The American West | Cowboy State Daily

The American West is a place of cultural significance, dominant landscapes, and stories that transcend time. In this series learn about the people, the myths, legends, and reality of a place that is unique in American History.

Contributors

The historic Fort Fred Steele site in Carbon County, Wyoming.

Wyoming History: That Time Old Jim Gregory Literally Talked A Man To Death

Fort Fred Steele in Carbon County was the setting for a legendary Old West Wyoming showdown. It was 1878 when Old Jim Gregory literally talked another man to death. When a doctor arrived, he looked at the body and said, “This is some of Gregory’s work."

Jackie DorothySeptember 14, 2025

About 1898, Elmer Chatfield with draft horses and work crew near Ten Sleep, Wyoming. He is the one standing and holding his daughter.

Wyoming History: Nobody Crossed ‘Chatty’ Chatfield, The Toughest Cowboy Pioneer

Against a backdrop of lawlessness and frontier legend, Elmer “Chatty” Chatfield may have been the toughest of them all. Even at birth he wasn’t fazed when a windstorm sent a tent pole onto his head.

Jackie DorothySeptember 07, 2025

Powering U.S. combat aircraft to success in World War II required 100-octane fuel. Two Wyoming refineries were part of the effort to ensure U.S. Army and Navy planes would have a ready supply. Now owned by HF Sinclair, the Frontier refinery in Cheyenne has grown over the decades and continues to be an important economic driver for the region.

Wyoming History: How Two Oil Refineries Fueled U.S. WWII Aviation Dominance

Powering U.S. combat aircraft to success in World War II required 100-octane fuel and Wyoming was a key part of it. “Get ready Hitler, here comes more hell from Wyoming!” a Frontier Refining Company ad proclaimed on July 27, 1943.

Dale KillingbeckSeptember 01, 2025

Sheridan Undersheriff Killed Sheridan trolly car 1912 postcard and veach 8 30 25 8 30 25

Wyoming History: Sheridan Undersheriff Killed By Friendly Fire In 1914 Shootout With Outlaw

In 1914, a popular Sheridan undersheriff was killed in a three-way shootout with a notorious outlaw fresh out of prison and bent on revenge. An autopsy, however, showed he was killed by friendly fire.

Dale KillingbeckAugust 30, 2025

Wyoming History: That Time Bandits Robbed ‘Humpy The Boar-Ape’

The lanky Wyoming cowboy known as Irish Tom by some, and Humpy the Boar Ape by others, was robbed of a payroll stash in the late 1800s. But his recollection of the holdup didn’t quite fit the actual real robbery.

Jackie DorothyAugust 24, 2025

In 1899, a Freemason murdered a coal miner in Glenrock, Wyoming. That fueled mob of 400 miners who went vigilante, marching on Douglas to break the Freemason out of jail and hang him.

Wyoming History: That Time When 400 Coal Miners Went Vigilante To Hang A Man

In 1899, a Freemason murdered a coal miner in Glenrock, Wyoming. That fueled a mob of 400 miners who went vigilante, marched down the streets of Douglas to break the Freemason out of jail and then hung him.

Jackie DorothyAugust 23, 2025

Surface buildings of the Carissa Mine at South Pass City in Wyoming.

Wyoming History: The Miners' Cure For Laziness At South Pass City

When a miner in 1868 tried to avoid working a claim in South Pass, his partners came up with a cure for his laziness. Getting him back to work involved a loaded rifle and the threat of Indian raids.

Jackie DorothyAugust 17, 2025

In 1894, Alfred Slick Nard, one of the survivors of the Horse Thief Wars, ambushed and tried to kill a sheepherder. Mike Bell found the spot where the attempted murder took place just outside of Worland, Wyoming. He said, "The old road continues along the ridge to my left - your right. The ambush site is above my hat on the flats.”

Wyoming History: The Nearly Forgotten 1892 Horse Wars To Exterminate Thieves

A brutal campaign against horse thieves unfolded across Montana, Idaho and Wyoming in 1892, nabbing notorious outlaws like Butch Cassidy and Jack Bliss. The Horse Wars were nearly forgotten to history until recently uncovered by an English historian.

Jackie DorothyAugust 10, 2025

Fueled by chokecherry wine and a reputation for headbutting his way into trouble, a Danish prospector’s murderous rampage along Badwater Creek in 1932 became an infamous across Wyoming.

Wyoming History: The Butting Dane’s Drunken, Murderous Badwater Creek Rampage

Fueled by chokecherry wine and a reputation for headbutting his way into trouble, a prospector with the nickname the "Butting Dane" went on a drunken, murderous rampage along Badwater Creek in 1932 that became infamous across Wyoming.

Jackie DorothyAugust 09, 2025

Wyoming History: Teddy Roosevelt Wanted Big Game In Yellowstone, But Settled For A Vole

During his famous 1903 two-week stay in Yellowstone National Park, President Teddy Roosevelt itched to hunt up some big game. Instead, he settled for scooping up a vole with his hat.

Dale KillingbeckAugust 03, 2025

Clearmont Jail Jon Roanhaus Public Domain 8 2 25

Wyoming History: That Time Skunks Got Mad In The Tiny 2-Cell Jail In ‘Bloody’ Clearmont

Now part of the town playground, the tiny two-cell Clearmont jail has a bizarre history in a town once described as being “bloody.” Built to hold drunks and booze runners, its most infamous story comes from the time skunks got in — then got mad.

Dale KillingbeckAugust 02, 2025

The cemetery below Roundtop Mountain was founded in the early 1900s, nearly 150 years after a battle is believed to have been fought on the summit of Roundtop.

Wyoming History: 250 Years Ago, Pivotal Battle Was Fought On Roundtop Mountain

Roundtop Mountain near Thermopolis, Wyoming, is now a popular hiking destination, but it’s also where the Shoshone are said to have gotten their first horses. That came from a pivotal battle fought there against settlers about 250 years ago.

Jackie DorothyJuly 27, 2025