Wyoming Life
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Wyoming History: Boy, 11, Sheriff Among 7 Killed In 1903 Fight At Lightning Creek
Called the “last blood-spilling fight” between Indians and white residents in Wyoming, seven were killed in the 1903 fight at Lightning Creek. That includes an 11-year-old boy and an over-zealous Weston County sheriff.
Dale KillingbeckDecember 25, 2024
Wyoming History: Before There Were Bridges, Crossing Rivers Was Dangerous And Deadly
To early pioneers, Wyoming rivers could be the most dangerous adversary they faced. Fording high waters claimed many lives in the early years of the Cowboy State and cut off entire towns from the rest of the world.
Jackie DorothyDecember 25, 2024
Podcast Is All About Stuff That’s Wacky, Wild Or Weird In Wyoming
What do cattle mutilations, a grave robber and a good Samaritan have in common? They are all featured on Dean Petersen’s Wyoming-based podcast, “That Doesn’t Happen Everyday.”
Jackie DorothyDecember 25, 2024
Gigantic Dinosaur Sculpture Made Entirely Of Various Shoulder Blades
Wes Plummer collected shoulders from bison, elk, cattle and many other animals for three years until he had enough to build a prehistoric dinosaur from modern bones. The result is Windee, a giant Stegosaurus outside his business in Kalispell, Montana.
Andrew RossiDecember 25, 2024
Holidays At Four Corners, Montana: Christmas Crack And Gourmet Meat
Not hip enough for a Christmas stroll and about as scenic as a Costco parking lot, Four Corners, Montana, is home to Bozeman’s ugliest building and under-the-radar holiday traditions. But the Christmas Crack is worth the stop.
David MadisonDecember 25, 2024
Popular Version Of “The Little Drummer Boy” Has A Silent Star — The Bighorns
The popular Christian rock duo for King + Country uses Wyoming as the backdrop for the music video of their remake of the Christmas classic “The Little Drummer Boy.” The majesty of the Bighorn Mountains helps make the video magical.
Renée JeanDecember 24, 2024
Green River Man Turns His Home Into Holiday Tribute To All Things Wyoming
Folks in Green River may not know Robert Bostick personally, but they know his house. It’s the one covered in thousands of holiday lights forming the Grand Tetons, life-sized wildlife cutouts and his tribute to all things Wyoming.
Tracie SullivanDecember 24, 2024
Christmas Is Time For First Guns For Many Wyoming Kids
Like in the classic 1983 moving “A Christmas Story,” all many Wyoming kids want for Christmas is their first gun. For some, that’s the legendary Red Ryder BB gun.
Jackie DorothyDecember 24, 2024
Nobody Knows Why Santa Keeps Getting Stuck Dangling Over A Cliff Near Casper
Santa Claus seems to get into trouble along Highway 220 near Casper each Christmas season, left dangling over a cliff. Nobody knows how he gets there, but plenty come out to see Santa hanging on for dear life.
Andrew RossiDecember 24, 2024
Party Like It’s Christmas 1924 At The Kendrick Mansion In Sheridan
The Kendrick Mansion in Sheridan comes to life for the holidays. The setting serves as the backdrop for a day in the life of the Kendricks at Christmas -- an intimate and cozy trip back into time.
Renée JeanDecember 24, 2024
Wyoming Experiencing Referee Shortage; Some Say Fan Abuse To Blame
A referee shortage is causing scheduling issues across Wyoming as high schools have trouble finding referees. Some say poor sportsmanship is making it harder to recruit new referees and keep experienced officials.
David MadisonDecember 23, 2024
There's A Chance For White Christmas Across Wyoming But Don't Count On It
There's a change coming that could start soon enough to carry a taste of winter weather across Wyoming on Christmas Day. But don’t hold your breath waiting for a Norman Rockwell white Christmas, Don Days says.
Andrew RossiDecember 22, 2024
It’s Just Western: Old Cowboy Boots On Fence Posts Can Mean Many Things
It’s a commonly asked question of city folk and Easterners when they visit the great American West. What’s with the cowboy boots on fence posts?
Jake NicholsDecember 22, 2024
Antique Firetrucks Decked Out For Christmas Draw Crowds In Cheyenne
Christmas is all about Santa and firetrucks at the Bartow family home in Cheyenne. His holiday decorations are centered two antique firetrucks -- a 1942 American LaFrance and a 1938 Studebaker.
Renée JeanDecember 22, 2024
Think Beef Wellington Is Too Hard To Make? Think Again, Says Wyoming Chef
There’s a reason Gordon Ramsay’s famous beef Wellington costs $119 dollars per person. it’s a complex dish that marries high-quality ingredients in a visually stunning way. But Wyoming chef Juan Coronado says with a few smart changes, it doesn’t really have to be such a chore.
Renée JeanDecember 22, 2024
What Is That Weird Boulder Dug Up On Historic Wyoming Ranch?
A Wyoming family was surprised to run into a gigantic boulder while digging a trench on the historic Hogg Ranch near Meeteetse. Despite pressure to cut it open, they'll keep the giant rock as a decorative piece.
Jackie DorothyDecember 22, 2024
Montana State’s Touchdown Tommy Leads Wyoming Supporting Cast Into FCS Title Game
Montana State University punched its ticket into the FCS championship game Saturday with a dominating 31-17 win over South Dakota. Quarterback Tommy Mellott, aka Touchdown Tommy, led a supporting cast that includes four Wyoming players.
David MadisonDecember 22, 2024
Tourist Finds Out That Mustang Probably Not Best Choice To Explore Hole-In-The-Wall Wyoming
A tourist from Iowa was so fascinated by the stories of Butch Cassidy and the Hole-in-the-Wall gang that, despite warnings from locals in Thermopolis that he should take a four-wheel-drive, he went out to explore the area in his prized Mustang instead.
Jackie DorothyDecember 22, 2024
Hard To Imagine Now, But High Schools Used To Have Smoking Areas
It's hard to imagine now, but high schools across the country used to have designated smoking ares for students who liked to light up. At Cheyenne's East High, that was the courtyard outside the cafeteria.
David MadisonDecember 21, 2024
Wyoming History: That Time In 1929 When Santa Saved Greybull With Dynamite Bombs
History says Santa saved Greybull from a devastating flood when he tossed dynamite bombs out an airplane. That was George Scott, who bomb an ice jam that threatened to wash Greybull off the map. He would go on to be the town’s Santa for years.
Jackie DorothyDecember 21, 2024
Cody Native Living Dream As Notre Dame Makes Run For College Football Title
Cody native Luke Talich was on the field Friday as Notre Dame beat Indiana to advance in the College Football Playoffs. He told Cowboy State Daily that the playoffs are another chapter of an incredible season for the walk-on from Wyoming.
Leo WolfsonDecember 21, 2024
How A Loan Shark Enforcer Found His Calling As A Wyoming Biker Pastor
A former loan shark and enforcer who goes by the handle “Velcro” has a lot in common with the people he ministers to. The Cheyenne biker has found his calling helping prisoners find safe homes once they’re released from prison.
Jen KocherDecember 21, 2024
Saturday Is The Darkest Day Of The Year -- Especially If You Live Up North
Saturday is the shortest day of the year, but that’s relative to where you are in Wyoming. Folks in the northern reaches, like Sheridan, will have more than 30 minutes less sunlight than those in Cheyenne, Rock Springs or Pine Bluffs.
Andrew RossiDecember 20, 2024
Fueled By Wyoming Talent, Montana State Guns For National FCS Championship
If undefeated Montana State University wins a national FCS title this season, it will have Wyoming fingerprints all over it. The Bobcats feature a host of former Wyoming high school players and are coached by a longtime UW assistant.
David MadisonDecember 20, 2024
Locals Shellshocked After Historic Wyoming Union Pacific Water Tower Torn Down
A historic water tower along the Union Pacific line near the Wyoming-Colorado state line was a local landmark for about 80 years. Now it’s gone, torn down Tuesday without notice or discussion, leaving locals and railroad buffs shellshocked.
Andrew RossiDecember 19, 2024
A Denver Broncos-Buffalo Bills Playoff Game Could Test Wyoming’s Football Loyalties
The Buffalo Bills drafting Josh Allen in 2018 — and not the Denver Broncos — has split Wyoming’s die-hard Broncos fan base. Wyoming has adopted Allen and the Bills, and that loyalty to the Orange and Blue could be tested if the teams meet in the playoffs.
Justin GeorgeDecember 19, 2024
Report That Wyoming Lost Winter Days To Climate Change Is Misleading, Says Don Day
A non-profit environmental group's claim that Wyoming has lost two days of winter because of climate change is misleading and incorrect, says Wyoming meteorologist Don Day. “I almost laughed when I saw that,” Day told Cowboy State Daily.
Andrew RossiDecember 18, 2024
Did Nirvana’s Rise As Grunge Rock Royalty Begin With A Wyoming Garage Band?
The early 1970s was a heyday for Wyoming garage bands. Legend has it that a band from Casper went to Seattle and inspired Kurt Cobain to start the 1990s grunge rock movement.
Mark HeinzDecember 17, 2024
Santa Also Delivers Official Mail Through Wyoming With The Pony Express
Santa Claus spent part of Saturday delivering Christmas cards from Green River to Rock Springs, Wyoming. The Jolly Old Elf was an honorary Pony Express rider, delivering official U.S. mail.
Dale KillingbeckDecember 16, 2024
Wyoming History: It’s Been More Than A Century Since Marines Invaded Teapot Dome
It was August 1922, when five armed U.S. Marines arrived at Wyoming well in the Navy’s oil reserve at Teapot Dome. It was part of the first act in what remains one of the most sensational scandals in American history.
Dale KillingbeckDecember 15, 2024
Tiny Box In Southern Wyoming Can Detect Earthquakes Around The World
A new seismograph technology has positioned a tiny box in southern Wyoming capable of monitoring earthquakes around the world. It's expected to reveal answers to mysterious smaller quakes in the region.
Andrew RossiDecember 15, 2024
Much Of Wyoming May Be Safe If US Is Nuked, But Cheyenne Likely To Be Vaporized
A FEMA map showing the best places in the U.S. to survive a nuclear attack shows much of Wyoming clear. Cheyenne and surrounding areas, however, will likely be immediately annihilated.
Mark HeinzDecember 15, 2024
Douglas “Frost Artist” Creates Intricate Snowscapes On Wyoming Storefronts
Moving to Wyoming has inspired Douglas resident Dan Downs to return to doing his “frost art.” Now he creates intricate snowscapes and winter scenes on storefronts.
Andrew RossiDecember 15, 2024
Discovery In Wyoming Weed Field Started Vintage Collection Of Restored Gas Pumps
A Worland, Wyoming, man is obsessed with antique gas pumps, finding them and restoring them to their former glory — or better. The obsession began 15 years ago when he found a rusted old pump in a field of weeds.
Jackie DorothyDecember 15, 2024
Luke Bell’s Inspiring, And Devastating, Story Part Of Wyoming PBS Series
Luke Bell of Cody, Wyoming, was a rising country music star when his career and life were cut short with his unexpected death in 2022. Bell’s family shares his inspiring, and devastating, story in a recent installment of a Wyoming PBS series.
Amber SteinmetzDecember 15, 2024
Willie LeClair: Eastern Shoshone Spiritual Leader, Teacher And Storyteller
Eastern Shoshone tribe member Willie LeClair walked dual worlds as a cowboy and an American Indian in Wyoming. His legacy is as a spiritual leader, storyteller and teacher who also had a “wicked sense of humor.”
Jackie DorothyDecember 15, 2024