Wyoming Life

Keith Leithead, center, and Pete Baxendale at the summit of Lobouche East in the Himalayas.

Lovell Mountaineers Go To Everest On A Whim, Summit Nearby 20,000-Foot Peak

Two friends from Lovell decided to travel to Mount Everest on a whim, and ended up summiting a nearby 20,000-foot peak. They said the experience was life-changing. “More than the scenery, the people are amazing,” Kyle Leithead told Cowboy State Daily.

Dale KillingbeckMay 03, 2026

Urban Thistle doesn’t waste anything at its operation in a former north Casper elementary school. That includes the poop from the fish it raises, which becomes fertilizer that’s growing rows of “Jurassic” sized leafy greens.

Inside A Casper School Turned Farm That’s Growing Affordable Food With Fish Poop

Fish poop is key to the whole operation at an urban farm and food hub run through the Casper Housing Authority. It's a soil-free, closed-loop system that supports multiple edible plants. Aquaponics has gained acclaim as a way to produce affordable food.

Kolby FedoreMay 03, 2026

Bob Edgar had preserved the story of the Lady in Blue, a murdered prostitute from the town of Arland, and was given the opportunity to rescue Belle Drewry from an unmarked grave. She was exhumed from her grave in the ghost town of Arland on Oct. 12, 1986 and given a proper funeral and burial in the Old Trail Town the following spring.

Wyoming History: Digging Up The Bones Of A Notorious Old West Prostitute

A notorious Old West Wyoming prostitute known as the Lady in Blue was murdered in a revenge killing in 1897 near Meeteetse. Nearly 90 years later, her bones were dug up and reburied — and part of her dress was still her signature cobalt blue.

Jackie DorothyMay 03, 2026

The "American cheetah" chased after pronghorn at the end of the Ice Age in what would become Wyoming, but disappeared thousands of years ago. The best specimens of this big cat have been found 85 feet down in Wyoming’s Natural Trap Cave. Pictured is a contemporary African cheetah, along with fossilized specimens of American cheetahs found in Wyoming.

Scientists Say Pronghorn Got Their Speed Eluding American Cheetahs Across Wyoming

The pronghorn is the fastest land mammal in the Americas. At top speed, they can hit 55 mph. But what are they running from? Scientists say in their DNA, they're still trying to outrun the American cheetah, which disappeared 10,000 years ago.

Andrew RossiMay 03, 2026

Hayattville carpenter Kirk Odegaard builds basic, Old West coffins and caskets for those who want a Western funeral. "This is another service I can provide for people who just want to be put in a pine box,” he says. “It’s the way of the Old West."

Hyattville Man Builds Old West Coffins For Those Who Want A Simple, Western Funeral

Hyattville carpenter Kirk Odegaard builds basic, Old West coffins and caskets for those who want a Western funeral. "This is another service I can provide for people who just want to be put in a pine box,” he says. “It’s the way of the Old West."

Andrew RossiMay 03, 2026

Father Chad Ripperger grew up fly-fishing and hunting in Casper, Wyoming, who is one of the most influential and well-known exorcists in the Catholic Church.

The Exorcist From Casper: Chatting With One Of The World’s Top Demon Fighters

Father Chad Ripperger is one of the Roman Catholic Church’s most experienced and well-known exorcists. Originally from Casper, Ripperger also fly-fishes, likes good Scotch, and speaks with a mechanic's calm about the discipline he never asked for — fighting demons.

Zakary SonntagMay 03, 2026

Dave Reets powell sign other side 5 2 26

Wyoming People: The Powell Man Who’s Recruited Businesses To Wyoming Through Five Governors

Powell’s Dave Reetz is 80 and is technically retired, but says he just can’t pass up a chance to recruit new businesses to Wyoming. He’s done it through the terms of five Wyoming governors, including on a recent vacation to Hawaii.

Dale KillingbeckMay 03, 2026

Sam Cremer arrived in the Bighorn Basin in his early 20s and nearly did not survive his first few years “bronc stomping” for the Embar Ranch. Despite threatening to quit the rough life, he never did and cowboyed late into life. He lived to be 92-years-old and a father of three.

Wyoming History: The Adventures Of Sam Cremer, The Unluckiest Cowboy In The West

By all accounts, Sam Cremer was top cowboy in Wyoming in the early 1900s and a good hand on a roundup wagon. He also was unlucky — really unlucky. He was known to “get himself in more uncalled-for trouble than a pack of kids around a hornet’s nest."

Jackie DorothyMay 02, 2026

James Cary Lambert learned a lot during his 33-year career as a UPS driver. Chiefly, that the little things matter, and people are more important than packages.

Wyoming Jobs: What James Lambert Has Learned After Driving A UPS Truck For 33 Years

For 33 years, UPS driver James Lambert has delivered much more than boxes on his UPS route, the last 15 in a remote section of Laramie County. He’s turned a sometimes rough-and-tumble job into friendships, snowy rescues, and laughter-filled memories.

Renée JeanMay 02, 2026

Plant Now, Drop Later: Wyoming Pumpkin King Shares His Super Pumpkin Seeds

Worland's Jay Richard, known as Wyoming's Pumpkin King, is making available hundreds of his super pumpkin seeds to raise money for the Worland Community Garden. Richard is best known for dropping 2,000-pound pumpkins from a giant crane each autumn.

Jackie DorothyMay 02, 2026

Laramie Community College freshman Kahl Wasilow rides his bull in Laramie to become the winningest national collegiate bull rider of the regular season. He goes into June's College National Finals Rodeo the No. 1-ranked bull rider in the nation.

Wyoming Bull Rider Goes Into College National Rodeo Finals No. 1 In Nation

All eyes will be on Kahl Wasilow, the nation’s No. 1 bull rider from Laramie County Community College, at next month’s College National Finals Rodeo in Casper. The University of Wyoming men’s and women’s teams also are riding high as regional champs.

Julie MankinMay 01, 2026

In New ‘Longmire’ Book, Sheriff Walt Has To Solve The Murder Of Guy Everyone Hated

Everyone Hated Pepper McKay, so when he turned up dead, Sheriff Walt Longmire had a lot of suspects to rule out in his latest “Longmire” mystery, “The Brothers McKay.” Wyoming author Craig Johnson’s 22nd “Longmire” novel is set for a May 26 release.

Renée JeanApril 30, 2026

Glenrock Police Officer Shane Pierce and Colton Trullinger, whose life the officer helped save.

Glenrock 15-Month-Old Alive Thanks To Grandmother And Cop Who Lives Next Door

When a 15-month-old Glenrock boy started having seizures and was choking, the family called for help. They were lucky local cop and firefighter Shane Pierce lives next door. He and the boy’s grandmother kept him from choking to death until EMS arrived.

Dale KillingbeckApril 30, 2026

A horse named Mouse that made international headlines after he was rescued after seven months in the Wind River Mountains has made a complete recovery. “He's pretty much made it from walking death back to full condition,” the horse’s owner told Cowboy State Daily.

Horse Lost For 7 Months In Wind River Mountains Makes Miraculous Recovery

The horse that made international headlines after he was rescued after seven months in the Wind River Mountains has made a complete recovery. “He's pretty much made it from walking death back to full condition,” the horse’s owner told Cowboy State Daily.

Andrew RossiApril 29, 2026

Mostly dry conditions continue in Sublette County (pictured) and the rest of Wyoming.

Dry, Dry, Dry: Wyoming Gets Less Than Half of Anticipated Precipitation in April

Wyoming had another month of below-average moisture in April, which worsened the abnormally dry to exceptional drought situations across the state. Meteorologist Don Day says he's more "gun-shy" about forecasts than at any other point in his career.

Andrew RossiApril 28, 2026

John and Makayla Otto are bottle-feeding a belligerent baby bison named Georgie on their ranch near Plaza, North Dakota. “I’ve had my ass handed to me about four different times now,” John says — and millions of people love watching the little guy bully him.

Millions Love Watching North Dakota Rancher Get Bullied By Baby Bison

John and Makayla Otto are bottle-feeding a belligerent baby bison on their ranch near Plaza, North Dakota. “I’ve had my ass handed to me about four different times now,” John says — and millions of people love watching the little guy bully him.

Andrew RossiApril 27, 2026

The Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum is nearing completion of its renovations.

1942 Casper Serviceman’s Club Getting $2.6 Million Upgrade As Veterans Museum

When it was built in 1942, the U.S. Army serviceman’s club in Casper was only meant to be used for a few years during World War II. Now its the Wyoming Veterans Memorial Museum, and it’s getting a $2.6 million upgrade that will be more permanent.

Dale KillingbeckApril 27, 2026

Nate Champion and other small-time cowboys were targeted by the Johnson County Regulators/Invaders in spring 1892. They had become outlaws overnight when the Maverick law passed in Cheyenne, outlawing the branding of ‘maverick’ cows to anyone but the Wyoming Stock Growers Association. Mary Taylor Cash was only a young teenager when the trouble erupted and knew many of the men who were on the list to be assassinated.

Wyoming History: The 14-Year-Old Girl Who Survived The Johnson County War

Mary Taylor Cash was just 14 years old when her brother was nearly killed during the Johnson County Invasion of 1892. It was just one of many stories Cash told her granddaughter in 1959 about the northern Wyoming range war that ran from 1889 to 1893.

Jackie DorothyApril 27, 2026

Rick French dressed for an opera-singing occasion in a velvet green jacket with a cream-colored shirt and crisply ironed black pants. Singing opera takes both skill and the right mindset.

Wyoming People: The 95-Year-Old Classically Trained Tenor Who Sings Opera In Cheyenne

Rick French, aka “Ricardo” when he’s singing opera, is a classically trained tenor who has performed with the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Folks in Cheyenne know the now-95-year-old for singing opera for years at a local Italian restaurant.

Renée JeanApril 26, 2026

What The Heck … Are Those Boats Half Buried In The Middle Of Nowhere Near Frannie?

Hull’s Half Acre — many people call it “Boathenge” — gained notoriety when a row of half-buried boats appeared in the middle of nowhere outside Frannie, Wyoming, in 2020. The guy who put them there has a message for those who don’t like it: “Go to hell."

Andrew RossiApril 26, 2026

David Haddenham’s A-frame at Fossil Butte was built in 1918. This photo was taken before it was covered by the National Forest Service to protect it from weather at the site.

Fossil Butte Miner’s A-Frame Cabin Tied To Legacy Of Discovery — And Death

An A-frame cabin at Fossil Butte National Monument was the home for a fossil miner as he discovered Wyoming artifacts. It also is linked to the poisoning of Wyoming’s only convicted female cattle rustler.

Dale KillingbeckApril 26, 2026

Nearly 50 years after Capt. William Graves of Douglas, Wyoming, died in Vietnam, his family discovered reel-to-reel recordings he sent home. “Just hearing daddy’s voice was overwhelming,” said a daughter about a new perspective she could never have appreciated as a child.

Voice From Vietnam: Nearly 50 Years After Wyoming Man Died, Family Discovers Tapes

Nearly 50 years after a Wyoming man died in Vietnam, his family discovered reel-to-reel recordings he sent home. “Just hearing daddy’s voice was overwhelming,” said a daughter about a new perspective of her dad she could never have appreciated as a child.

Zakary SonntagApril 26, 2026

Cookie jars are a common decoration in most kitchens in Thermopolis, Wyoming because of the popularity of the Cookie Jar Auctions in the small community. Each year, tens of thousands of dollars are raised to help pay the medical bills of the residents most in need. John Gerrells, who first proposed the idea over 30 years ago, has boxes full of cookie jars ready for the next auction and has kept a few of his favorites as keepsakes. His sheep wagon cookie jar has become a running joke between him and a friend who take turns bringing it to the auctions and bidding on it.

Thermopolis Has Ponied Up $1 Million For Cookie Jars Over Past 30 Years

Cookie jar auctions have become the go-to fundraiser in Thermopolis, Wyoming, where the 4,600 residents have ponied up more than $1 million over the past 30 years. This year, the record $70,000 raised will help the auction’s founder fight cancer.

Jackie DorothyApril 25, 2026

A first-of-its-kind 80 million-year-old giant squid was found in Niobrara County last year. Just where it was found is a closely-guarded secret: “If I told you any more, I’d have to kill you and all your readers,” says the museum’s collection specialist.

Scientists Keep Location Of Prehistoric Squid Found In Eastern Wyoming A Secret

Scientists are keeping the exact location of a 80 million-year-old giant squid was found in Niobrara County last year a secret. That's because there are likely more giant squid and other prehistoric monsters of the deep waiting to be found there.

Andrew RossiApril 25, 2026

News