreds of firefighters battling the 96,000-acre Elk Fire.

Jackie DorothyOctober 22, 2024

Freshman Eli Hill stripping an elk head at the Bugs ‘n Bones class at Wind River High School in Pavillion, Wyoming.

Wyoming High Schoolers Use Bugs, Power Tools To Clean Skulls For Hunters

Bugs and power tools are part of the curriculum for a class of Wyoming high schoolers. It’s the Bugs N’ Bones class at Wind River High, where students learn while they clean skulls for hunters.

Jackie DorothyOctober 20, 2024

The ghost town of Kirwin, Wyoming, is about 40 miles southwest of Meeteetse.

Haunted Wyoming: Kirwin Is A Ghost Town Haunted By Real Spirits

A fortune was spent building the mining boom town of Kirwin, Wyoming, only for the people living there to abandon it, terrified by ghostly voices. They didn’t even bother to pack their tools and other belongings, they just left.

Jackie DorothyOctober 20, 2024

Kevin Campbell speaks during the “Coffee with the Cowboys”. The 2024 Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame inductees shared stories of the cowboy life and answered questions from the moderator, Jim Nelson.

Hall-Of-Fame: It Takes Special Kind Of Tough To Be Wyoming Cowboy

Wyoming’s cowboys have endured the worst the state can throw at them — weather, horse wrecks and lost cattle. It takes a special kind of tough, and Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame inductees say there’s nothing they’d rather do

Jackie DorothyOctober 20, 2024

It was more than 70 years ago that a young hunter who was lost on Trapper Creek in Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains was met out of a fog by a teen in a red flannel shirt, who pointed him to safety. The hunter later learned a teen had died in the area 19 years before and others had similar stories of being led to safety by a boy in a red flannel shirt.

Haunted Wyoming: Lost Hunter Saved By Ghost Boy In Bighorn Mountains

A 17-year-old hunter lost on Trapper Creek in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains in 1951 found his way thanks to a boy in a red flannel shirt. Locals say he was saved by the ghost of another 17-year-old who died on his own hunting trip 19 years before.

Jackie DorothyOctober 19, 2024

Aaila Gertler, 5 months, is one of a handful of Wyoming babies left in the Good Housekeeping Baby of the Year contest.

Wyoming Babies In The Running To Be Baby Of The Year, Featured In Good Housekeeping

Little Aaila Gurtler is 5 months old, has five siblings and loves to make gurgling monster noises. She’s also in the running to represent Wyoming as the next Baby of the Year to be featured in Good Housekeeping.

Jackie DorothyOctober 18, 2024

The Wyoming Department of Transporation will place memorial signs for families of loved ones who died in crashes on state highways. They're a compromise to discourage illegal and potentially dangerous private memorials.

Reader Question: What Are Those Broken Heart Signs Along Wyoming Highways?

A Cowboy State Daily reader asked us about those white and red signs on the highway that feature a broken heart and a dove. They act as memorials for families in honor of their loved ones who lost their lives in traffic crashes on state and federal highways and interstates.

Jackie DorothyOctober 13, 2024

Fate magazine in 1948 published a story about the Wyoming Death Ship that was seen at least three times on the North Platte River in Wyoming as far back as 1862.

Haunted Wyoming: The Ghost Ship Of The North Platte

One of the more intriguing ghost stories in Wyoming is a ghost ship that appeared infrequently on the North Platte River in in 1862, 1887 and 1903. Each time it was spotted, it brought death with it for the people who saw it.

Jackie DorothyOctober 13, 2024

Haunted Wyoming: Chugwater Restaurant Serves People Decades After Burning Down

Caught in a blizzard, three people sought shelter at a restaurant off the interstate in Chugwater, Wyoming. They ate steak waiting out the storm, only to learn later the restaurant burned down decades ago — and their waitresses died in the fire.

Jackie DorothyOctober 13, 2024

The clown room is often cited as one of the scariest rooms to survive at the Shoshoni Haunted House, especially when a ghoul peeks around the corner, or is it “just” the Book Witch?

Inside Shoshoni's Haunted House: It Takes A Year To Build And Is Straight-Up Scary

The folks in Shoshoni, Wyoming, take Halloween seriously. Any doubt of that will be erased by a visit to its annual haunted house, which takes a year to build and is housed in an abandoned bowling alley which was closed nearly 40 years ago.

Jackie DorothyOctober 12, 2024

Jim Miller arrives to the Wyoming Sugar Co. in Worland with his last sugar beet delivery of the day. By 10 a.m., the weather was too warm to haul more beets. If the piles get to warm, the sugar beets will spoil so ventilators are placed in several mountains of the sugar beets to push air into the depths of the piles.

Wyoming Grower Expects To Bring In 525,000 Tons Of Super-Sweet Sugar Beets

It’s harvest time for Wyoming’s sugar beet growers, and it looks like they’ve had a good season. For Worland-area grower Jim Miller, it’s been a good year. He expect to bring in about 525,000 tons of super-sweet sugar beets.

Jackie DorothyOctober 12, 2024

Portrait of wildlands advocate Margaret Murie.

How Mardy Murie, Wyoming’s Grandmother Of Conservation, Inspired The Wilderness Act

From Alaska to Wyoming, Margaret “Mardy” Murie and her family were advocates for keeping the wilderness wild. Known as the Grandmother of Conservation, she and husband Olaus helped inspire the Wilderness Act.

Jackie DorothyOctober 06, 2024

Lesleigh Ann Schaefer has highlighted the roads she has traveled during her 80,000-mile road trip around Wyoming.

80,000 Miles And Thousands Of Photos, She Explores Wyoming For Those Who Can’t

Lesleigh Ann Shaefer of Thermopolis has traveled more than 80,000 miles and taken thousands of photos as she drives around the Cowboy State. She says she explores Wyoming for those who can’t.

Jackie DorothyOctober 06, 2024

The Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park.

Haunted Wyoming: The Headless Bride Of Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn

A teen bride murdered and decapitated at Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Inn in 1914 is said to still haunt the historic hotel. People tell of seeing her ghostly apparition walking to the crow’s nest — carrying her own head in her arms.

Jackie DorothyOctober 06, 2024

In 1940, a family digging a root cellar near Badwater Creek in Fremont County, Wyoming, discovered a human skeleton and awakened something that wailed at them from beneath the earth.

Haunted Wyoming: The Wailing Skeleton Of Badwater Creek

In October 1940, the Lichty family discovered a skeleton on their property near the Badwater Creek in Fremont County. Their troubles were only beginning…

Jackie DorothyOctober 05, 2024

The tunnels in the Wind River Canyon's scenic byway.

Yellowstone Highway At 100: Wyoming’s $1 Million Gamble That Paid Off Big

It’s been 100 years since the Yellowstone Highway was blasted through a rugged, unforgiving Wind River Canyon. At $1 million, it was the most expensive stretch of road ever built in the U.S., and a gamble that paid off big for Wyoming.

Jackie DorothyOctober 05, 2024

Juan Laden of Lander, Wyoming, surveying a cave with a team in Mexico.

Wyoming Caver Has Spent 50 Years Exploring World’s Deepest, Darkest Places

It takes a certain kind of person to not only tolerate being in caves, but love it. Juan Laden of Lander is one, having spent 50 years exploring the world’s deepest, darkest places from Antarctica to Ukraine to New Zealand.

Jackie DorothySeptember 29, 2024

The Sacajawea Well was accidently drilled in 1918 when the owner was searching for black oil. Although disappointed, he made the best of the situation and eventually sold his hot water well to Hot Springs County for a poor farm.

Once A Showstopper, Thermopolis Hot Springs RV Park Being Restored

The owner of the iconic Fountain of Youth RV hot springs park in Thermopolis, Wyoming, was just a girl when she visited during its heyday decades ago. It was a showstopper park for travelers, and now she and her family are restoring it.

Jackie DorothySeptember 28, 2024

Abandoned tunnel in the Boysen State Park that the railroad refused to build higher. This resulted in decades of court battles against Asmus Boysen to demolish his dam in the Wind River Canyon. It's now crumbling.

Boysen State Park’s Abandoned Tunnel Is Last Reminder Of Fierce Railroad Fight

A crumbling abandoned tunnel in Boysen State Park is all that’s left of one man's fierce fight with the railroad in the early 1900s. It’s the last reminder a failed gold rush and a showdown with the railroad for ownership of Wyoming’s Wind River Canyon.

Jackie DorothySeptember 28, 2024

Kodiak, Don Dechert’s Malamute, inspects the “family suite” that can house three large dogs from the same family.

Riverton Kennel Has TVs For Dogs, And They Love “Little House On The Prairie”

Muddy Creek K9z in Riverton, Wyoming, isn’t a typical boarding house for dogs. It pampers pooches, including TVs in each of their kennels. And they love “Little House on the Prairie.”

Jackie DorothySeptember 28, 2024

Thermopolis Middle School Assembly, 187 students strong, pose during the announcement of their school being honored as a Blue Ribbon School.

Three Wyoming Schools Named Among Nation’s Elite Blue Ribbon Schools

Wyoming schools in Powell, Sheridan and Thermopolis have been named among the nation’s elite Blue Ribbon schools for 2024. They’re among the 356 nationwide recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Jackie DorothySeptember 24, 2024

In 2019, Al Hubbard, right, was still dreaming of pursuing his artwork full-time and it wasn’t until 2023 that a personal tragedy propelled him to concentrate on his art career.

Wyoming’s Al Hubbard Defining New Past-Modern American Indian Art Movement

Wyoming’s Al Hubbard is an Arapaho and Navajo artist who’s defining a new past-modern art movement. His blend of tradition with contemporary life captures the soul of his culture while inspiring Native American youth.

Jackie DorothySeptember 22, 2024

Sheridan mountaineer Darren Rogers, right, with a sherpa while on an expedition to summit K2 in late July 2024.

Sheridan Mountaineer Trains 2 Years For “Pretty Intense” 30 Minutes Atop K2

Sheridan, Wyoming, mountaineer Darren Rogers planned and trained for more than two years to climb to the top of K2. Once there, he spent a “pretty intense” 30 minutes atop the mountain considered the most dangerous to climb in the world.

Jackie DorothySeptember 22, 2024