Wyoming Life
News

Wyoming Ranch Family Heartbroken After 11 Horses Die In Rural Barn Fire
A barn fire in Burns in eastern Laramie County early Sunday morning killed 11 horses, leaving a Wyoming ranching family devastated and heartbroken.
Leo WolfsonDecember 04, 2023

Wyoming People: Amber Travsky — Cycling Guru, Black Belt, Biologist, Mayor
Wyoming native Amber Travsky is one of the state's most senior wildlife biologists, is a ninth-degree blackbelt in karate, is a founder of the Tour de Wyoming cycling event, served as mayor of Laramie and doesn’t plan to slow down anytime soon.
Mark HeinzDecember 03, 2023

Artist Makes 300 Wooden Snowmen, One For Every Family In 3 Big Horn County Towns
With none of her children and grandchildren living nearby, Pauline Parker wanted to do something for the area. So she painted 300 wooden snowmen — one for every family in Burlington, Otto and Emblem.
Amber SteinmetzDecember 03, 2023

Wyoming’s Iconic 28-Foot Neon Tumble Inn Cowboy Will Have New Home In Casper
There’s still a lot to do, but the restoration of Wyoming’s iconic 28-foot Tumble Inn neon cowboy has hit overdrive, and when finished is expected to have a prominent new permanent home in Casper.
Dale KillingbeckDecember 03, 2023

Wyoming’s Infamous Dam Bar With A Speaker In The Women’s Outhouse
The Dam Bar and Privy near Boysen Dam along U.S. Highway 20 was a relic of the Old West with a brief and colorful history in the 1940s and 1950s that included a speaker mounted in the women’s outhouse connected to the nearby bar.
Andrew RossiDecember 02, 2023

How World War II POWs From Italy And Germany Saved Wyoming Harvests
Douglas author Lee Ann Siebken recalls how a Wyoming World War II prisoner of war camp with with soldiers from Italy and Germany grew to outnumber the small town it was in — and helped save the crops of local farmers.
Dale KillingbeckDecember 02, 2023

Wyoming ‘Bridge Nerd’ On A Mission To Document State’s Historic Bridges
John Bernhisel of Cowley, Wyoming, is on a mission, spending his summers visiting, photographing and chronicling the stories of historic Wyoming bridges and crossings.
John ThompsonDecember 02, 2023

Wyoming Ski Resorts Can Expect Up To 2 Feet Of Snow Over Weekend
Wyoming's ski areas could get up to 2 feet of over the weekend, and temperatures are finally cold enough start building a snowpack for the season.
Andrew RossiDecember 01, 2023

Sand Creek Massacre: The Most Dastardly Episode In American History Of Broken Promises
The Sand Creek massacre, which happened Nov. 29, 1864, was "really the most dastardly episode in American history of broken promises, followed by a massacre,” Indian Wars historian John Monnett told Cowboy State Daily.
Candy MoultonNovember 29, 2023

WYDOT To Wyoming Drivers: Quit Running Into Our Snowplows!
The first major snowstorm of the season in Wyoming over the Thanksgiving weekend saw drivers plow into three snowplows, damaging two of them enough to put them out of commission.
Andrew RossiNovember 29, 2023

Rock Springs Mayor, Police Department Refute Online Attack Of Police Officer
Saying it’s been “frustrating” dealing with the unsubstantiated claims by an online report accusing a Rock Springs police officer of malfeasance, the city has released bodycam footage that doesn’t support the opinionated and inflammatory reports.
Clair McFarlandNovember 29, 2023

For Whom The Band Tolls: Natrona County Marching Band Enters Metallica Competition
The 100-member Natrona High School marching band is the only Wyoming band entered in a nationwide contest to translate heavy metal group Metallica’s songs into an on-field performance.
Dale KillingbeckNovember 27, 2023

Nope, That Heart-Tugging New Chevrolet Ad Was Not Filmed In Wyoming
Readers reached out to Cowboy State Daily over the weekend to ask the location of the Wyoming drive-in theatre featured in a new heart-tugging Chevrolet ad which addresses Alzheimer's disease. It is a real theatre but it's located in Dearborn, Michigan.
Dale KillingbeckNovember 27, 2023

Enormous Sunspot 15 Earths Wide Could Give Wyoming Awesome Light Shows
As the sun enters its 11-year solar maximum, Wyomingites can expect a lot more dazzling aurora borealis displays caused by giant collection of sunspots that cover an area as wide as 15 Earths.
Andrew RossiNovember 27, 2023

Off The Grid In Wyoming: Wasting Water A Cardinal Sin For Homesteaders
The average American household wastes 90 gallons of water every day, something that would be a cardinal sin on an off-grid homestead, where water is much too valuable and important to waste.
John ThompsonNovember 26, 2023

Mountain Man Hugh Glass’ Real And Embellished Legacy Inspired ‘The Revenant’
Filmmakers consulted with Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale when they made “The Revenant,” and an exhibit shows Glass wielding a Bowie knife in a battle with a grizzly. Now they're hearing rumors of a sequel to the movie.
John ThompsonNovember 26, 2023

Wyoming Metal Artists Dumpster Dive To Create 10-Foot, 5,000-Pound Horse
Terry Bison Ranch owner Dan Thiel and Jaden Moser are dumpster diving to find material to create another uniquely Wyoming metal sculpture for the 27,500-acre operation — a 10-foot, 5,000-pound horse.
Dale KillingbeckNovember 26, 2023

Wyoming History: 27 Years Ago Clinton Plane Crashed Into Jackson Mountain
It was a pitch-black night in 1996 when a President Clinton support C-130 ignored takeoff protocol and slammed into Sheep Mountain above Jackson at 200 mph, killing all nine onboard. The impact created a fireball that could be seen for miles.
Jake NicholsNovember 26, 2023

Strict Rules For Early Wyoming Teachers: No Makeup, Drinking Or Hanging Out
Like most teachers of her time, Elise Mayor had to sign a strict contract about her behavior when she began teaching in Wyoming in 1926 — no makeup, drinking or hanging out in ice cream shops.
Amber SteinmetzNovember 26, 2023

Casper, Wyoming, And Fort Collins, Colorado, Named For Father And Son Soldiers
Casper, Wyoming, and Fort Collins, Colorado, are connected by more than 222 miles of Interstate 25. They're named for father-son soldiers — Fort Collins for Lt. Col. William O. Collins and Casper for his son, 2nd Lt. Caspar Collins.
Dale KillingbeckNovember 26, 2023

After 32 Years In Prison, Cheyenne Man Making Up For Lost Time
Clarence Fisher hasn’t wasted a minute making up for lost time, and he has a lot to make up for. Fisher was released from the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins in 2020 after spending 32 years there. Now he owns his own business just bought his own home.
Leo WolfsonNovember 25, 2023

Wyoming Rancher Discovers Rare Cache Of 50 Million-Year-Old Fossilized Fish
A rancher in Converse County discovered at least seven fossilized gar fish believed to be between 50-55 million years old. After hundreds of hours of work, the specimens are on display at the Tate Museum in Casper.
Andrew RossiNovember 25, 2023

Chief Washakie's 1876 Peace Medal From President Grant Bought Off eBay By Lander Native
A Lander native may have stumbled across a significant piece of Wyoming history for sale on eBay – a peace medal given to Chief Washakie by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1876. Washakie's great-grandson believes it's authentic.
Mark HeinzNovember 25, 2023

Wyoming History: Yellowstone’s Place In The Last Stand Of The Nez Perce Almost Lost To History
As the Nez Perce Tribe was making its way to a U.S. government-established reservation, they moved through Yellowstone as they made their last stand as a free people.
Candy MoultonNovember 25, 2023

Wyoming People: Larry LaRose Never Went To Space, But He Flew The Space Shuttle
Larry LaRose never went into space, but his lucky number 13 draft position in the Vietnam War led to a career as a military flight engineer, including flying 747 jets to taxi space shuttles around the United States.
Renée JeanNovember 24, 2023

UW Wrestling Hosts "Battle In The Barn" In Centennial; Streamed On UFC Fight Pass
They called it “The Battle in the Barn.” The University of Wyoming Cowboys wrestling team hosted a North Carolina university at more than 8,000 feet elevation in a barn in the Snowy Range livestreamed to hundreds of thousands viewers on UFC Fight Pass.
Jake NicholsNovember 24, 2023

Wyoming Highways A Gallery Of Black Ice, Blowing Snow And Pileups
Several of Wyoming's state and federal highways were either closed or under high-impact advisories for black ice, stalled vehicles and extreme blow-over risks after a Thanksgiving storm dumped more than 20 inches of snow across the state.
Andrew RossiNovember 24, 2023

Built By Legendary Furniture Designer, Cody’s Molesworth House Is Pure Wyoming
The Molesworth House in Cody is more than a charming throwback to Western heritage. It’s the only building designed and built by the man who defined early 20th century Western interior design.
Andrew RossiNovember 24, 2023

There Really Is A Place Named Armpit, Wyoming
People like to say that this place or that is the “armpit” of Wyoming. But there really is a place named Armpit. And while you can go there, it’s hardly the armpit of the Cowboy State.
Wendy CorrNovember 24, 2023
Living In An Off-The-Grid Subdivision In Southwest Wyoming
Josh Winkler and his family of four live year-round in an off-the-grid community about 20 miles north of Kemmerer. Although the winters can be challenging, Josh says it's worth it -- especially when he straps on his snowshoes and heads out on a full moon night in January.
John ThompsonNovember 23, 2023

What’s With That Giant Wooden Troll Hiding In The Woods In Jackson?
Danish artist Thomas Dambo has created more than 100 giant wooden trolls around the globe, including one named Mama Mimi hiding in the woods in Jackson.
Jake NicholsNovember 22, 2023

Thanksgiving Means Good Eating For Families And The Flu Virus
Thanksgiving brings a lot of togetherness, including at the microscopic level with increased reports of respiratory viruses, the Wyoming state health officer reports.
Dale KillingbeckNovember 22, 2023

Much Of Wyoming Can Expect Thanksgiving From Hell Weather-Wise
Anyone in Wyoming traveling on Thanksgiving and Friday should anticipate icy conditions, delays and several inches of snow, says meteorologist Don Day. "We’re ground zero for the worst weather in the nation," Day says.
Andrew RossiNovember 21, 2023

State Title Was Last Call For Trevor Jackson, 'Voice Of Sheridan' For 35 Years
Trevor Jackson was the voice of Sheridan-area high school sports for 35 years. His Nov. 11 call of the Broncs’ 2023 state football title was his last. He died three days later.
Jake NicholsNovember 21, 2023

Wyoming Ski Season Off To Slow, Steady Start
It’s been a slower start so far to the winter season in Wyoming than last winter, but that doesn’t mean there won't be great skiing this Thanksgiving weekend and beyond.
Leo WolfsonNovember 20, 2023

Jackson Hole’s 66 Webcams A Window Into Town’s Weirdos And Wildlife
Jackson is the most viewed community in Wyoming. All day, all night, some 66 cameras are relentlessly streaming to the world the town's weirdos and wildlife.
Jake NicholsNovember 19, 2023