Renée Jean
Renée Jean is the business and tourism reporter for Cowboy State Daily and is based in Cheyenne. Previously, Renée spent seven years covering energy and agriculture in North Dakota and Montana. She has won many writing awards over a 30-year career, and has written magazine articles for Guideposts.
Latest from Renée Jean
Fans Still Pack Buffalo For Longmire Days, Even 9 Years After Last TV Episode
Fans still pack Buffalo for Longmire Days even nine years after the last “Longmire” TV episode aired. Author Craig Johnson created Sheriff Walt Longmire, and said fans "expect Walt Longmire to come walking down the sidewalk and see them at any time."
Renée JeanJuly 20, 2026
Inside The ‘Cowboy Starship,’ A $7.95 Million Off-Grid Mansion In Remote Wyoming
A Dubois man is betting a remote 9,000-square-foot, $7.95 million off-grid mansion made from reclaimed wood can lure Jackson Hole-level buyers across the Teton County line to Fremont County. “I have more wildlife on my ranch than Yellowstone,” he said.
Renée JeanJuly 19, 2026
Small Wyoming Towns Get Huge Economic Boost From Continental Divide Hikers
From burgers and ice cream in Atlantic City to showers in Lander to Thai food in Rawlins, hikers on the Continental Divide Trail are giving small Wyoming towns a big economic boost. “It’s put Atlantic City on the map,” said one local business owner.
Renée JeanJuly 19, 2026
National Geographic Profiles Wyoming’s Famous Hell’s Half Acre
National Geographic has raised the profile of Wyoming’s famous Hell’s Half Acre by featuring the alien landscape in its latest issue. It comes at a time when much of Hell’s Half Acre that had been inaccessible to the public for roughly 20 years is open again.
Renée JeanJuly 19, 2026
Opponents Of Massive Data Center In Uinta County Launch Petition For Court Review
Opponents of Prometheus Hyerpscale’s massive data center near Evanston are challenging permits and zoning for the project due to fears about water, energy, and land use. Supporters say the project is a rare lifeline for Uinta County’s struggling economy.
Renée JeanJuly 17, 2026
Why Microsoft Can Skip State Review For 3,500 More Data Center Acres In Cheyenne
Why can a project as massive as Microsoft’s planned 3,500-acre expansion avoid Wyoming’s Industrial Siting Council while wind farms and other major industrial facilities usually cannot? It’s not a loophole or a data-center-specific workaround. It's state law.
Renée JeanJuly 14, 2026
Gold Dust, Hoop Skirts And Cannon Booms: Gold Rush Days In South Pass City, Wyoming
Once a roaring gold capital, South Pass City, Wyoming, comes to life for one summer weekend every year for Gold Rush Days. There's cannon fire, gold panning, and guests who look the part in one of the West’s best-preserved Gold Rush towns.
Renée JeanJuly 14, 2026
Ranchlands Near Wheatland Eyed For $26 Billion 'Transformational' Data Center
A company called Site Layer 4 wants to rezone 5,344 acres of ranchland near Wheatland for a data center and power plant. The project, they say, adds 300 jobs and substantial tax revenue, but neighbors worry about water, wildlife and the viewshed.
Renée JeanJuly 13, 2026
Dubois Tootsie Roll Drop Remembers How Candy Saved ‘Frozen Chosin’ Marines In Korea
A candy drop at the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois was more than just fun for kids. It honored the "Frozen Chosin" Marines who depended on Tootsie Rolls for calories, field repairs and sheer survival on minus-40 degree days in the Korean War.
Renée JeanJuly 12, 2026
From Wyoming Coal Miner’s Son To Closer: How Larry Morgan Achieved The American Dream
Born in a near ghost-town in Wyoming, Larry Morgan’s life is a rags to riches story that begins and ends in Wyoming. Yet he insists the real story isn’t about money so much as freedom — and he's got a best-selling book on Amazon that tells his tale.
Renée JeanJuly 12, 2026
Longtime Knifemaker Transforming Dubois' Outlaw Bar From Dive Into Destination
Dubois craftsman Ben Barto owns Bone Daddy Knives, a hobby turned big business that’s now bankrolling a transformation of Dubois' Outlaw Bar and giving the once-seedy watering hole a new vibe. “This was just a dump when we bought it,” Barto said.
Renée JeanJuly 12, 2026
America’s Longest Small Town: Why Route 66 Is The Quintessential American Experience
Historic U.S. Route 66 is America's longest small town — a 2,400-mile neighborhood that one historian calls the "quintessential American experience." 90-year-old Wayne Schell has driven the entire route dozens of times and continues to drive it today.
Renée JeanJuly 12, 2026
Cheyenne’s Habitat Fix Turns Eight Homes Into Affordable Housing For 12 Families
Two single moms shut out of Cheyenne’s starter-home market are among 12 families getting a chance at homeownership in a new Habitat for Humanity neighborhood. Once set for eight houses, it grew to 12 after Cheyenne rewrote building and zoning rules.
Renée JeanJuly 11, 2026
From Basic Box To VIP Showpiece: New Chute 9 To Debut At Cheyenne Frontier Days
Diehard rodeo fans say there's no better place to watch Cheyenne Frontier Days than Chute 9. Now it's even better as it's been rebuilt as a three-level VIP cathedral. “It’s the most incredible outdoor rodeo experience in the country," CFD's Tom Hirsig says.
Renée JeanJuly 11, 2026
Could Data Center Jobs Stop Young Adults From Leaving Wyoming?
As Wyoming watches up to 70% of its young adults leave by age 30, a Cheyenne native’s path at Microsoft shows how data center jobs could help reverse the state’s biggest export — it’s own people. Tommy Martin returned home a decade ago and built a career.
Renée JeanJuly 10, 2026
Second Half Of Smarter Keystone XL Oil Pipeline Proposed, From Guernsey To Oklahoma
A new crude oil pipeline proposed between Guernsey and Oklahoma that could carry up to 1.3 million barrels of crude per day would strengthen Wyoming’s role as a key crossroads. A national analyst said Guernsey is the Rocky Mountain's "most important hub."
Renée JeanJuly 10, 2026
Say Hello To Google, The Mystery Owner Behind Wyoming's Largest Data Center Project
The 2.7-gigawatt data center once called Project Jade 8 miles south of Cheyenne has been unmasked as a massive Google campus. Google’s project, according to planning documents, will be a 716-acre campus in the Switchgrass Industrial Park.
Renée JeanJuly 08, 2026
Data Centers Test Wyoming’s Promise Not To ‘Piss Away’ The Next Boom
The old Wyoming bumper sticker reads, “Dear God give me one more boom and I promise not to piss it all away next time.” Data centers may just be that next boom. So, how far to go in courting prosperity without losing the things that make Wyoming, Wyoming?
Renée JeanJuly 06, 2026
Dubois’ One-Of-A-Kind Military Tank Parade Celebrates America's 250th
On America’s 250th, Dubois did something few towns in America can do — fielding a parade with more than two dozen military tanks and vehicles spanning 80 years of U.S. history. "It’s the most unique parade in America,” said one patriotic-feeling parade-goer.
Renée JeanJuly 05, 2026
Jeffrey City’s Second Act: From Near Uranium Ghost Town To Jade Comeback
Known for uranium and then near-abandonment, Jeffrey City is getting a second look from a Canadian geologist who says new science — and evolving markets — could turn Wyoming’s deposits of jade into a new industry for the tiny almost-ghost town.
Renée JeanJuly 05, 2026
Inside The Mission To Save 136-Year-Old Anderson Lodge In Wyoming Bear Country
Saving the 136-year-old Anderson Lodge deep in Wyoming’s Shoshone National Forest is not easy. As it's a wilderness area, no mechanized tools or equipment are allowed and everything must be carried in. There's no running to Lowe’s if something is forgotten
Renée JeanJuly 05, 2026