Wyoming Life | Cowboy State Daily

Cathy Ringler and her horse Zigzag have had many adventures over the years. Zigzag was originally supposed to be a barrel horse; however, he did not enjoy performing and much preferred being out on the trail.

Wyoming People: Award-Winning Horseback Storyteller Cathy Ringler

Cathy Ringler is a Wyoming cowgirl who told stories to her daughters while they rode horseback in Park County. Those stories have become a series of award-winning books based on Ringler’s own experiences riding horses on the range and teaching school in a two-room schoolhouse.

Jackie DorothyNovember 24, 2024

The Sheridan Broncs walk out on War Memorial Field before their 4A championship game Nov. 16, 2024.

43-Game Win Streak And 31 Wyoming Football Titles, Nobody Beats The Sheridan Broncs

The Sheridan High School football team just won its fourth straight Wyoming state championship, the program’s 31st overall. Also riding a state record 43-game winning streak, the program is proving nobody busts these Broncs.

Leo WolfsonNovember 23, 2024

Fans of the hit Paramount+ series "Yellowstone" are complaining about blatant product placement in the latest season, including close-up shots of 6666 Four Sixes Vodka, owned by the show's creator, Taylor Sheridan.

“Yellowstone” Fans Claim Shameless Product Placement Is Ruining Last Episodes

Fans of “Yellowstone,” the wildly popular Western television drama based in Montana, are complaining about heavy-handed product placement in the series’ final episodes. That includes long shots of showrunner Taylor Sheridan’s vodka brand.

Justin GeorgeNovember 23, 2024

Cheyenne resident Dr. Karen Meister-Emerich loves her new Cybertruck because it reminds her of a Delorean and it's packed with technology. The 75-year-old grandma breaks the mold of the typical Tesla owner.

Meet The Baby Boomer Wyoming Grandma Who Breaks The Mold Of A Cybertruck Owner

The typical Tesla owner is an upper-middle-class man in his 50s. 75-year-old Karen Meister-Emerich, a grandma from Cheyenne, doesn't fit that demographic but loves her Cybertruck, which she bought because she missed out on buying a DeLorean.

Renée JeanNovember 23, 2024

Earth Has A Second Moon For A Few More Days

A 36-foot-wide asteroid pulled into Earth’s orbit has become a second "mini-moon" for almost two months. But this multibillion-year-old chunk of space debris will soon be pulled out by the sun.

Andrew RossiNovember 22, 2024

Artist Maurizio Cattelan's "Comedian" — a banana duct-taped to a wall — sold for more than $6 million at a Sotheby's auction Wednesday. As part of the deal, the artist will eat the banana in front of the buyer.

Man Tapes Banana To Wall, Sells It For $6.2 Million; Wyoming Artists Baffled

A banana duct-taped to a wall sold for $6.2 million Wednesday, leaving some in Wyoming’s art community baffled and bewildered. Sculptor Chris Navarro called it “a head-scratcher” and said it looks like it took the artist “10 minutes” to create.

Andrew RossiNovember 21, 2024

MrBeast, the biggest YouTuber with more than 331 million subscribers, had help from Wyoming meteorologist Don Day to lift a T-Mobile store off the ground with helium balloons.

Wyoming Meteorologist Don Day Helps YouTube's Mr Beast Float A Store With Balloons

There is no one bigger on YouTube than Mr Beast who has more than 330 million subscribers. He recently used 550 balloons to lift a T-Mobile store off the ground. To do it, he teamed up with Wyoming meteorologist Don Day who is a world expert in balloon weather.

Andrew RossiNovember 19, 2024

This superflag, a huge 160-foot by 300-foot American flag unfurled at the Border War football game Friday took 200 people to carry.

Superflag At Border War Game Needed More Than 200 Volunteers To Carry

Colorado State University unfurled a huge superflag for its annual big salute to the military Friday at the Border War football game against the University of Wyoming. It needed more than 200 people to hold and carry it.

Dale KillingbeckNovember 18, 2024

Powell resident Dave Varkony got this photo of a “ridiculously cool” rope could hovering over Heart Mountain on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024.

“Ridiculously Cool” Rope Cloud Spotted Hovering Over Heart Mountain

When Powell resident Dave Varkony stepped outside at sunrise Sunday, he saw a "rope cloud" hovering over Heart Mountain. Meteorologist Don Day says these clouds are usually much wider and are a well-known source of turbulence.

Andrew RossiNovember 18, 2024

Roedy Farrell at the Texas Tech College Rodeo in Lubbock a couple of weeks ago.

Wyoming Bareback Rider Roedy Farrell Closes In On Pro Rodeo Dream

Thermopolis cowboy Roedy Farrell was born to be a rodeo star. The son of a National Finals Rodeo bull rider, Roedy competed in Cheyenne Frontier Days for the first time last summer. Now 19, bareback riding is his sport of choice and he's decided to go pro.

Jackie DorothyNovember 17, 2024

Jessica Lippincott grew up as an only child in Wyoming and didn't know she was "donor-conceived" until she did a DNA test in 2017. Now, she's one of 50 half-siblings who have embraced each other as an extended family.

Thermopolis Woman Grew Up As Only Child, Now She’s One Of 50 Siblings

Jessica Lippincott grew up as an only child in Wyoming and didn't know she was "donor-conceived" until she did a DNA test in 2017. Last week, she told an audience for the first time that she is one of 50 half-siblings who have embraced each other as an extended family.

Andrew RossiNovember 17, 2024

White Mountain and Pilot Butte near Rock Springs, Wyoming, viewed from a distance. The search for a missing 16-year-old boy in 1963 led to the formation of Sweetwater County Search and Rescue. But the boy, Edward Eskridge, was never found. That still haunts a now 90-year-old George Liska, who helped with the search for the teen.

The Boy Never Found Still Haunts Wyoming Searcher 61 Years Later

When a 16-year-old boy went missing in the Wyoming Wilderness in 1963, a desperate search was launched. More than 200 looked for Edward Eskridge, including the National Guard, but he was never found — and it still haunts one of those searchers, 90-year-old George Liska.

Jackie DorothyNovember 17, 2024

When on the road playing and singing in Dan Miller's Cowboy Music Review, Cowboy State Daily's video news director Wendy Corr has to improvise to get the daily newscasts out.

Cowboy State Daily's Wendy Corr Takes Her Newscast On The Road

As a traveling musician, Cowboy State Daily’s Wendy Corr isn’t always broadcasting from home. It takes organization, planning and coordination to put together her daily video newscast on the road.

Wendy CorrNovember 17, 2024

A painting of Big Nose George Parrott, a man who murder came naturally to, holding up the Deadwood stage, by Charles M. Russell.

The Dangerous Job Of Driving Stage In Wyoming: Robberies, Run-Away Horses And Rock Slides

Coal miner John Hulse discovered that driving a stagecoach in Wyoming was more dangerous than working in the mines. He survived hold-ups, run-away horses and rockslides before returning to the Gebo coal mines.

Jackie DorothyNovember 17, 2024

The annual Stop Sign Snow Challenge is on again. Over the coming months, participants will watch as snow creeps up this stop sign on Togwotee Pass. Left, the sign as of Friday. Right, late in the season during a past contest.

When Will Remote Stop Sign On Togwotee Pass Get Buried By Snow?

Guessing if and when snow will bury a remote Wyoming stop sign on Togwotee Pass has become an annual winter spectator sport. The contest is on again, and people have until midnight Sunday to submit their guesses.

Andrew RossiNovember 16, 2024

A truck plowed into the side of this brick house on Central Avenue on Oct. 11. The homeowners have now spent more than a month dealing with a huge hole in their house and at least $30,000 in damages.

What To Do After A Truck Plows Into Your House

A Cheyenne couple is finding out how to rebuild their home after a truck crashed into it during a freak accident. For the first week after the accident, parts of the house kept caving in. Now that it's stabilized, rebuilding has begun.

Leo WolfsonNovember 16, 2024

These two art pieces from the University of Wyoming Art Museum and Colorado State University’s Gregory Allicar Museum of Art (GAMA) are part of a friendly Border War rivalry between the two schools in the form of an art loan. Left is Roxanne Swentzell’s “Mask Maker” from GAMA, and right is Beth Van Hoesen’s “Pale Horse” at the UW Art Museum.

University of Wyoming, CSU Museums Wager Art On Border War Football Game

The art museums at University of Wyoming and Colorado State University are betting on the outcome of Friday’s Border War football game. The winner gets to display artwork from the loser’s museum through the end of the school year.

Justin GeorgeNovember 15, 2024

A supermoon hovers low to the horizon with Devils Tower in the foreground in this file photo.

Last Of Rare 4 Straight Supermoons In 2024 To Hover Over Wyoming

Friday night's beaver moon will be the last of four consecutive supermoons to loom over Wyoming in 2024. There won't be another for nearly a year, so see it while it's still bigger and brighter.

Andrew RossiNovember 13, 2024

No More Funky, Worn-Out Mattresses Allowed In The Rock Springs Landfill

The trashman in Rock Springs, Wyoming, won’t pick up old, worn-out and funkified mattresses anymore, and the local landfill won’t take them. People now have to drop them off for recycling.

Andrew RossiNovember 13, 2024

The intersection of 13th Street and McKinley now has one less house for drivers to hit. Now there's a vacant lot to the right where a house had been that was hit several times with vehicles.

Casper House That Kept Getting Hit By Cars Is Gone

A Casper, Wyoming, house at a T-intersection that kept getting hit by vehicles is gone. Now errant drivers will have to drive through the lot and into the back yard when they misjudge the road.

Dale KillingbeckNovember 13, 2024

Luke Talich of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish returns an interception for a touchdown against the Florida State Seminoles during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium on Nov. 9, 2024, in South Bend, Indiana.

Wyoming Walk-On Scores On Pick-Six For No. 8-Ranked Notre Dame Football

A former Wyoming high school standout football player made national highlight reels Saturday. Cody’s Luke Talich, a walk-on for No. 8-ranked Notre Dame, returned an interception for a touchdown.

Leo WolfsonNovember 12, 2024

By the time he died in 1917, Col. William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody was actually a general.

By The Time He Died, Col. Buffalo Bill Cody Was Actually A General

Wyoming Gov. John Kendrick promoted Col. William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody to the rank of general in 1915. One of the world’s most famous self-promoters, he never hyped up his promotion before he died in 1917.

Andrew RossiNovember 11, 2024

A model of a saber-toothed cat attacking a giant ground sloth the George C. Page Museum. Both of these Ice Age mammals lived in areas with leafy trees and bushes, which didn't grow in the arid climate that existed in northern Wyoming 30,000 years ago.

Ground Sloths And Saber-Toothed Cats Didn't Like Wyoming 30,000 Years Ago

Natural Trap Cave near Lovell is one of the best Ice Age fossil sites in the world, but its lack of saber-toothed cats and giant ground sloths tells paleontologists that those Californians never relocated to Wyoming.

Andrew RossiNovember 10, 2024

Gen. John Black Jack Pershing was the commander of the U.S. forces in World War I, and loved a Wyoming girl.

Wyoming History: Gen. “Black Jack” Pershing And The Wyoming Girl He Loved

Gen. John “Black Jack” Pershing was one of only two men ever to be named “general of the Armies of the United States” — George Washington was the other. Although he didn't spend much time in Cheyenne, his wife was a native, and his memory is still very much a part of the community.

Dale KillingbeckNovember 10, 2024

"1st Battalion" is a sculpture at Mt. Pisgah Cemetery in Gillette, Wyoming, where hundreds of military veterans are buried.

The No-Longer-Forgotten Veterans Buried In Gillette’s Mount Pisgah Cemetery

There are more than 1,000 veterans buried in Mount Pisgah Cemetery in Gillette dating back to the Civil and Spanish American wars. But many of them have become forgotten. Two local historians are unearthing and sharing their stories.

Jackie DorothyNovember 10, 2024

Pilots Sam Sutton, from left, Cory May, Alton Lusk and Mark Jay provided hurricane relief for 12 straight days in western North Carolina last month.

Wyoming Man Donated Black Hawk Chopper, Staff To Help With Hurricane Helene Disaster

Wheatland resident Charles Hoskinson donated his Black Hawk helicopter and four pilots to provide relief and resources to people in North Carolina devastated by Hurricane Helene. He said they met no other volunteer crew that had traveled as far away as Wyoming to help.

Leo WolfsonNovember 10, 2024

Kathy Sorensen is a self-proclaimed advocate for all the things people hate. She nearly always has her camera ready to catch the bugs, reptiles and pests in action and will adopt the ones in need.

Wyoming’s Critter Lady Loves All Those Creepy-Crawlies Others Hate

If it creeps, crawls or grosses you out, chances are Kathy Sorensen — aka Wyoming's critter lady — loves it. She's a self-proclaimed advocate for all the things other people hate, and does photo shoots with them.

Jackie DorothyNovember 10, 2024

Tom Skinner's Hole in the Wall Saloon in Thermopolis in 1908. The infamous outlaw gang wouldhang out there.

He Cowboyed With Outlaws Before Chasing Them As Bighorn Basin’s First Sheriff

Virgil Rice tracked horse thieves and had epic shootouts with notorious outlaws as the Bighorn Basin’s first sheriff. Before that, though, he cowboyed with future members of the Hole in the Wall Gang.

Jackie DorothyNovember 09, 2024

Glenrock’s Deer Creek Museum offers a small display on the Dr. Gene Lam who was a Glenrock native and POW during the Korean War.

Gene Lam: The Wyoming Doctor Who Trained Troops How To Survive POW Camps

Gene Lam was born in Douglas and grew up in Glenrock before being drafted in the U.S. Army and becoming a doctor in the Korean War. He spent three years in a Chinese POW camp, then for 15 years trained troops how to survive capture by the enemy.

Dale KillingbeckNovember 09, 2024

Jim Hicks, 89, has been in the Wyoming newspaper business for 60 years. He continues to write satire as “Sagebrush Sven” in the Buffalo Bulletin, the newspaper he once owned and now published by his son, a third-generation Wyoming newspaperman. Sagebrush Sven began as a non-humor column… until it was taken over by Jim Hicks who used the opportunity to share humorous observations from around his small town of Buffal. His wife, Mary Hicks, illustrated many of his columns.

Jim Hicks — And His Alter-Ego Sagebrush Sven — Have Made Wyoming Laugh For 60 Years

After 60 years as a Wyoming newspaperman, Jim Hicks is still writing his weekly humor column for the Buffalo Bulletin. He and his alter-ego Sagebrush Sven continue lampooning Buffalo, the Cowboy State and himself.

Jackie DorothyNovember 09, 2024

Benton was mostly a tent city that proved to live up to is rowdy and reckless reputation.

Wyoming History: In 1868, Benton Was So Violent Murder Was An Everyday Occurence

As the Union Pacific built its railroad across the West, one of its track-end towns became infamous for being a violent, lawless outpost. That was Benton, Wyoming, located in present-day Carbon County. Back in 1868, murder was part of daily life.

Dale KillingbeckNovember 09, 2024

Even more than a decade after coming across a creepy abandoned complex in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming's Red Desert, Kenneth Driese says he's still creeped out by the almost horror movie-like vibes it exudes.

Creepy Abandoned Complex In Wyoming’s Red Desert Could Be Out Of A Horror Movie

Wyoming photographer Ken Driese has come across a lot of abandoned places in his treks across the Red Desert. But one place left him spooked. He stayed just long enough to get photos and then "got the hell out of there."

Andrew RossiNovember 09, 2024

A camera crew captures scenes for the “Yellowstone” spinoff series “The Madison” in downtown Ennis, Montana, on Oct. 22. The one-man Ennis Police Department reported, “While some people were excited, others were less enthusiastic about the disruption. Paramount Networks applied for and obtained all the necessary permits for filming, including permission for road closures.”

“Yellowstone” Fatigue Sets In For Montanans Living With Filming For Spinoffs

With the final episodes of the huge TV hit series “Yellowstone” beginning Sunday, expansion of the modern Western series is already underway. Filming has begun in Ennis, Mont., on new spinoff “The Madison,” but locals are getting “Yellowstone” fatigue.

David MadisonNovember 09, 2024

ESPN sportscaster Kirk Herbstreit and his dog Ben look on before the game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium on Sept. 28, 2024 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Why People Are So Saddened By The Death Of Ben, Kirk Herbstreit's Golden Retriever

Cheyenne Animal Shelter CEO Britney Tennant says the nation's collective sadness over the death of Ben, the beloved Golden retriever of ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit, stems from the shared closeness people have with their dogs.

Justin GeorgeNovember 07, 2024

A woman displays a sign calling for the gas chamber at the Green River Animal Shelter be shut down during a rally against animal cruelty, left. At right is the gas chamber used by the animal shelter in Evanston, Wyoming. The gas chambers in Green River and Evanston represent the last gas chambers still used in the United States to euthanize animals.

Wyoming Has The Country’s Only Known Animal Shelter Gas Chambers

After Missouri shut its only animal shelter gas chamber to euthanize unwanted pets, Wyoming is the only state left that uses it. It has two, in Green River and Evanston.

Mark HeinzNovember 06, 2024

The Orionid meteor shower is one of four that will be visible over Wyoming throughout November.

Wyoming's Night Skies Will Be "Bombarded" With Four November Meteor Showers

Four meteor showers are all active or reaching their peaks during the month of November. That means Wyoming’s night skies will be “bombarded” with meteors and fireballs for the entire month.

Andrew RossiNovember 05, 2024

The late October snowstorm in Casper created mayhem with tree branches in the city. The cottonwood outside the Belcher’s house in central Casper lost a huge branch along with other branches.

After Storm Tears Off Chunk Of 100-Year-Old Tree, Casper Neighbors Rally To Help

Last week’s storm not only dumped 5-6 inches of wet, heavy snow across Casper, it tore a huge chuck off a 100-year-old cottonwood that fell into the street. That’s when neighbors rallied to help each other.

Dale KillingbeckNovember 05, 2024

Cloud Of Cold To Envelop Wyoming, Plunge Temperatures Into Single Digits

A winter weather system enveloping Wyoming won't cover the Cowboy State with a lot of snow. But overnight temperatures could plunge into the single digits overnight Tuesday and Wednesday.

Andrew RossiNovember 05, 2024

Doc Middleton with one of his horse before the start of a 1,000-mile race from Chadron, Nebraska, to Chicago sponsored by Buffalo Bill Cody in 1893.

Wyoming History: How Doc Middleton Became A Notorious Outlaw Celebrity

Park Cemetery in Douglas contains the remains of Doc Middleton, a true notorious Western outlaw. Although he stole horses, rustled cattle and killed men, he became an outlaw celebrity.

Dale KillingbeckNovember 03, 2024

Cathy Blanchard, left, and Deb White of Cody, Wyoming, hold the Wyoming flag at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa on Oct. 16, 2024.

Cody Women Make It To The Top Of 19,341-Foot Mount Kilimanjaro

Cathy Blanchard and Deb White of Cody, Wyoming, have returned from a successful a nine-day trek to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. “You learn a lot about yourself,” Blanchard said about making it to the 19,341-foot peak of Africa’s tallest mountain.

Amber SteinmetzNovember 03, 2024

Tasha and Sam Anderson with their baby daughter Jamesyn.

'Can't Even Imagine Life Without Her': Lander Baby Survives 27 Surgeries

A doctor urged Tasha Anderson to get an abortion when she was pregnant with Jamesyn, whose heart is on the wrong side of her body. Now 18 months and 27 surgeries later, Anderson and her husband Sam say they "can't even imagine life without her."

Clair McFarlandNovember 03, 2024

Deputy Clark said they posted this photo of Williams Road to highlight the fall colors.

Find The Sheriff In Niobrara County -- A ‘Where’s Waldo’ Activity To Connect With Residents

In Niobrara County, locals are invited to guess where local deputies are every Friday. The department posts a photo of a Sheriff’s Office vehicle somewhere in the rural county and people somehow figure out where the deputy is.

Jackie DorothyNovember 03, 2024

Sundance Wick grew up in Gillette and played basketball for Campbell County High School. Now he has his "dream job" as the first Wyoming-born head men's basketball coach for the University of Wyoming in 50 years.

Sundance Wicks Is First Wyoming-Born UW Men’s Basketball Coach In 50 Years

Gillette native Sundance Wicks is the first Wyoming native to be the head coach of the University of Wyoming men's basketball team in 50 years. The Wicks era officially begins Monday when the Cowboys host Concordia University-St. Paul at 7:30 p.m.

Leo WolfsonNovember 02, 2024

Bud Daley was a Major League pitcher who played for three teams from 1955-1964. His last three years was as a pitcher for the New York Yankees, winning two World Series Championships.

Remembering Bud Daley, Yankees World Series Champ Who Called Wyoming Home For 49 Years

Bud Daley, a Fremont County resident for 49 years, overcame a withered arm disability and went on to pitch the final game of the Yankees' 1961 World Series win. A steady family man, Daley, 92, died last month in Riverton.

Clair McFarlandNovember 02, 2024

Deal To Move Dodgers From Brooklyn To LA Was Signed During Wyoming Antelope Hunt

The Los Angeles Dodgers are riding high off its World Series win over the Yankees this week. But the storied franchise has a secret Wyoming connection. The deal to move the Dodgers from Brooklyn to L.A. was signed during a Wyoming antelope hunt.

Renée JeanNovember 02, 2024

The first block of Gillette Avenue is haunted, some say — every building.

Haunted Wyoming: Gillette Avenue May Be The Most Haunted Street In Wyoming

There are those who insist the ghosts come out after dark in downtown Gillette. From First to Second streets, “The entire first block of Gillette Avenue is haunted."

Jackie DorothyOctober 30, 2024

Marty Perez had an unsettling experience the first year he did a paranormal investigation of this hallway at the CFD Museum of the West. The hallway was quiet this time.

Haunted Wyoming: Even Skeptics Admit Strange Things Happen At CFD Museum

Flying hats, explosive glass and dolls that just won’t leave the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum in Cheyenne. These are just a few of the strange things even skeptics admit they can’t quite explain.

Renée JeanOctober 30, 2024

Haunted Wyoming: Kane’s Blue Lady Searches Cemetery For The Children She Murdered

The town of Kane, Wyoming, has been abandoned since the 1960s, but it still has at least one restless spirit. Local folklore says the ghost of Matilda Waters haunts the cemetery, appearing as a blue lady looking for the children she murdered.

Wendy CorrOctober 30, 2024