Business and Tourism Reporter

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.

Find Renée Jean

Latest from Renée Jean

Monument Health Takes Over Gillette’s Hoskinson Clinic, Which Was Losing Millions

After a rocky, two-year run for Gillette’s $200 million state-of-the-art Hoskinson Health & Wellness Clinic, Monument Health has struck a deal to keep the facility open and plugging it into the Mayo Clinic Care Network. Hoskinson was losing millions every month.

Renée JeanJuly 01, 2026

The Cody Fourth of July Parade is one of the largest in Wyoming.

Wyoming’s Over-The-Top 250th Celebration Comes With Tanks, Flyovers, History

From C-130 flyovers and tank parades to new monuments and a new state trail, Wyoming’s America 250 celebration isn’t a one-day bash. “We still have a lot to be thankful for in this country,” said one organizer about what's planned across the Cowboy State.

Renée JeanJuly 01, 2026

Chugwater's newest business on its tiny main drag is BB West Vintage, a boutique clothing store which has just opened.

Italian-Trained Fashion Stylist Opens Vintage Western Boutique In Chugwater

A woman who grew up in the high-powered fashion industry in Italy and New York has decided to open a vintage Western boutique out of a former Standard gas station in Chugwater. She’d owned a boutique in Brooklyn so she knows how difficult retail can be.

Renée JeanJune 28, 2026

Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival is leaving Colorado and returning to Cheyenne as Wyoming’s capitol city becomes more of a convention destination. “They were at the Hitching Post 20 years ago at least, so this is actually a return," says Visit Cheyenne.

Cheyenne Swipes Major, Long-Time Cigar Convention From Colorado

The Rocky Mountain Cigar Festival is leaving Colorado after 16 years and coming to Cheyenne. The festival regularly hosts 2,500 fanatics from across the nation and around the world. It will take up nine hotels and put the city's trolley service to the test.

Renée JeanJune 28, 2026

Clay Gibbons tells the story of this sagging log barn in the Hole in the Wall country. It belonged to Alex Ghent, who raised fast horses for the denizens of the Hole in the Wall country

A Day At Wyoming’s Notorious Hole In The Wall Outlaw Hideout

In a modern West where history is increasingly paved over, Wyoming’s notorious Hole in the Wall outlaw hideout remains just as wild as it was more than a century ago. Here, a towering red rock wall rises 400 feet and stretches for 35 miles.

Renée JeanJune 28, 2026

A Day At Wyoming’s Notorious Hole In The Wall Outlaw Hideout

Renée JeanJune 28, 2026

Teresa Hoover, front, makes the many treats sold by her company Sheep Mountain by hand. She's one of many finding the dog treat business to be a lucrative side gig.

Those Doggone Treats: The Wild New World Of Pet Pampering Is Booming

Wyomingites are finding a lucrative opportunity in creating over-the-top dog treats for pets. Wheatland's Teresa Hoover makes freeze-dried turkey meatballs, chicken-and-fresh coconut crunch sticks, pumpkin muffins, and dehydrated chicken feet.

Renée JeanJune 27, 2026

Ian McGregor, co-owner of Farmstead Cider.

Wyoming’s Ghost Apple Orchard Trees Have Been Rediscovered And Are Producing

Wyoming was once thick with apples. In fact, it was a top apple producer. Now those forgotten apple trees are being rediscovered by small cider houses. "They're everywhere," said one cider house owner. "Lander was called Apple Town before Lander."

Renée JeanJune 27, 2026

One of Fort Bridger's most reliable "staffers" is Mac, who first arrived in 1888 and seems to have never left. Mac likes to be photographed, set off alarms and lock visitors in. Now Fort Bridger is embracing a new market — haunted tourism. There are many graves at the Fort Bridger site, including this Carter family plot.

Ghostly Gold Rush: Fort Bridger Chases Haunted Tourism Dollars

Haunted tourism isn’t fringe anymore. It’s become a $34 billion-dollar segment of the tourism industry. Fort Bridger is among those leaning into dark tourism this year with its most famous ghost, Mac, and a three-day paranormal experience next month.

Renée JeanJune 27, 2026

Mike Pannell, president of High Plains Railroad Preservation Association, stands beside the caboose his nonprofit restored for Cheyenne's 15th Street Railcar experience.

Inside Cheyenne’s $5 Million Railcar Experience Taking Shape For 15th Street

Installation began Saturday on Cheyenne’s new 15th Street Railcar Experience, a $5 million downtown project aimed at celebrating the city’s railroad roots. A Union Pacific caboose and two Pullman cars have been restored for the destination.

Renée JeanJune 27, 2026

Cody’s Paul Andrew Hutton has landed one of Western literature’s top honors, the coveted Owen Wister Award. That elevates the New York Times bestselling author of “The Undiscovered Country” into the top ranks of Western writers.

Cody Author Paul Hutton Wins Lifetime Achievement Honor For Western Literature

Cody’s Paul Andrew Hutton has landed one of Western literature’s top honors, the coveted Owen Wister Award for lifetime achievement. That elevates the New York Times bestselling author of “The Undiscovered Country” into the ranks of top Western writers.

Renée JeanJune 25, 2026

Microsoft’s land-development manager Rachel Irwing said Microsoft is willing to work with the city in whatever way is beneficial for both the city and the company's project.

Cheyenne OK’s Huge Microsoft Annexation, Rejects $50M Community Benefits Deal

Cheyenne’s City Council moved a massive 3,500-acre data center annexation closer to approval Monday night, rejecting an effort to secure a $50 million community benefits agreement that Mayor Patrick Collins recently described as "extortion."

Renée JeanJune 23, 2026

Other Authors

Power transmission lines and a Black Hills Energy substation south of Cheyenne along U.S. Highway 85 near the Project Jade AI data center development.

How Black Hills Energy Is Preparing For Surge Of Power-Hungry Wyoming Data Centers

Black Hills Energy says it’s ready for a surge of power-hungry Wyoming data centers that can each use as much electricity as a small state. The bottom line is making those projects pay their own way, said a company official.

Renée JeanJune 23, 2026

Jerry Arnold has been cooking chili since 1999. It's become a tradition that the family gathers around, like some families do Thanksgiving or Christmas.

Why World Chili Champions Come To Tiny Chugwater For Its Annual Chili Fest

Terlingua, Texas, crowns the world’s chili champions, but many say their favorite contest is in Chugwater, Wyoming. For 40 years, the Chugwater Chili Cook-off has been a Father's Day bucket-list contest for the best chili cooks on the planet.

Renée JeanJune 22, 2026

$Wyoming needs tens of thousands of new homes, but only a fraction of the need is under construction because builders say the math doesn’t work. Middle-class wages aren’t high enough to afford to buy houses while home-building costs just continue to rise.$

Why A Shortfall Of More Than 20,000 Homes Isn’t Enough To Get Wyoming Building

Wyoming needs tens of thousands of new homes, but only a fraction of the need is under construction because builders say the math doesn’t work. Middle-class wages aren’t high enough to afford to buy houses while home-building costs just continue to rise.

Renée JeanJune 21, 2026

The Yellowstone You’ll Never See: Filmmaker Spends 50 Years Capturing Its Secrets

Most tourists see just 5% of Yellowstone from roads and boardwalks. Bozeman filmmaker Stephen Quayle has spent 50 years filming the places most never reach. “It’s like a whole different world,” he said. “You literally wouldn’t know you’re on planet Earth.”

Renée JeanJune 21, 2026

The National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois has something new — a reproduction of the Vietnam War gun truck nicknamed “Uncle Meat.” The name is from a 1969 rock album a lieutenant would "listen to while he was stoned,” said museum owner Dan Starks.

Legend Of Vietnam War Gun Truck ‘Uncle Meat’ Lives On At Wyoming Museum

The "Uncle Meat" gun truck is the latest important artifact at the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois. “I know a lot of these truck drivers and a bunch of them ended up dying of Agent Orange and nobody knows their story,” the museum's owner said.

Renée JeanJune 20, 2026

The American Dream Drive-In in Powell is the last true drive-in still operating in Wyoming.

Wyoming’s Last Drive-In Theater, Powell’s American Dream, Open For 78th Season

The American Dream in Powell, Wyoming’s last operating drive-in theater, has survived since 1949 as a retro experience for movie-goers. The current owner bought it in 2004 just to save it. “I didn't want it to get knocked down," Kathleen Heny said.

Renée JeanJune 20, 2026

Helicopters, artificial intelligence, and geology are giving a modern mining company a second shot at finding gold in Wyoming fields that fizzled out more than a century ago. "We’re really targeting larger-scale gold,” said a company official. Above, the Carissa Mine and Mill in South Pass City.

How Modern Technology Is Reshaping The Search For Gold In Historic Wyoming Mines

Helicopters, artificial intelligence, and geology are giving a modern mining company a second shot at finding gold in historic Wyoming mines. The company believes there's a hidden gold belt and technology allows them to see 400 meters below the surface.

Renée JeanJune 20, 2026

The Naughton power substation in Kemmerer delivers electricity to Rocky Mountain Power customers in Wyoming.

Wyoming Wrestles With Unprecedented Power Demand From Massive Data Centers

Data centers with huge power needs are lining up to plug into Wyoming’s power grid. Regulators, utilities and lawmakers are wrestling with how to serve “Jupiter-size” electric loads without spiking rates for regular consumers.

Renée JeanJune 19, 2026

Gillette's Hoskinson Clinic, Set To Close Next Month, Says It May Have Buyer

Hoskinson Health & Wellness in Gillette, which envisioned itself as the "Mayo Clinic of the West" before announcing last month it would close, may have a buyer. The Hoskinson family announced Wednesday it's in talks to sell to a large hospital chain.

Renée JeanJune 17, 2026