Wyoming Life
News
Right On Schedule, Blizzard On Beartooth Highway With A Week Left In Summer
There may still be a week left in Summer going by the calendar, but that didn’t mean anything for those caught in a blizzard on Wyoming’s Beartooth Highway on Thursday. The storm was right on schedule, typical for this time of year.
Andrew RossiSeptember 13, 2024
University Of Wyoming Not Among Four Mountain West Schools Joining Pac-12
A Thursday announcement reveals four Mountain West schools are jumping to the Pac-12, but University of Wyoming isn’t one of them. UW’s fiercest rival CSU is, however, along with Boise State, Fresno State and San Diego State.
Leo WolfsonSeptember 12, 2024
Botched Memorial Day Ceremony At Cheyenne National Cemetery Was “Miscommunication”
When family members showed up at the Cheyenne National Cemetery on Memorial Day for a service to honor fallen heroes and loved ones, the VA never showed up to host the service. On Wednesday, VA officials told Cowboy State Daily it was a "miscommunication" and would never happen again.
Pat MaioSeptember 11, 2024
Thermopolis Thunderstorm Generates Damaging Wind, Sparks Fires
An intense, but brief, thunderstorm blew through Thermopolis, Wyoming, on Monday afternoon. Strong winds peeled away parts of buildings and lightning sparked fires near town.
Andrew RossiSeptember 09, 2024
Hundreds Learn The Hard Way If They’re Prepared To Be Stuck On I-80 For 8 Hours
Saturday’s fatal semitrailer crash on I-80 closed the eastbound lanes for more than eight hours. The hundreds of drivers stuck there learned the hard way if they’re prepared for one of Wyoming’s more frustrating highway hazards — the closure.
Andrew RossiSeptember 09, 2024
Cheyenne Man Gives Fellow Corvette Owner The Tires Off His Own Wheels
When a California Corvette owner had a blowout and thought he’d be stranded in Cheyenne for days awaiting new tires, a local man gave him the tires off his own Vette. It was just one of 500 Corvettes motoring through Wyoming's capital city on a cross-country drive.
Leo WolfsonSeptember 08, 2024
Cheryl Gowdy Says 'Little House' Project Just The Beginning For Curt Gowdy State Park
Little House has had a successful two years of operation at Curt Gowdy State Park, spreading thousands of kindness wishes around. But that’s not the end of ideas Cheryl Gowdy has for her father’s namesake park.
Renée JeanSeptember 08, 2024
Why Dinosaur Diggers Get Plastered All Day Long Near Medicine Bow
The Nail Quarry is one of the only active dinosaur sites on the famous Como Bluff near Medicine Bow. Every summer, the last trips are spent encasing fossils in huge blobs of rock and plaster and safely transporting them to the Tate Geological Museum in Casper.
Andrew RossiSeptember 08, 2024
Butch Cassidy in Wyoming: How The Outlaw Got His Name Remains A Mystery
There are a few tales surrounding how Butch Cassidy ultimately got his outlaw name. One claims that he worked in Rock Springs as a butcher. Another that it was the result of a prank with a needle gun named Butch.
Renée JeanSeptember 08, 2024
Wyoming Man’s Field Of Vintage Rust A Car Restorer’s Disneyland
On a few acres in central Wyoming, a car restoration enthusiast has a large collection of wrecks and rusted vintage autos. He hopes to turn the space into a ‘Disneyland’ for car enthusiasts who want to get their hands dirty.
Dale KillingbeckSeptember 08, 2024
When And Where To Find Wyoming’s Fall Colors At Their Peak
It's not too soon to start thinking about where to see Wyoming's fall foliage. Autumn moves fast in the Rocky Mountain West and by Sept. 23, the colors of fall should be visible across the entire state. If you're a leaf-peeper, it's time to set your strategy.
Andrew RossiSeptember 08, 2024
Sunrise May Be A Ghost Town, But The Giant “S” On The Hill Remains
Now abandoned, the former Wyoming mining town of Sunrise hasn’t been forgotten. Although high school football hasn't been played in the town for decades, alums -- some in their 90s -- still keep the giant “S” on the hill overlooking the field painted bright white.
Renée JeanSeptember 08, 2024
Don Day Forecasts A Colder, Snowier Winter Ahead For Wyoming
Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day has released his long-range outlook for Winter 2024-2025. The short version is it'll be colder and snowier. "The signs strongly suggest that Wyoming has a real winter on the way," Day says.
Andrew RossiSeptember 08, 2024
The Angry Mob That Got Away With Killing 2 Murderers In Basin Jail
An angry mob wasn’t willing to wait for the state to hang two murderers in the Basin, Wyoming, jail in 1903. They shot them both in their jail cells — and killed a deputy — and got away with it because nobody would testify against them.
Dale KillingbeckSeptember 07, 2024
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Sam Hampton Spent A Lifetime On Horses
Sam Hampton is a legacy Wyoming rancher who lives by his own cowboy Golden Rule, which says, “To have good neighbors, first you have to be one.” This Washakie County pioneer will be inducted into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame in October.
Candy MoultonSeptember 07, 2024
Spectacular Lightning Storm Over Pinedale Might Be Best (And Last) Of Summer
Wyoming photographer Dave Bell was about to go to bed, but the thunderstorm wouldn’t let him sleep. Instead, he set up three cameras earlier this week and captured the most spectacular lightning storm he’s ever seen.
Andrew RossiSeptember 07, 2024
Gillette Auto Museum Rescuing, Restoring Vintage Signs For Retro “Neon Park”
The old neon Moorcourt Motel sign is the latest in the growing collection of vintage roadside signs for Gillette’s Frontier Auto Museum in Gillette. The vision is to create a colorful retro “neon park.”
Andrew RossiSeptember 07, 2024
Nearly 80 Bucking Horses Killed By Tainted Feed Devastates Rodeo Community
A batch of tainted feed killed nearly 80 premier bucking horses on the Beutler Ranch in Oklahoma last week and has devastated the greater rodeo community. The only surviving horse of that lineage was recently ridden to victory by Roedy Farrell of Thermopolis.
Jackie DorothySeptember 07, 2024
Mysterious Object Flying Over Cheyenne Was Not A Chinese Spy Balloon
A mysterious balloon spotting floating high over Cheyenne on Thursday wasn’t a Chinese spy balloon. Turns out, it’s carrying data-gathering equipment to improve flight safety for a private company’s partnership with NASA.
Jackie DorothySeptember 06, 2024
Custom Car Nuts Show WyoTech Students Hot-Rodding Isn’t Just An ‘Old Man Hobby’
WyoTech students got to ogle custom-built rides during an exclusive car show Thursday. It was an effective pitch that building hotrods isn’t just an “old man hobby.”
Mark HeinzSeptember 05, 2024
Wyoming Geologist Gets Millions Of Views As YouTube Rock Star
Myron Cook, a retired petroleum geologist, is amassing millions of views on YouTube for talking about geology in Wyoming. The Burlington man wasn't expecting his page would go anywhere. “I did it just for the joy of geology," he said.
Leo WolfsonSeptember 02, 2024
Sheridan’s 8-Foot “Wyoming Horse” Is Actually Leonardo da Vinci’s
Sheridan is one of the few places in the world with a bronze casting of Leonardo da Vinci’s horse. Kim Love, who spearheaded the effort to bring da Vinci’s horse to Wyoming, said “I thought it would grab people’s attention."
Andrew RossiSeptember 02, 2024
Park County Archivist Recreates Photos Of Wyoming 125 Years Later
Park County archivist Brian Beauvais has been rephotographing images originally shot by geologist Thomas Jaggar in the late 1800s. Some spots require more than a day hike to get there.
Amber SteinmetzSeptember 02, 2024
In Riverton, Jack Schmidt Continues Western Tradition Of The Cowboy Poet
The oral history of the cowboy is preserved forever in rhyme by cow wranglers and campfire tales. For the past 50 years, Riverton's Jack Schmidt has kept the cowboy poet alive in Wyoming.
Jackie DorothySeptember 02, 2024