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

About 1898, Elmer Chatfield with draft horses and work crew near Ten Sleep, Wyoming. He is the one standing and holding his daughter.

Wyoming History: Nobody Crossed ‘Chatty’ Chatfield, The Toughest Cowboy Pioneer

Against a backdrop of lawlessness and frontier legend, Elmer “Chatty” Chatfield may have been the toughest of them all. Even at birth he wasn’t fazed when a windstorm sent a tent pole onto his head.

Jackie DorothySeptember 07, 2025

The Pikes Hot Shot crew out of Monument, Colorado, were grateful for a home cooked meal prepared by the Philp family. It was a gesture of gratitude but also common sense since the ranchers know that the hard work of fighting fires all day would make for a giant appetite.

After Saving Their Herds, Wyoming Ranchers Feed Hundreds Of Firefighters

As the 125,000-acre Red Canyon Fire threatened their herds and livelihoods, Wyoming ranchers scrambled to save them. Then they cooked up a storm to feed hundreds of firefighters also working to save them.

Jackie DorothySeptember 01, 2025

Bill Nye (not the science guy) was a humorist that was as famous as Mark Twain in his day. He founded the newspaper in Laramie and named it Boomerang after his beloved donkey. He captioned this picture of himself: “A thoughtful, scholarly and choice fragment of modern architecture with lines of care about the firmly chiseled mouth.”

Wyoming History: Bill Nye (Not The Science Guy) And His Mule Named Boomerang

Long before there was Bill Nye the Science Guy there was Laramie, Wyoming, newspaperman Bill Nye, one of the leading humorists of the late 19th century. His little orphan mule named Boomerang inspired him when life didn’t seem so funny.

Jackie DorothySeptember 01, 2025

Jess Camilla O’Neal of Dubois, Wyoming, is a songwriter and singer who used music to live. Her new album “The Campfire Sessions” was just released this past week.

Cowgirl To Cancer: Wyoming Songwriter Who Once Opened For Reba Now On Comeback

Jess Camilla O’Neal once opened for Reba McEntire, then a life-altering accident and stage 4 cancer derailed her career. Now the Wyoming cowgirl is making music again and is on the comeback trail.

Jackie DorothySeptember 01, 2025

All 13 cows of the Wyoming State Bison herd in Hot Springs State Park had calves this year, bringing the total number of bison to 30. About 15 will be sold off at a public auction this fall or early winter since the land at the Bison Pasture can only handle so many bison.

Meet Thunder & Lightning, The Bulls That Lead Wyoming’s Iconic State Bison Herd

For more than a century, Wyoming’s official bison herd has roamed the grasslands around Thermopolis. Until this year, the 15-head herd was led by a pair of unnamed, nearly identical bulls. Now they’re officially named Thunder and Lightning.

Jackie DorothyAugust 31, 2025

The National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championships was held last weekend in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Wyoming was represented by several drivers including Jessica Smith of Shoshoni. The competition is intense and drivers amp up their skills as the prepare to show off their truck driving savvy.

Wyoming Truck Drivers Among The Best In The Nation

A team of Wyoming commercial truck drivers showed why they’re among the best in the nation over the weekend at the National Truck Driving and Step Van Driving Championship in Minnesota.

Jackie DorothyAugust 26, 2025

Wyoming History: That Time Bandits Robbed ‘Humpy The Boar-Ape’

The lanky Wyoming cowboy known as Irish Tom by some, and Humpy the Boar Ape by others, was robbed of a payroll stash in the late 1800s. But his recollection of the holdup didn’t quite fit the actual real robbery.

Jackie DorothyAugust 24, 2025

Pilot Nick Dew drops a load of retardant on a wildfire in Wyoming from his Tanker 837.

Former Air Force Pilot Trades Military Missions For Slurry-Bombing Wildfires

Wyoming’s exploding wildfire season has multiple aircraft running from sunrise to sundown dropping huge volumes of retardant on them. Nick Dew is one of them, a retired Air Force pilot who now runs missions slurry-bombing wildfires.

Jackie DorothyAugust 24, 2025

In 1899, a Freemason murdered a coal miner in Glenrock, Wyoming. That fueled mob of 400 miners who went vigilante, marching on Douglas to break the Freemason out of jail and hang him.

Wyoming History: That Time When 400 Coal Miners Went Vigilante To Hang A Man

In 1899, a Freemason murdered a coal miner in Glenrock, Wyoming. That fueled a mob of 400 miners who went vigilante, marched down the streets of Douglas to break the Freemason out of jail and then hung him.

Jackie DorothyAugust 23, 2025

Elk Fire fire bug Chad Flanagan 1 8 23 25

Sidelined By Smoke-Damaged Lungs, Career Wildland Firefighter Now Reports Fires

Forced to retire because of his smoke-damaged lungs, Darren Clifford of Lander now keeps people informed about wildfires. Clifford, who needs a lung transplant, created a popular Facebook page called "Caught The Fire Bug" which reports up-to-date information available about large wildfires in Wyoming and across the West.

Jackie DorothyAugust 23, 2025

Ranchers move their cattle off their rangeland as the smoke and flames ate up the pasture around them.

Red Canyon Fire Burns Up Winter Forage, Leaving Ranchers Devastated

Ranchers in the path of the huge Red Canyon fire are watching helplessly as their winter forage burns up. That leaves them devastated and having to make heartbreaking decisions, like selling off their herds rather than watch them starve.

Jackie DorothyAugust 21, 2025

Hundreds piled into the gym at Hot Springs County High School on Monday for their first meeting with officials fighting the 110,000-acre Red Canyon Fire. It was emotional, as locals related how their ranches and livelihoods have been devastated.

114,000-Acre Red Canyon Fire Has Devastated Ranches, Livelihoods, Locals Say

Hundreds piled into the auditorium at Hot Springs County High School on Monday for their first meeting with officials fighting the 114,000-acre Red Canyon Fire. It was emotional, as locals related how their ranches and livelihoods have been devastated.

Jackie DorothyAugust 19, 2025

Other Authors

Ranchers and the local Thermopolis volunteer firefighters were the first line of defense against the Red Canyon fire that has gobbled up more than 100,000 acres of rangeland in rural Hot Springs County.

‘Pretty Damn Helpless’: Ranchers Work To Save Cattle, Land From Red Canyon Fire

The Red Canyon Fire burning east of Thermopolis has already consumed more than 100,000 acres. Generational ranchers in the path of the fire are working together to save their homes and cattle, even if it seems “pretty damn helpless” to stop it.

Jackie DorothyAugust 18, 2025

Caitee Cooper is eager to partner with Wyoming artisans, such as soap and candle makers, to create a unique niche for her contemporary fantasy trilogy, the Portlock series. She said she is inspired by the outdoors and legends to write her stories.

Bigfoot, Alaska And Evil: Wyoming Author Channels Depression Into A Wild Trilogy

Caitee Cooper grew up in the Wyoming outdoors, which she draws on to build her fantasy novels inspired by bigfoot, Alaska, evil, and a pretty wild imagination. But it was her depression that gave Cooper the courage to start writing.

Jackie DorothyAugust 17, 2025

Surface buildings of the Carissa Mine at South Pass City in Wyoming.

Wyoming History: The Miners' Cure For Laziness At South Pass City

When a miner in 1868 tried to avoid working a claim in South Pass, his partners came up with a cure for his laziness. Getting him back to work involved a loaded rifle and the threat of Indian raids.

Jackie DorothyAugust 17, 2025

Heather Hossack of Heritage Quilts & Fabric Shoppe in Riverton, Wyoming, is a quilter that loves to create uniquely Wyoming patterns of rodeo life and wildlife.

Wyoming’s Wildlife, Rodeo And The West Inspires Riverton Woman’s Quilt Art

Riverton's Heather Hossack has turned her passion for horses and wildlife into a career designing unique Wyoming quilt patterns. Quilters from all over the world have purchased her original patterns to create their own art with a distinctly Wyoming flair.

Jackie DorothyAugust 17, 2025

Red Canyon Fire Grows To Nearly 85,000 Acres, More Evacuations Ordered

A large, out-of-control wildfire “exhibiting extreme fire behavior” continues to grow in multiple directions about 11 miles east of Thermopolis. The Red Canyon Fire also has prompted more evacuations in its potential path.

Greg Johnson & Jackie DorothyAugust 17, 2025

Eli Bebout, from left, Ruby Calvert and Nick Bebout stand with a portrait of their mother, Dessie A. Bebout, during the dedication of the Shoshoni U. S. Post Office in their mother’s honor on Wednesday at the Shoshoni School.

Shoshoni Post Office Renamed For Dessie Bebout, Former Postmistress And WWII Vet

Dessie Bebout served in a special unit for women during World War II, was a devoted public servant and was the Shoshoni postmistress for 13 years. Now she will forever be with the local post office. It was officially named for her in a ceremony Wednesday.

Jackie DorothyAugust 13, 2025

After years of competing at the 4-H Dog Show and Showmanship at the Wyoming State Fair in Douglas, 4-H senior Karen Ulmer and her dog Keona walked away with the Grand Championship for Showmanship. Ulmer said it took 3 hours of grooming and $300 in grooming products to get her pup ready for the annual show and that the effort was well worth it with the win.

Dog Eat Dog: 4-H Competitions Hit Their Peak At Wyoming State Fair

The Wyoming State Fair is the big show for scores of Wyoming 4-H Club kids who spend a whole year raising and training animals. At Tuesday’s dog show, young competitors say the chaos of the state fair is the ultimate test of discipline and obedience.

Jackie DorothyAugust 13, 2025

U.S. Sen. John Barrasso, Diana Enzi, U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, Catherine Allgor, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon

Wyoming Leaders Meet To Ensure State Has Important Role With Smithsonian Women’s Museum

Wyoming leaders gathered in Jackson last week to make sure Wyoming has a prominent voice in the forthcoming American Women’s History Museum. The Smithsonian has already raised more than $55 million to build it.

Jackie DorothyAugust 10, 2025

In 1894, Alfred Slick Nard, one of the survivors of the Horse Thief Wars, ambushed and tried to kill a sheepherder. Mike Bell found the spot where the attempted murder took place just outside of Worland, Wyoming. He said, "The old road continues along the ridge to my left - your right. The ambush site is above my hat on the flats.”

Wyoming History: The Nearly Forgotten 1892 Horse Wars To Exterminate Thieves

A brutal campaign against horse thieves unfolded across Montana, Idaho and Wyoming in 1892, nabbing notorious outlaws like Butch Cassidy and Jack Bliss. The Horse Wars were nearly forgotten to history until recently uncovered by an English historian.

Jackie DorothyAugust 10, 2025

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