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

Wyoming sheep baron J.B. Okie, bottom, was throwing an opulent high-society party when it was crashed by Sheriff Frank K. Webb, above, and his prisoner. That prisoner was Otto Chenoweth, an outlaw horse thief who escaped and charmed the ladies as a dashing gentleman.

Wyoming History: Otto Chenoweth, The Gentleman Outlaw Of Lost Cabin

Sheep baron J.B. Okie was throwing a high-society party at his opulent mansion in Lost Cabin, Wyoming, when it was crashed by the sheriff and his prisoner. That prisoner was Otto Chenoweth, an outlaw horse thief who escaped and charmed the ladies as a dashing gentleman.

Jackie DorothyJuly 06, 2025

Wyoming History: Mountain Man Joe Meek Survived Bears And Blackfeet Raids

When an 18-year-old Joe Meek arrived in the wilderness of Wyoming in 1829, the greenhorn had to toughen up fast to survive bears and hostile tribes. When he fell asleep on guard duty, he also survived the wrath of Capt. William Sublette.

Jackie DorothyJuly 05, 2025

It may be great to fantasize about “Ranching Rich,” but that’s not real ranching in Wyoming, says Cody singer-songwriter Kalyn Beasley. Buddy Ned LeDoux is featured in his new song, an ode to real ranching in the West.

Ned LeDoux Featured On Wyoming Singer-Songwriter’s Ode To Real Ranching

It may be great to fantasize about “Ranching Rich,” but that’s not real ranching in Wyoming, says Cody singer-songwriter Kalyn Beasley. His friend Ned LeDoux is featured in the new song, an ode to real ranching in the West.

Jackie DorothyJuly 05, 2025

Lesleigh Ann Schaefer has put 100,000 miles on her 2019 Subaru exploring and photographing Wyoming from its rarely-traveled backroads. Now homebound with terminal cancer, her adopted home of Thermopolis has rallied to make her final days special.

Beloved Photographer Shares Beauty Of Wyoming Even As She Faces End Of Life

Lesleigh Ann Schaefer has put 100,000 miles on her 2019 Subaru photographing Wyoming from its rarely-traveled backroads. Now homebound with terminal cancer, she can only take photos from her backyard. Her adopted home of Thermopolis has rallied to make her final days special.

Jackie DorothyJune 29, 2025

In 1887, the wild man of Chugwater, dubbed Bud by the locals, roamed around Chugwater Valley, as it was known then, and alluded capture by cowboys and circus men.

Wyoming History: Chugwater Wild Man Was 7-12 Feet Tall And Faster Than A Horse

Newspapers reported the Wild Man of Chugwater was between 7 and 12 feet tall, covered in dark hair and could run faster than any horse. He even eluded a hunt in 1887 by a circus owner who wanted to put him in a cage for his freak show.

Jackie DorothyJune 28, 2025

Wyoming History: Thermopolis Was Founded By A Dashing Outlaw Bachelor

Ben Hanson was the founder of Thermopolis, Wyoming, and a well-respected businessman and cattleman. He also was a dashing outlaw bachelor who was quick with his gun and friends with the notorious Wild Bunch.

Jackie DorothyJune 23, 2025

Wyoming Rancher Was At The Birth Of Certified Angus Beef — Drinking Highballs

The Certified Angus Beef program was the first of its kind, and when Wyoming rancher Jack Schmidt first heard the idea over a highball, he thought it was silly. Then he watched the industry turn upside down as Black Angus became the breed of choice.

Jackie DorothyJune 21, 2025

Carl Dunrud, Wyoming cowboy and Yellowstone Park Ranger, lassoed this male polar bear cub in Baffin Bay. He successfully captured the 2-year-old during the Putnam Greenland Expedition of 1926 and brought it to New York to the Bronx Zoo.

Wyoming History: That Time A Yellowstone Park Ranger Lassoed Polar Bears

Carl Dunrud steadied himself against the small schooner. It was 1926 and the Yellowstone Park ranger and Wyoming cowboy had a lasso ready as he eyed his target. Looking back at him was a polar bear swimming in the cold Arctic Sea.

Jackie DorothyJune 21, 2025

Walter Punteney was a respected cowboy working for the Embar Ranch in Hot Springs County, Wyoming. After his former boss and friend, Jay Torrey, accused him of stealing cattle, Punteney fled to the Hole in the Wall Gang and became a lookout for the Wild Bunch known as Wat the Watcher. He is known to have rustled cattle and robbed at least one bank in Belle Fourche, South Dakota, although lawyers helped get the charges against him lifted. Here he's shown with the Hole in the Wall Gang cabin.

Wyoming History: Outlaw Walt Punteney Was Cattle Rustler, Bank Robber, Heck Of A Nice Guy

Walt Punteney was a well-known member of the notorious Wild Bunch outlaw gang. He rustled cattle, robbed banks and was cheerful and a heck of a nice guy. He also built a saloon which eventually became the popular Cowboy Bar in Pinedale.

Jackie DorothyJune 15, 2025

Kevin Costner Series Airs Long-Unrevealed Truth About Wyoming's Fetterman Fight

Kevin Costner will air a long-unrevealed truth about the famous 1866 Fetterman Fight — that Capt. William Fetterman wasn’t the arrogant buffoon he was made out to be. The episode of his new docuseries is based on research by a Wyoming historian.

Jackie DorothyJune 09, 2025

Artwork, wax figures and wildlife mounts are interspersed in the exhibits at the Wind River Heritage Center in Riverton, Wyoming. After the death of Jake Korell, the founder of the center, the future of the collection was uncertain. A new board has recently taken over and with partners such as the Wyoming Historical Society, are saving the collection and once more opening the museum to the public.

One-Of-A-Kind Wyoming Wax Figure Collection On Track To Be Sold, Saved Instead

After years with an uncertain future, a collection of one-of-a-kind Wyoming wax figures that was on track to be dismantled or sold off has been saved instead. Now volunteers and the Wyoming Historical Society plan to display them again.

Jackie DorothyJune 08, 2025

Henry P. Williams, nicknamed High Powered, tracked the Custer wolf for eight long months. The infamous wolf was finally trapped and shot on Oct. 11, 1920 in Custer County, South Dakota.

Wyoming History: How The Custer Wolf Got The Best Of A Famed Outlaw Hunter

Wyoming’s premier hunter “High Powered” Williams, who had once bested a Hole-in-the-Wall gang member, finally met his match in the 1920s. But it wasn’t another outlaw, it was the notorious Custer wolf that was terrorizing the countryside.

Jackie DorothyJune 08, 2025

Other Authors

Losing a pet is heartbreaking and most owners don’t want their animals to end up discarded in a landfill, while a shovel and a shoebox also won’t do. The New Hope Shelter in Worland, Wyoming, has a pet crematorium and cemetery for pets.

When A Shovel And A Shoebox Won’t Do, There’s The Worland Pet Cemetery

Losing a pet can be heartbreaking, and most owners don’t want their animals to end up discarded in a landfill. That's why people drive hundreds of miles to bring their deceased pets to Worland to use a specially designed pet crematorium chamber at the New Hope Shelter.

Jackie DorothyJune 08, 2025

The rodeo world is mourning the death of Hall of Fame bronc riding legend “Cody” Bill Smith at age 83. He loved Cody, Wyoming, so much he adopted it as his hometown and nickname.

Hall Of Fame Bronc Rider Bill 'Cody' Smith Remembered As Rodeo Legend

The rodeo world is mourning the death of Hall of Fame bronc riding legend Bill "Cody" Smith at age 83. A three-time Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association saddle bronc riding champion, he loved Cody so much he adopted it as his hometown and nickname.

Jackie DorothyJune 07, 2025

New York Judge Keeps Wind River Job Corps Open

After being ordered to close their doors by the Trump administration, a federal judge in New York issued a restraining order that will keep the Wind River Job Corps in Riverton, and others across the nation, open.

Jackie DorothyJune 05, 2025

Wind River Job Corp students Igor Pool, Joshuwa Begley and Joe R. Hodge protrst outside the school.

Riverton Job Corps Students, Staff Protest Putting Program On ‘Pause’

More than 100 students and staff protested outside the Riverton Job Corps offices Wednesday with the program on “pause” after cut from . The program will end by June 30 unless Congress intervenes.

Jackie DorothyJune 04, 2025

Kenzley Sims of Riverton, 10, loves barrel racing and wants to go to nationals. To help her reach that dream, her parents have enrolled her in the Cowboy State Virtual Academy in Sheridan. She will be able to do all her public school courses online around her schedule.

Online School Popular Choice For Wyoming Ranch And Rodeo Kids

Wyoming ranch kids have chores and rodeo that take up a lot of time. That's why Riverton's Kenzley Sims (pictured) and other Wyoming kids go to Sheridan’s Cowboy Virtual Academy. They can pursue rodeo while getting an education online.

Jackie DorothyJune 01, 2025

The famous photo of Desert Dust was originally a black-and-white photo that was hand-colorized by Verne Wood, and huge portraits hung in important buildings such as the Wyoming Capitol, London’s House of Commons and Canadian Parliament.

A Las Vegas Investigator’s Decades-Long Search For The Most Famous Wild Horse In America

For decades, Wyoming native and Las Vegas detective Gill Gillilan hunted for clues to the story behind Desert Dust, once the most famous wild horse in America. Photos of the Red Desert mustang had sold more than 1 million photos in the 1940s

Jackie DorothyMay 31, 2025

Team Last Call Heroes smoke ribs at the 2022 Wyoming State BBQ Championship and Bluegrass Festival.

Summer Of ’Cue: Worland’s State Championship The Ultimate Goal For Serious Smokers

For those serious about smoking meat, Memorial Day weekend is the start of barbecue season. In Wyoming, that means a summer of tweaking and attention to details to earn a spot at the Wyoming State BBQ Championship in Worland in August.

Jackie DorothyMay 26, 2025

Margo Keller, the daughter of a Navy veteran, placed flags this Memorial Day on the graves of soldiers, including those that were not on her original list such as George Odde who served in the Navy during World War II.

Thousands Of Flags Planted At Graves Of Veterans In Thermopolis And Across Wyoming

In cities and towns across Wyoming, volunteers have placed thousands of American flags at the graves of military veterans. In Thermopolis, the exercise is personal for veterans who remember comrades who paid the ultimate price for America’s freedom.

Jackie DorothyMay 26, 2025

Archaeologist Lawrence Loendorf and his team pioneered a new technique of tracing petroglyphs. When they learned that the tape they had been using would damage the rock surface, they engineered this set up using light tripods and tennis balls to hold their tracing paper in place. Loendorf published a book last month explaining the new technique.

New Discovery At Ancient Petroglyph Site Changes Timeline Of Early Wyoming Tribes

An archaeologist has found new evidence that changes the story behind ancient Wyoming petroglyphs found at Castle Gardens in remote Fremont County, Wyoming. That they were made by tribes previously thought to show up centuries later is “a very unexpected find."

Jackie DorothyMay 24, 2025

Norm Pape, 94, has been moving cattle on the family farm since he was a little kid in the 1930s. He has stepped back from many of his daily duties but still stays active on the family ranch in Daniel, Wyoming.

Sublette County Cowboy Norm Pape Is 94 And Still Active On The Family Ranch

It’s branding season and 94-year-old Norm Pape is still working the Sublette County ranch that’s been in his family for over 120 years. Cowboys don’t quit, Pape says, and they certainly don’t retire. "Our ranch is a working ranch," he said.

Jackie DorothyMay 24, 2025

A Leadership Wyoming visit to a coal mine.

25 Years And More Than 1,000 Graduates For Leadership Wyoming

For 25 years, Leadership Wyoming has promoted communities and the state through hands-on training and networking. From coal and trona mines to legacy ranches, more than 1,000 program graduates have gone on to become better bosses, workers and neighbors.

Jackie DorothyMay 20, 2025

For bird enthusiasts, the best part of spring in Wyoming is watching all the birds return. Spotting bald eagles is always a thrill, like these in Yellowstone National Park.

Wyoming Birders Live For Spring, And Spotting Something Rare Or Spectacular

For bird enthusiasts, the best part of spring is watching all the birds return. Wyoming is home to more than 400 species of birds and the migration peak is in May.

Jackie DorothyMay 18, 2025

Mail call for the Rocky Mountain Honor Flight will include drawings from the kindergarteners at the Ralph Witter Elementary School in Thermopolis, Wyoming. The students drew the pictures based on examples presented to them from their teachers, their own imaginations and stories from their families about their own experiences serving in the United States military.

For Many Vets, Their First ‘Thank You’ Comes Decades Later From Wyoming Kids

Wyoming veterans on Honor Flights to visit their memorials in Washington, D.C., also received special “thank you” notes from school kids in Thermopolis. Most of the veterans receiving the surprise mail had served during Vietnam and many had never received a thank you for their service until now.

Jackie DorothyMay 17, 2025

ARCHIVE PHOTO: The freeze/thaw of early spring is one of the major causes of rock falls in the Wind River Canyon.

Motorists Play Frogger With Falling Rocks In Wyoming’s Wind River Canyon In Spring

Spring means Wyoming’s Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway is at its most spectacular. It’s also the peak time for rockslides, meaning motorists on U.S. 20 play Frogger with falling rocks and mud.

Jackie DorothyMay 13, 2025

Horse racing in Gillette, Wyoming, is growing more popular as horses from around the nation are being entered and the Wyoming races are becoming known for their safety.

Wyoming’s Home-Grown Live Horse Racing Sparks Resurgence Of Industry

Jack Greer grew up on the racetrack, and the Gillette resident is now part of a home-grown movement that’s sparking a resurgence of live horse racing in Wyoming. That’s partly because he and others in the Cowboy State are racing their own horses.

Jackie DorothyMay 05, 2025

Patsy Dorman poses in front of her line of clear glass insulators. Her passion for collecting the glass relics began on a camping trip to Tough Creek. Lineman had tossed the insulators aside and she thought they were too pretty to abandon.

For Wyoming Collectors, Vintage Glass Power Line Insulators Are Prized Finds

Those funky glass blobs that used to hang on and around power lines are highly prized by Wyoming collectors. These vintage glass insulators are prized finds for those with a passion for them.

Jackie DorothyMay 04, 2025

Mark Jenkins of Laramie, Wyoming, credits his upbringing in the Cowboy State with his adventuring spirit. He has climbed peaks worldwide successfully but has failed to summit many times over. Five times, he attempted to climb Hkakabo Raz in Myanmar and failed each time but embraces the lessons he learned along the way.

Laramie Climber Wants Sixth Shot To Summit Highest Peak In Myanmar

Laramie's Mark Jenkins has tried five times to reach the highest peak in Myanmar. Although a successful summit has been elusive, if the political climate changes, the 66-year-old elite climber said he would try a sixth time “in a heartbeat.”

Jackie DorothyMay 03, 2025

Bill Dafoe was diagnosed with a fatal brain cancer and died last September, but his legacy continues. He had always encouraged and coached his sons, and now his oldest son Logan (center top) is heading to West Point. He was accepted just months after Bill passed away.

Thermopolis Teen Gets Into West Point Months After Dad Dies From Brain Tumor

Logan Dafoe’s dream of attending West Point came true this month. But it wasn’t complete, because the Thermopolis teen’s father, Bill, wasn’t there to see that dream come true. Bill died from a brain tumor months before his son’s acceptance came through.

Jackie DorothyApril 28, 2025

Isabel Jewell: Shoshoni, Wyoming’s Hard-Boiled, Tough-Talking Actress

Shoshoni, Wyoming's Isabel Jewell was usually typecast as a hard-boiled, tough-talking broad, gangster's moll, dumb blonde, prostitute, and is known for her poor "white trash" role as Emmy Slattery in “Gone with the Wind.”

Jackie DorothyApril 27, 2025

More Drawings By George Ostrom Found, Famous For Creating Wyoming’s Bucking Horse

Pioneer Artist George Ostrom sketched the scenes around him, including battles in World War I and wildlife in Wyoming. He’s famous for creating Wyoming’s bucking horse logo, and now his family is releasing Ostrom drawings discovered well after his death.

Jackie DorothyApril 27, 2025

Monte Bush believes it is a miracle that no one died the night he blacked out after drinking and ran head-on into another vehicle. He was charged with a DUI and is now nearly six years sober. He shares his story with the hope that he can save at least one life and prevent someone else from drinking and driving.

Extreme DUI Program Has 90% Success Rate For Those Who Have Destroyed Lives By Driving Drunk

Monte Bush woke up in the hospital, disoriented. He had been drinking and had no memory of getting in his truck and leaving the town of Greybull. He was horrified to learn that he had been in a head on collision at 55 mph and hurt four people badly in the wreck.

Jackie DorothyApril 26, 2025

The Sprout’s Greenhouse was founded in 1978 and is now owned and operated by son, Griff Sprout. He literally grew into the business and horticulture.

For Wyoming Greenhouse Operators, Spring Starts When The Snow Is Deep

Spring started in January for the Sprout family in Lander. They planted their seeds while snow was still deep now are climatizing their perennials to the Wyoming weather.

Jackie DorothyApril 25, 2025

The practice is for both rider and bull. Dalton Willis rides Stev, one of the family’s rodeo bulls that will compete at the Hell on Wheel Rodeo in Cheyenne and other rodeos across the season this year.

Wyoming Ranch Family Learns Raising Rodeo Bulls Nearly As Tough As Riding Them

Dallas Willis grew up in Wyoming around rodeo and was a bull rider through college. Now his family raises bulls for rodeo, and he’s learned that’s nearly as tough as riding them. And the best bulls don’t like people.

Jackie DorothyApril 20, 2025

There’s Something In Wyoming That Makes It Perfect To Grow Coors’ Special Barley

A special blend of barley has been grown by hundreds of farmers in Wyoming and three other Western states exclusively to brew Coors beer. That includes Jim Miller’s family near Worland, who thinks the crop is going to be “tremendous” this year.

Jackie DorothyApril 19, 2025

Visit To War Memorials Emotional For Casper Vet, 96, Who Served In WWII, Korea

It’s been decades since Casper resident Bob Cook served in the Army during World War II and Korean War. Now 96, he finally got to visit his memorials in Washington, D.C., a trip that was extremely emotional and meaningful.

Jackie DorothyApril 19, 2025

Wyoming’s Huge Fossil Finds Inspire Artist To Recreate Its Ancient Landscapes

Wyoming has been giving up huge fossil finds for well over a century. Those discoveries have inspired an artist to recreate Wyoming’s ancient landscapes, which in many ways are nothing like they are today.

Jackie DorothyApril 18, 2025

The First National Bank of Meeteetse is listed on the National Historic Register and was once the richest bank in the Big Horn Basin. It's now a museum.

That Time Robbers Only Got Away With $40 From Richest Bank In The Bighorn Basin

The First National Bank of Meeteetse, Wyoming, was never hit by the infamous Wild Bunch. It was the richest bank in the Bighorn Basin and a tempting target in 1958 when robbers used a crowbar to break into the vault. They only get away with $40.

Jackie DorothyApril 13, 2025

Willie LeClair dedicated much of his life teaching Plains Indian Sign Language.

Wyoming Humanities Shell-Shocked By Federal Cut, Loses 80% Of Its Budget

Wyoming Humanities has been shell-shocked by the federal government cutting a National Endowment for the Humanities grant. That money makes up 80% of its operating budget.

Jackie DorothyApril 11, 2025

Rancher Eddie Shumway built his lookout tower to enjoy the view above Owl Creek in Hot Springs County. He installed a solar light on his tower which can be seen for miles around.

Mischievous Rancher Behind Those Mysterious Lights In Rural Hot Springs County

The mysterious red, blue and green lights that flash in the middle of nowhere around Hot Springs County aren’t UFOs. They belong to Eddie Shumway, a mischievous rancher who likes giving people something to talk about.

Jackie DorothyApril 06, 2025

Public archaeologist Colin Ferriman with the Cultural Resource Analysts company surveys proposed project sites to look for potential historic and prehistoric artifacts that may need to be protected. Over the years, he and his team have discovered many interesting sites pertaining to Wyoming’s varied history including a mountain man trap and discarded bottles on the Oregon Trail.

Archeologists Have Only Begun Digging Up Wyoming’s Secrets Of The Past

Archaeologist Colin Ferriman travels around Wyoming and the region searching for historic artifacts at project sites for developing energy development. The Cowboy State has only begun giving up its secrets of the past.

Jackie DorothyApril 06, 2025

As spring approaches, ranchers in Wyoming are on the alert for the green shoots of larkspur. This beautiful wildflower is deadly to cattle.

Beautiful But Deadly, Larkspur Kills Wyoming Cattle And Frustrates Ranchers

As spring approaches, ranchers in Wyoming are on the alert for the green shoots of larkspur. This beautiful purple wildflower is deadly to cattle and frustrating for ranchers.

Jackie DorothyApril 05, 2025

Jack O'Rourke and Michael, his youngest son, several hundred miles off the coast of North Carolina as the sun goes down on a 1,200-mile sail south to the Virgin Islands.

How A Landlocked Wyoming Native Became A Sailor In The Virgin Islands

After a childhood of camping in the backcountry around Buffalo, Wyoming, Jack O’Rourke finds himself most at home living on a sailboat thousands of miles away. He says people ask all the time “how a boy from Wyoming ended up in the Virgin Islands.”

Jackie DorothyMarch 30, 2025

Truly in the middle of nowhere of southwest Wyoming, a historic Little America sign has been placed by Eddie Shumway. He found the treasure in his inherited junk pile and his daughter, Susie Brinkenhoff, painted it for him.

Long-Lost Little America Penguin Sign Rescued From Remote Wyoming Junk Pile

A historic metal Little America penguin sign was nearly rusted away, forgotten in a remote Wyoming junk pile, when rancher Eddie Shumway discovered it on his property in Hot Springs County. He has restored the iconic sign along an isolated highway.

Jackie DorothyMarch 29, 2025

Alfred Packer confessed to cannibalism for eating his five companions in the winter of 1874. He had been hired as their guide and instead got them lost in the San Juan mountains of Colorado during a blizzard. The spelling of his first name is wrong on this sign, a common mistake because Packer himself had a tattoo with his first name misspelled "Alfred."

A Wyoming Sheriff Caught Infamous Cannibal Alfred Packer, Brought Him To Justice

After eating his five traveling companions in the Colorado mountains in the winter of 1874, Alfred Packer eluded capture for nearly a decade. One of the most infamous cannibals in U.S. history was caught and brought to justice by a Wyoming sheriff.

Jackie DorothyMarch 29, 2025

Growing a garden in Wyoming’s climate can be difficult, especially when you plant the wrong seeds. A new company is helping Bighorn Basin gardeners find the right seeds for the Cowboy State’s unique climate.

How To Outsmart The Bighorn Basin Climate When Planting Your Garden

The Bighorn Basin has a long growing season, but it's very cool in the spring and very hot in the summer. If you pick the wrong seeds, you're doomed. A soil scientist in Worland says she has cracked the code and can un-doom your garden.

Jackie DorothyMarch 23, 2025

The American West: Wyoming’s First Woman Senator Brought Back The Saloons

When Thermopolis pioneer, businesswoman and advocate Dora McGrath decided to run for the Wyoming senate in 1930 it was to give soldiers all the freedoms for which they risked their lives -- including the freedom to drink alcohol.

Jackie DorothyMarch 23, 2025

A sheep wagon was built by individuals who had their own unique design. They left behind clues of who they were and Jim O’Rourke had been identifying these sheep wagons before his death in 2024.

Wyoming Man's Obsession Helped Preserve And Promote Sheep Wagons

Jim O'Rourke spend years crisscrossing Wyoming to find, preserve and promote the state's unique ranching invention — the sheep wagon. A year after his unexpected death, his wife continues that momentum of preserving and promoting sheep wagons.

Jackie DorothyMarch 23, 2025

Paleontologist Jason Schein, executive director of Elevation Science Institute, shows off the articulated tail of a 150-million-year-old long-necked sauropod from the Late Jurassic Period. The tail is among thousands of other dinosaur bones found in the Anderson Site on the Montana side of the Bighorn Basin near Bridger, Montana. Tracking dinosaurs throughout the basin, and across time, is what a new digital app is all about.

Digital Timeline Map Lets Anyone Track Dinosaurs When They Inhabited Wyoming’s Bighorn Basin

A new digital map called the “Bighorn Basin WY Land Mammal Age Map” allows users to track dinosaurs, prehistoric animals and ancient plants that once thrived in and ruled the Bighorn Basin in central Wyoming.

Jackie DorothyMarch 23, 2025

Park Ranger Sid Sibo was inspired to write her award-winning novel, “The Scent of Distant Family,” by the Wyoming landscape she worked and lived in for the past 30 years.

How A Dog Lost In The Wyoming Wilderness Inspired Park Ranger Turned Author

A former park ranger was inspired to write her first novel by Wyoming’s wilderness and a lost dog’s journey home. The result was “The Scent of Distant Family,” which has just been nominated for a national award.

Jackie DorothyMarch 21, 2025

Wyoming Cowboy Rapper, aka Jiggy Buckaroo, Takes His Outlaw Flow To Nashville

Growing up in Buffalo, Wyoming, once called the most lawless town in America, with a love of all things Western and rap music, it was inevitable Ryan Charles Kinzer would become the Jiggy Buckaroo cowboy rapper. He's taken his outlaw flow to Nashville.

Jackie DorothyMarch 21, 2025

The oil paintings for “A Home For Steamboat” have been framed and are ready to be displayed across the Cowboy State. Author Casey Rislov and Illustrator Zach Pullen are excited for the debut of their very Wyoming children’s book about the iconic figure on our license plates.

Casper Duo Casey Rislov And Zak Pullen To Release New Children's Book On Wyoming's Famed Steamboat

Casper children’s book author Casey Rislov and illustrator Zak Pullen are at it again. This time, they're telling the story about the iconic bucking horse on Wyoming’s license plate, Steamboat. The new book will be released in April.

Jackie DorothyMarch 15, 2025

Chancey Williams performs at the 2024 Cheyenne Frontier Days.

Moorcroft's Chancey Williams Looking Forward To Fifth Time Playing Cheyenne Frontier Days

This year will mark the fifth time Moorcroft's Chancey Williams will be playing at Cheyenne Frontier Days. He has opened for legends Merle Haggard, Dwight Yoakam, Gary Allen, Dierks Bentley and now Brooks and Dunn.

Jackie DorothyMarch 15, 2025

Wyoming Teacher Rode Same 1,900-Mile Bicycle Route Buffalo Soldiers Did In 1897

The story of Buffalo Soldiers riding bicycles 1,900 miles from Montana to Missouri in a post-Civil War military experiment had been nearly forgotten. Then a Deaver, Wyoming, teacher biked it himself. "It was one of the most meaningful things I've ever done in my life,” he said.

Jackie DorothyMarch 09, 2025

American West: The Kidnapped Doctor And Wounded Outlaw

In 1904, two masked men kidnapped a Thermopolis doctor to save the life of an outlaw at their remote ranch. The horse thief had been shot in a shoot-out with lawmen and his true identity remains a mystery to this day.

Jackie DorothyMarch 09, 2025

Lynette St. Clair of Fort Washakie, Wyoming, grew up listening to the language of her Shoshone people. She realized 30 years ago that it took only a generation for the Shoshone language to become endangered.

Wyoming Woman On Mission To Not Let Shoshone Language And Culture Die

Lynette St. Clair of Fort Washakie grew up listening to the language of her Shoshone people. She realized 30 years ago that the language and culture could die. So she made it her mission to share the language, culture and history with the next generation.

Jackie DorothyMarch 08, 2025

Kaden Horrocks of Utah, riding a King Rodeo Co. bronc at the 2024 Frozen Fury Bronc Futurity hosted by the Hell on Wheels Rodeo Company of Cheyenne.

Started When Cheyenne Frontier Days Was Canceled, Popular Hell On Wheels Rodeo Still Going Strong

In 2020, when Cheyenne Frontier Days was canceled because of COVID-19, Cindy DeLancey and her family launched the Hell on Wheels rodeo. Five summers later, their open rodeos are still being held beginning June 6, leading up to Cheyenne Frontier Days.

Jackie DorothyMarch 08, 2025

Englishman Mike Bell didn’t start out to become an expert on Butch Cassidy and Wyoming outlaws. But his research led him to writing several books on this very topic and sharing his love of the Wyoming west in his home country.

The English Westerner Society: Brits Obsessed with Wyoming, Outlaws And All Things Cowboy

The English Westerner Society started in the 1950s to give American West enthusiasts in England a place to talk about their favorite topic. Mike Bell is one of those British enthusiasts. He has written several books on Butch Cassidy and Wyoming outlaws.

Jackie DorothyMarch 02, 2025

Left: Japanese waltzing mice crawl all over 18-year-old Pat Palmer, who worked at a pet shop in the 1950s. Right: A portrait of Abbie Lathrop by Jesus Romero.

Wyoming History: When The Waltzing Mouse Was The Most Popular Pet In America

More than a century ago, the waltzing mouse exploded as the most popular pet in America. Now we know these spazzed-out tiny rodents have a neurological disorder, but then they were beloved for their “dancing.”

Jackie DorothyMarch 02, 2025

Barb Tomes Vietti is passionate about history in her hometown of Thermopolis and admits to going down a rabbit hole when she started investigating the history behind the Smoky Row Cemetery. Her research has revealed that the cemetery has three graves, not the six to 10 that legend had claimed.

Where Are The Six Bodies Missing From Wyoming’s Smoky Row Cemetery?

As many as nine people were long believed to have been buried in the historic 1890 Smoky Row Cemetery in Hot Springs State Park in Wyoming. Now ground-penetrating radar shows six of them aren’t there, so where are the missing Smoky Row bodies?

Jackie DorothyMarch 01, 2025

Tom O’Day’s booking photo (left). Tom O’Day poses in a photo that now hangs in Cody’s Old Town (right)

The American West: How A Wyoming Outlaw Won A Gunfight With A Coffee Mug

When outlaw Tom O’Day was ambushed in a Thermopolis café back in 1903, a coffee cup was his only defense. Although O'Day was injured, he was declared the winner of the gunfight by newspapers all across Wyoming. The media lampooned the gunman for losing to a coffee cup.

Jackie DorothyMarch 01, 2025

The American West: The Doomed Gold Rush Of Wyoming’s Wind River Canyon

In 1906, a gold rush erupted in Wyoming’s Copper Mountains above the Wind River Canyon. Asmus Boysen’s dream to build a dam and power for these mines was destined for ruin.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 28, 2025

For 50 years, Jerry Kintzler has been designing flower arrangements from his store, Jerry’s Flowers, in downtown Riverton, Wyoming.

Meet Jerry Kintzler: 55 Years Of Designing Flower Arrangements — And Saving Lives

Jerry Kintzler has been designing flower arrangements for 55 years in Riverton and has even saved lives with his flower knowledge. At least twice, he warned people that premature dead flowers were a sign they had gas leaks in their homes.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 23, 2025

Ski Instructor Karl Milner lost a leg during while fighting in the military. Now he and Eric teach first-time skiers at Antelope Butte.

He Lost A Leg In Combat, Now Wyoming Vet Teaches Others To Adapt And Overcome

Karl Milner lost a leg in combat, but the Gillette veteran used his military training to adapt and overcome to map out a new mission in life. Now he treats others facing mental and physical challenges to ski. He's a better teacher, he says, because "he's been there."

Jackie DorothyFebruary 23, 2025

Maria Kelson’s debut novel is a crime thriller available at both local bookstores and through national chains. She loves that after ten years of writing, she can walk into the Storyteller in Thermopolis and see her books on display.

Award-Winning Wyoming Author Debuts First Crime Thriller That Took 10 Years To Write

Maria Kelson was already an award-winning Wyoming poet when she decided to tackle something totally different — a crime thriller. The result is “Not The Killing Kind,” a gripping whodunit that took 10 years to write.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 23, 2025

Chancey Williams was inspired to write and record “The Ballad of Uncle Don” after listening to his uncle Don Williams' stories.

Chancey Williams’ Ode To His Wyoming Cowboy Uncle Hits No. 1 On CMT Music

Inspired by his uncle Don Williams and the joy of bronc riding, Chancey Williams’ new hit song “The Ballad of Uncle Don” has hit No. 1 on the CMT Music charts. Chancey said the song came about over cup of coffee with his uncle in Moorcroft, Wyoming.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 22, 2025

The American West: Butch Cassidy’s Banker, Eugene Amoretti Sr.

Eugene Amoretti Sr. was the founder of Lander, Wyoming, and known friend of both outlaw Butch Cassidy and Fremont County Sheriff Charles Stough, who pursued the outlaws. Amoretti came to America to seek his fortune and died a millionaire.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 21, 2025

Wildfires Help Push 40,000 Head Drop To Wyoming’s 2024 Cattle Production

Despite a 3% decrease in cattle production in 2024, Wyoming ranchers expect 2025 will bring back a strong cattle market. The Wyoming Stock Growers Association says part of the reason for the 40,000-head decrease was the severe wildfire season.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 18, 2025

Comic Valentines were all the rage in the 1800s and early 1900s. These valentines were usually sent anonymously and could be considered spiteful. They were usually sent to either someone you hated or a friend you were making fun of.

Wyoming History: Valentine’s Day Used To Be As Much For Haters As Lovers

In the 1800s and early 1900s in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Valentine’s Day was not just for lovers, it was also for haters and just for fun. It was popular to share your anonymous feelings with humorous and derogatory Valentine’s Day cards.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 13, 2025

Don’t Crowd The Snowplow During Wyoming’s Whiteouts

So far there have been nine incidents of motorists running into snowplows this year. With big winter storms converging on Wyoming this week, WYDOT is asking drivers to slow down and steer clear of snowplows.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 10, 2025

Caitlin Youngquist (right) teaching a compost workshop for Wyoming Dept of Environmental Quality

The Art Of Turning Manure To Compost

Manure management is one of the biggest problems faced by feedlots. One soil scientist is helping a feedlot in Worland make better use of their manure by creating more compost for local farmers and gardeners.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 09, 2025

When LeAnn Baker of Worland, Wyoming, found this stone in her gravel that was hauled in, Google told her it was a magic hag stone. However, local archaeologist, Mike Bies, said it might be an artifact called a spindle whorl.

A Rock Found In Worland Could Be Magic Or An Ancient Tool

When LeAnn Baker found a rock with a smooth hole in the middle, she was told it was a magic hag stone. However, archaeologist Mike Beis said it was most likely a spindle whorl, a simple tool used by Indian tribes for centuries.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 09, 2025

What's In A Name: Dubois, Wyoming

You can always spot a tourist in Dubois, Wyoming, by how they pronounce the name of the town. In Wyoming, it's called Doo-boys, not the French pronunciation of Deh-bwah. How it got called that is shrouded in myth and mystery.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 09, 2025

U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman talks with students at Wind River Job Corps in Riverton, Wyoming.

Learning Trades Isn’t Just Landing Wyoming Youth Good Jobs, It’s Saving Lives

The teens and young adults in the Wind River Job Corps in Riverton usually get there out of desperation. But the trades there can lead to great-paying jobs. Plus, it's the only job corps in America that offers training for petroleum technicians.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 02, 2025