Wyoming Life
News

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

UW Fellowship Honors Phil Roberts, Who Taught Wyoming History To Thousands
Nobody knows Wyoming like Phil Roberts, the University of Wyoming professor emeritus who literally wrote the book on Cowboy State history. A new UW fellowship has been named for Roberts, who taught tens of thousands of students over the years.
Jackie DorothyDecember 15, 2024

Wyoming Dinosaurs Sold For $15 Million In Europe, But How Legitimate Are They?
Collectors might want to beware when bidding on dinosaurs at auction houses. A recent trio of Wyoming dinosaurs sold for more than $15 million at an auction in London, but how much of the dinosaur skeletons are legitimate vs 3D printed material?
Andrew RossiDecember 14, 2024

Wyoming History: That Time In 1907 A Cow Ate 19 Sticks Of Dynamite And Exploded
It was 1907 when a cow wandered onto a mining claim in Birdseye, Wyoming, ate 19 sticks of dynamite and exploded. "What hurts is that we had to pay $45 for the cow," lamented the owner.
Jackie DorothyDecember 14, 2024

Wyoming License Plate Collector Makes “Holy Grail” Find
Collin Townsend has spent 12 years collecting a complete run of license plates from Weston County. His latest acquisition is a “Holy Grail” find — a rare 1945 plate with its original wartime wrapper.
Andrew RossiDecember 14, 2024

Behind The Release Of The New Chris LeDoux Song
Before it could be transformed into a father-son duet, the original recording of a never-released Chris LeDoux song sat in storage for 20 years. Then the one copy of the song survived a FedEx trip from Utah to Tennessee and a technology disaster.
Clair McFarlandDecember 14, 2024

Rocky’s Siberian Training Site In “Rocky IV” Was Really In Wyoming
That time Rocky trained outdoors in the snowy desolate mountains of Siberia to beat Ivan Drago in “Rocky IV”? It was filmed 39 years ago in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The training montage is one of the best in the Rocky series.
Jake NicholsDecember 14, 2024

Storm To Dump On Western Wyoming Mountains, Could Make Travel “Impossible”
A winter storm will dump 1-2 feet of snow, or more, on Wyoming’s western mountains this weekend. That could make travel “difficult to impossible,” the National Weather Service warns.
Andrew RossiDecember 13, 2024

Powell Saddle Bronc Rider Brody Wells On A Tear At National Finals Rodeo
Powell, Wyoming, saddle bronc competitor Brody Wells has been on a tear at the National Finals Rodeo this week, including a massive 90-point ride. He’s placed four times and has earned nearly $90,000 so far.
Leo WolfsonDecember 13, 2024

Wyoming "Blue" Christmas Services Happening For People In Holiday Misery
Some Wyoming churches are hosting “Blue” Christmas services for people dealing with grief and sadness. Sometimes pretending to exude joy in December is almost as heavy as the weight of grief itself, one reverend explained.
Clair McFarlandDecember 10, 2024

Wyoming Forest Rangers And Hotshots Spread Cheer With “Charlie Brown” Trees
U.S. Forest Service Rangers and Hotshot firefighters in Greybull, Wyoming, cut Christmas trees to donate around Big Horn County this past weekend. The “Charlie Brown” trees are lighting up homes and offices for the season.
Jackie DorothyDecember 09, 2024

Storm To Bring Up To 9 Inches Of Snow, 50 MPH Winds Across Parts Of Wyoming
A winter storm is expected to bring up to 9 inches of snow and 50 mph winds across northeast Wyoming through Wednesday morning. Cold continues to settle in across the rest of the state, with snow flying in the higher elevations.
Andrew RossiDecember 09, 2024

Casper Fireman Is Wyoming’s Pinball Wizard Who Has Spent 20 Years Restoring Vintage Games
Patrick Stafford of Casper is Wyoming’s Pinball Wizard. He’s spent 20 years repairing and restoring pinball machines and other vintage arcade games in his garage. He says his wife is the "most understanding woman of all-time."
Amber SteinmetzDecember 08, 2024

What The Heck … Are Those Giant Snowballs That Seem To Roll Themselves?
Those giant snowballs that seem to roll themselves are a rare weather phenomenon called snow rollers, meteorologist Don Day says. Basically, wind and gravity roll them up the same way you would when making a snowman.
Greg JohnsonDecember 07, 2024

Tiny Bone Needles From Wyoming’s La Prele Site A Prehistoric Breakthrough
Archaeologists say Wyoming’s La Prele Mammoth site near Douglas has given up another big prehistoric find. They say the discovery of early 13,000-year-old tiny bone needles could help rewrite the history of early man.
Renée JeanDecember 07, 2024

LA To NY: Buddies On A Mission To Skateboard 3,000 Miles Across America
What started as a spur-of-the-moment trip for two friends to skateboard across the U.S. has turned into an effort to raise money to buy 1,000 skateboards for low-income children. They say skateboarding kept them out of trouble so they want to pass it forward.
Sydnee ChapmanDecember 07, 2024
