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.

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Latest from Renée Jean

Children at the National Museum of Military Vehicles picked up Tootsie Rolls as fast as they could.

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

From Wayne Schell's radiator disaster as a young Marine to pilgrimages ending on the Santa Monica Pier, historic U.S. Route 66 is a 2,400-mile neighborhood packed with memories and myths. “Route 66 has always been the route of dreams,” says historian John Hinckley.

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

Homes are getting closer to completion at Pronghorn Crossing.

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

Once a weathered wooden box with a revered view of Cheyenne Frontier Days' timed events, Chute 9 has been rebuilt as a three-level VIP cathedral, left background. “Once you go up there, it’s going to be hard to go back to sitting in the stands,” said CEO Tom Hirsig.

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

Tommy Martin works at a Microsoft data center in Wyoming.

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

The Related Digital data center under construction in east Cheyenne on Monday, July 6, 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

Each tank offers a different slice of American history, spanning an 80-year period.

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

Once nearly made a ghost town from a uranium industry bust, a company things producing Wyoming jade near there can be the town's second chance as prosperity.

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

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The historic Anderson Lodge in Wyoming's remote Shoshoni National Forest.

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

Billy the Kid is just tone of the outlaws this Wanted Dead or Alive Harley-Davidson highlights. The bike's theme was created by retired Torrington lawman Randy Giles.

Retired Wyoming Lawman’s Outlaw Harley Turns Heads Across West

After retired Torrington lawman Randy Giles totaled his Harley, he didn’t walk away from it. The former auto body repairman turned it into a Western-themed town marshal’s show bike. His outlaw Harley has been beating big-name builders in shows across the West.

Renée JeanJuly 04, 2026

Military tanks spent an hour crushing cars Friday as an enthusiastic crowd cheered to celebrate America’s 250th in Dubois. “What’s more American than machine guns and tanks crushing cars?” said National Museum of Military Vehicles owner Dan Starks.

Dubois Military Museum Celebrates 250th By Crushing Cars With Tanks

Military tanks spent an hour crushing cars Friday as an enthusiastic crowd cheered to celebrate America’s 250th at the National Museum of Military Vehicles in Dubois. “What’s more American than machine guns and tanks crushing cars?” owner Dan Starks said.

Renée JeanJuly 04, 2026

Wyoming Company Missed Out On $100 Oil With 7-Year Wait To Drill On Federal Land

A Wyoming oilman says it missed out on $100-a-barrel oil during a seven-year fight to get the OK to drill on federal land in the Powder River Basin. "We would have had three months of oil at $100 a barrel,” the owner said. “Now we’ve lost 30% of value."

Renée JeanJuly 03, 2026

Jerimiah Rieman rides his mountain bike out on the new trails that opened up Wednesdy on the Belvoir Ranch west of Cheyenne on July 1, 2026.

After More Than 20 Years, Cheyenne Opens Belvoir Ranch To The Public

Recreationists celebrated Wednesday evening as the 18,800-acre Belvoir Ranch west of Cheyenne was opened to the public. The new recreation area provides 13 miles of trails and give hikers and cyclists a long-promised playground in the city’s backyard.

Renée JeanJuly 02, 2026

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