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
Cheyenne Considers Options To Annex F.E. Warren Air Force Base Into City
F.E. Warren Air Force Base has been like a great wall to the west blocking Cheyenne’s growth, city officials say. That could change soon if the city decides to annex the military base into the city.
Renée JeanJuly 12, 2023
Wyoming’s Josh Kirk To Opt Out Of History Channel’s ‘Mountain Men,’ Working On New Show
Modern-day mountain man Josh Kirk told Cowboy State Daily he’s opting out of another season of the popular “Mountain Men” History Channel show to focus on a new show. “I’ve got my own show that’s going to be coming out,” Kirk said.
Renée JeanJuly 11, 2023
What Lovell, Wyoming Is Doing To Increase Tourism
The town of Lovell is seeing big gains in tourism numbers, according to the local chamber. That's because they are better promoting the Pryor Mountains, Bighorn Canyon, 55 miles of fishing and recreation in Big Horn Lake, wild horses, waterfall hikes and new restaurants and much-improved lodging.
Renée JeanJuly 10, 2023
Wyoming Places: Tourists Can Get Up Close With Fossils At Fossil Butte National Monument
At the Fossil Butte National Monument, the fossils are so abundant that almost every layer turns up something, and the bones are still largely intact. That makes Kemmerer’s fossil lake beds a resource that’s unparalleled in the world
Renée JeanJuly 09, 2023
History Channel's Josh Kirk Is A Modern-Day Wyoming Mountain Man
The life Josh Kirk lives isn’t part of a social media trend, designed to look good for a camera — though cameras follow him around on the ranch for the History Channel’s Mountain Men series. None of it is a made-for-TV movie. It’s just his life. His regular, every-day life.
Renée JeanJuly 09, 2023
Wyoming People: James Cash Penney (J.C. Penney) Is A Rags-To-Riches Story
Kemmerer children grow up learning all about the American dream thanks to James Cash Penney, whose rags-to-riches story offers life lessons still relevant today.
Renée JeanJuly 08, 2023
Wyoming Places: Kurt’s Cuts In Lovell, Wyoming's Oldest Barbershop, Is A Throwback In Time
Machine Gun Kelly and Pretty Boy Floyd, gangsters from the 1930s Prohibition era, were customers of Kurt's Cuts in Lovell, the oldest continuously-operating barbershop in Wyoming. The current owner says he operates the shop like it would have been 100 years ago.
Renée JeanJuly 08, 2023
Landon’s Greenhouse In Sheridan Is A Magnet For Serious Wyoming Gardeners
Gardeners drive hours to get to Landon’s Greenhouse in Sheridan -- more than 30,000 square feet of space, all devoted to hundreds of thousands of plants. It is a sea of emerald green, splashed with colorful blooms nodding here and there.
Renée JeanJuly 08, 2023
Lander’s Legendary Fourth Of July Party Draws Visitors From All Over The US
Once dubbed one of the best displays in the nation, Lander’s Fourth of July fireworks and party gets bigger every year, drawing visitors from around the United States.
Renée JeanJuly 05, 2023
Woman’s Love Of Rodeo Led Her To Tackle Makeover Of Historic Greybull, Wyoming K-Bar Motel
Amanda McGrew left a teaching job in L.A. to pursue a dream. She loved rodeo and she loved renovating buildings. When she heard of Greybull's 'Days of 49' rodeo, she was hooked. She bought the K-Bar Motel and began a total
Renée JeanJuly 02, 2023
On The Road With Renee: Revival Of Horseshoe Bend Motel In Lovell
New owner Bobbi Jo McJunkin says the outside of the Horseshoe Bend Motel in Lovell is still "Bates-y," but that's OK. She's got plans for it. In the meantime, she's completely renovated the insides. Although she was offered $50K for the outside sign, she turned down the offer and had it fixed instead.
Renée JeanJuly 02, 2023
Eating Wyoming: The Legendary Miners And Stockmen’s Steakhouse In Hartville
What looks like a rough and rugged saloon in Wyoming’s oldest town of Hartville, population 62, is actually hiding the high-end Miners and Stockmen’s Steakhouse, serving the finest-grade steaks, 35 kinds of whiskey and desserts to die for.
Renée JeanJuly 01, 2023
Abandoned Mining Town Of Sunrise, Wyoming, Could Get Second Life As Tourist Destination
The former mining company town of Sunrise is largely intact despite the passing of the decades. Its YMCA, built by John Rockefeller Jr., is set to become a museum, and the brick buildings that once housed mining bosses are being restored, with Airbnbs in mind.
Renée JeanJuly 01, 2023
Historic Casper Theaters For Sale With Legal Stipulation They Can't Be Theaters Again
The Rialto and the America, historic theaters in downtown Casper, aren’t likely to be theaters ever again. A stipulation in their sale is that they can’t show movies for 25 years.
Renée JeanJuly 01, 2023
Albertsons CEO Gets Earful From Casper Workers About $25 Billion Merger With Kroger
Employees at Albertsons in Casper are worried about their retirements if a proposed $25 billion merger goes through with Kroger. That prompted U.S. Sen. John Barrasso to invite Albertsons CEO Vivek Sankaran to Wyoming to hear from workers in person.
Renée JeanJune 27, 2023
Lead Singer Of Five Finger Death Punch Moves To Cheyenne, Opens 2 Businesses
The lead singer of metal group Five Finger Death Punch Ivan Moody is not only headlining with the band during Cheyenne Frontier Days, he’s moving to Cheyenne and opening a pair of businesses.
Renée JeanJune 26, 2023
On The Road With Renee: 60 Years Of Sellouts For Lovell, Wyoming's Famous Follies
The town of Lovell, Wyoming, shuts down early for the famous Lovell Follies, which for nearly 60 years has been selling out the 1,000-seat Hyart Theater.
Renée JeanJune 26, 2023
Wyoming Now Fifth In Nation For Craft Breweries Per Capita; Numbers Continue To Grow
Tourist destinations, in particular, appear to be the lightning that’s drawing craft breweries to them. Lander, Casper, Laramie, Jackson, Ten Sleep, Sheridan — almost every city with a brewery also has a major tourist attraction in its backyard.
Renée JeanJune 25, 2023
World-Renowned Paleontologist From United Kingdom Kicks Off "Jurassic Fest" In Thermopolis On Friday
Dean Lomax, a world famous paleontologist from the United Kingdom, got his start as a paleontologist in Thermopolis. On Friday, he was back in town for "Jurassic Fest" and joined by fans from all over the nation and Canada to dig alongside him.
Renée JeanJune 25, 2023
Ogden Driskill Wants Wyoming Beef Served At Luxury Texas Hotel Named For His Family
Wyoming Senate President Odgen Driskill’s great-great-great-grandfather built the award-winning luxury hotel in Austin, Texas appropriately named "The Driskill." While the family doesn’t own it anymore, he wants Wyoming beef served there.
Renée JeanJune 25, 2023
Wyoming Places: How Family Recipe For Honey Candy Saved Lovell’s Queen Bee Gardens
The Zeller family has been in the honey business for more than 100 years, but it’s been the last 47 when it began selling a family recipe for honey candy that’s put the Lovell, Wyoming, confection in all 50 states.
Renée JeanJune 25, 2023