Wyoming Life

Craig Johnson reacts to being the 2025 recipient of the Tucson Festival of Books' Founders Award.

Inside The Loft That Inspires Wyoming Author Craig Johnson’s Award-Winning Career

It was a great year for Wyoming author Craig Johnson who received four lifetime achievement awards from prestigious writing and Western organizations. He created his popular “Longmire” mystery series in a tiny UCross cabin he built himself.

Renée JeanJanuary 05, 2026

Kristy Van Der Hoeven lived to do random acts of kindness. After the Cheyenne wife and mother died from a sudden heart attack, her giving spirit lives on with family and friends continuing her kindness, including leaving quarters in gumball machines.

Even After Sudden Death, Cheyenne Is Keeping Mom's Kindness Alive

After Cheyenne mom Kristy Van Der Hoeven’s sudden death, friends and families created a nonprofit to carry on her tradition of committing random acts of kindness like dropping quarters in gum ball machines or leaving dollars in toy aisles.

Renée JeanJanuary 04, 2026

Wyoming’s own Anna Gibson flexed both uphill and downhill skiing skills in Solitude, Utah, to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. She will compete in an individual Skimo speed event, and a mixed relay with teammate Cam Smith of Crested Butte, Colorado.

Wyoming’s Surprise Olympian Started Training As An 8-Year-Old For Uphill Skiing

Anna Gibson was 8 when she started begging her parents to let her break Jackson Hole resort rules and ski uphill. Eighteen years later, she’s headed to Italy as America’s surprise Olympic hopeful in a sport she’s been training for most of her life.

David MadisonJanuary 04, 2026

Leonard Nimoy, dressed as "Star Trek's" Mr. Spock, at Minerva Terrace in Yellowstone National Park. Nimoy and an 11-person production unit from Paramount Pictures did a three-day shoot at Mammoth Hot Springs for "Star Trek: the Motion Picture," using the unearthly personality of the real-life Minerva Terrace as a substitute for the alien planet Vulcan.

The Man Who Chauffeured Spock Around Yellowstone For 'Star Trek' Movie Shoot

When Leonard Nimoy flew to Yellowstone in August 1978 to shoot a scene for "Star Trek: The Motion Picture, " Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel worker Eric Ostensen got the job of being Mr. Spock's chauffeur. He recalls it being a "weird" and surreal experience.

Andrew RossiJanuary 04, 2026

Chef Vincent Fiore was touring Wyoming filming for his new television series “Cookin With Cowboys” when he stumbled on the Wagon Box Inn in Story. Fiore will take the struggling restaurant over starting this month.

Story's Wagon Box Inn Lands Celebrity Chef Vincent Fiore

Celebrity Chef Vincent Fiore didn’t have Story, Wyoming, on the itinerary for his new "Cookin' With Cowboys" episodes, which stream on YouTube. But the Wise Guy Kitchen chef is always up for a new adventure - like taking over as chef at Wagon Box Inn.

Renée JeanJanuary 04, 2026

The Marlatt family was a baseball team of all Wyoming brothers, seen here in 1920 with a few members of the Stanczak family of Illinois, another all-brother team. They made national headlines playing each other.

Wyoming History: All-Brothers Baseball Team Was A National Sensation In 1929

Nine brothers from Hawk Springs made headlines across the country in 1929 fielding a full baseball team. The patriarch of the Marlatt family would start teaching them the game as “soon as each had emerged from the cradle.”

Dale KillingbeckJanuary 04, 2026

Faced With Her Own Terminal Diagnosis, Thermopolis Mom Helps Others With Cancer

When Thermopolis mom Connie Hoffman was diagnosed with terminal cancer, she was overwhelmed by expenses and relied on fundraising to travel to specialists. In the time she has left, she is spending her time raising money for others who have cancer.

Jackie DorothyJanuary 04, 2026

The University of Idaho’s drop from the top tier of Division I college football warns the University of Wyoming about the challenges small markets have in the era of NIL and revenue sharing. Experts urge realism as financial gaps widen. Here, UW mascot Pistol Pete gets the crowd worked up at a men's baskeball game.

What University Of Idaho’s Division I Downgrade Could Teach The Wyoming Cowboys

The University of Idaho’s drop from the top tier of Division I college football could serve a warning to the University of Wyoming about the challenges small markets have in the era of NIL and revenue sharing. Insiders urge realism as financial gaps widen.

David MadisonJanuary 03, 2026

Railroad man Dick Nelson witnessed the wild times at rowdy railroad towns and wrote about his adventures, preserving the history for future generations, including his own grandchildren who are honoring his legacy. (He is the furthest right man standing on the caboose deck.)

Wyoming History: Dick Nelson, The Pioneering Railroad Man With Ice In His Veins

Dick Nelson was 12 when he came to Wyoming Territory in 1887 and spent 45 years watching shootouts as a railroad man. He also earned a reputation early as having ice in his veins, not even flinching when Texas cowhands shot at him.

Jackie DorothyDecember 30, 2025

Yellowstone’s Old Faithful Plunges To -27, Coldest Spot In Lower 48

December was dominated by record-highs, but Yellowstone's Old Faithful plunged to -27 Sunday, the coldest spot in the Lower 48. That won’t last, however, with the weather expected to rebound with highs in the 40s, 50s, and maybe even 60s this week.

Andrew RossiDecember 29, 2025

Wyoming History: Sheridan’s Dry Gulchers Gang Paid To Rob, Hang, And Harass Tourists

The Dry Gulchers gang ran their own agenda around Sheridan in the 1960s, robbing banks, hanging outlaws and harassing tourists. They paid $1,500 each to be part of the posse that staged fake Wild West adventures for visitors.

Jackie DorothyDecember 29, 2025

For years, Baggs, Wyoming, Deputy Sheriff Bob Meldrum had legally — and eagerly — killed accused rustlers and outlaws. A quick-draw artist, his bloodlust caught up with him in 1912 when he killed the wrong man and was nearly lynched by a mob.

Wyoming History: The Baggs Quick-Draw Lawman Who Liked Killing Too Much

Bob Meldrum was known as "Wyoming’s mysterious badman” for his skill with a rifle — and eagerness to use it. He was hired as an assassin by the Wyoming Stockgrowers Association and later went on to kill a man just because he was annoyed by his singing.

Jackie DorothyDecember 29, 2025

Cloud Nine on-mountain restaurant at Aspen

Forget Burgers And Pizza, High-End Ski Resorts Get Big Bucks For Wagyu And Caviar

Lift ticket prices have increased 3,600% since 1972, and now caviar, Wagyu beef, and $18 Budweisers are showing up on high-end ski lodge menus. But at Wyoming’s smaller resorts, skiers can still get $10 cheeseburgers.

David MadisonDecember 28, 2025

Parts of a wind turbine blade had been installed off of Esterbrook Road south of Douglas as part of a sculpture and snow fence project by Casper artist Chris Navarro is calling “The Wall of Renewal.”

Why Chris Navarro Is Using Old Wind Turbine Blade To Make Snow Fence Sculpture

Celebrated Wyoming sculptor Chris Navarro has used a giant wind turbine blade to make a snow fence sculpture at the Wyoming Rescue Mission ranch near Casper. He says “Wall of Renewal” could prove the viability of repurposing old blades as snow fences across the state.

Dale KillingbeckDecember 28, 2025

Laramie band Winston Creek will be one of the Wyoming acts performing at the first Outlaw Music Festival in Kaycee. The event was created to fill the void left by the ending of the popular Chris LeDoux Days.

No More Chris LeDoux Days? No Problem. Kaycee’s Outlaw Music Fest Takes Its Place

For 15 years, Chris LeDoux Days in Kaycee was a mainstay of Wyoming's summer music scene. Now that it’s over, locals have organized a new Outlaw Music Festival to take its place.

Renée JeanDecember 27, 2025

While much of Wyoming is experiencing record warmth and dryness, the mountains in western Wyoming are buried in snow. The snowpack is between 90% and 143% of average in what meteorologists say is a pattern where record-breaking warmth is building stellar snowpack.

Eastern Wyoming Is Hot And Dry, But Western Part Of State Is Buried In Snow

While much of Wyoming has record warmth and dryness, the mountains in western Wyoming are buried in snow. The snowpack is between 90% and 143% of average in what meteorologists say is a pattern where record-breaking warmth is building a huge snowpack.

Andrew RossiDecember 27, 2025

As the University of Wyoming struggles in the emerging name, image, likeness (NIL) age to fund its players, some wonder if dropping out of Division I makes sense. Meanwhile, UW boosters look for ways to fund NIL as lower FCS schools outspend them.

Can UW Sports Compete In Division I As Lower Divisions Offer More NIL Money?

Montana and Montana State, who compete in a tier below Wyoming, each spend $2.2 million on NIL, while Wyoming spends $1.4 million. "That's embarrassing," one Wyoming booster said. "Schools that don't sit on the wealth of money we do are outspending us."

David MadisonDecember 27, 2025

Bill McMillan, a World War II and Korean War veteran, recently celebrated his 103rd birthday.

At 103, Casper Man Is One Of America’s Few Remaining Living WWII Veterans

William McMillan of Casper turned 103 on Dec. 19 and is one of America’s few remaining living World War II veterans. He also served in the Korean War and held a top-secret assignment with the Atomic Energy Commission. Plus, he's independent and lives in his own home.

Dale KillingbeckDecember 27, 2025

Styrofoam snowman on brown lawn in Cheyenne on Friday, December 26, 2025

Wyoming Breaks 150-Year-Old High Temperature Records

Meteorologists are still analyzing Wyoming's Christmas temperatures, but it seems this was the warmest Christmas on record going back over 150 years. Temperatures on Christmas Day were up to 36 degrees higher than seasonal averages.

Andrew RossiDecember 26, 2025

How Christmas 1829 Turned Joe Meek From A Greenhorn Into A Mountain Man

Then a teenage runaway, Joe Meek survived a brutal winter stretch lost along the Yellowstone River before finding Capt. William Sublette’s mountain men right before Christmas 1829. Though young, he’d impressed them enough to call him one of their own.

Jackie DorothyDecember 24, 2025

Matthew Allwine is a 67-year-old former Marine and long-haul trucker with a soft heart for kids and soft, and perfecrt belly and luxurious white beard to be Santa. He's in his first season as a Wyoming mall Santa in Casper.

Behind The Beard With A Wyoming Mall Santa (Who Smokes And Drives A Kia)

When his employer told Cowboy State Daily that Santa would not be available for an interview, Santa would not stand for it. “I have a break at 3. You can find me in the parking lot. I’ll be at the gray Kia having a cigarette," he said.

Zakary SonntagDecember 24, 2025

Cheyenne’s Historic 1892 Pumphouse is getting a reprieve from the wrecking ball, with Cheyenne City Council replacing a resolution that called for its demolition with one that calls for restoring it to use again.

Cheyenne’s Historic 1892 Pumphouse Saved From The Wrecking Ball — For Now

Cheyenne’s Historic 1892 Pumphouse is getting a reprieve from the wrecking ball, with the Cheyenne City Council replacing a resolution that set a deadline for its demolition with one that calls for restoring it to use again.

Renée JeanDecember 24, 2025

Sally Gallop with her foster dogs in Cody.

Wyoming Animal Shelters Scramble To Find Foster Homes For Holidays

Animals shelters across Wyoming are scrambling to find foster homes for homeless pets for the holiday season. They say dogs who are fostered typically get adopted more quickly because they often behave differently in homes than they do in the shelters.

Kate MeadowsDecember 23, 2025

Red Butte overlooking the Salt Creek Valley and the bandits' lair.

Wyoming History: Locals Visit Outlaws In 1888 To Spread Christmas Cheer

It was Christmas Eve in 1888 when a father and his two young sons brought gifts to their neighbors — four outlaws hiding out in Salt Creek Canyon in the Wyoming Territory. They almost got shot before making friends with the bunch.

Jackie DorothyDecember 23, 2025

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