Wyoming Life

The Cody Stampede Parade on July 3, 2024, featured plenty of horses — as usual.

Wyoming's Fourth of July Starts Early With Cody Stampede Parade

Fourth of July in Wyoming got its traditional early start Wednesday with the first of two Cody Stampede Parades. Thousands of people packed Sheridan Avenue for Grand Marshal Larry the Cable Guy and horses — lots of horses.

Andrew RossiJuly 03, 2024

Cowboy State Daily outdoors writer Mark Heinz plays "The Star Spangled Banner" on his Stihl MS 261 chainsaw.

Reporter’s Notebook: ‘Star Spangled Banner’ On A Chainsaw A CSD Tradition

What started out as a way for outdoors writer to annoy his neighbors has become a patriotic Cowboy State Daily tradition. Mark Heinz comes in with his 2024 chainsaw rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner.”

Mark HeinzJuly 03, 2024

Happy Fourth Of July: Where To Watch Fireworks Across Wyoming

Dozens of Wyoming communities will celebrate Independence Day on Thursday with parades, barbecues, concerts and firework shows. Here is a list of many of the celebrations. If we missed any, let us know!

Andrew RossiJuly 02, 2024

Sky Element Drone Shows uses computer choreographed drones to create patriotic Fourth of July shows.

Wyoming Won't Be Ditching Traditional Fireworks For Drones On July 4

More cities -- such as Boulder, Colorado -- are ditching their traditional Fourth of July fireworks blowouts for elaborate, computer-choreographed drone light shows. Not in Wyoming though. We still like to watch stuff explode.

Mark HeinzJuly 02, 2024

The Cody Stampede Parade on July 4, 2023. Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day said daytime temperatures will be in the high 60s and low 70s this year, and there's a chance parade routes in northern Wyoming could look much like they did last year, with overnight and early morning showers and thunderstorms.

Expect A Wet Wyoming Fourth Of July Up To 15 Degrees Cooler Than Average

Wyoming residents can expect Mother Nature to rain on their parades, barbecues and campouts for this week’s Fourth of July celebrations. It will also be as much as 15 degrees cooler than average.

Andrew RossiJuly 01, 2024

This scare, starving and dehydrated pooch that's been nammed Libby had been stuck in this deep concrete water tank for day when Worland city workers noticed her. Woorland firefighters then rescued Libby, who is recovering.

Dog Almost Dies In Abandoned Water Tank Before Worland Firefighters Rescue Her

A dog was found at the bottom of an abandoned water treatment holding tank in Worland. With sheer concrete walls and no ramps or ladders, there was no way for the unfortunate pooch to escape. Thanks to Worland firefighters, she survived and is recovering.

Andrew RossiJuly 01, 2024

Origin Of Famous Baby-Switching Prank In ‘The Virginian’ May Be Unraveled — Again

Many Wyoming communities have claimed they inspired the baby-switching prank pulled by The Virginian in Owen Wister’s famous novel of the same name. A historian, however, says the location really is Thermopolis.

Renée JeanJune 30, 2024

An example of an earthflow near a roadway in this file photo.

It's Earthflow Season, And They're Wreaking Havoc On Wyoming Roads

An earthflow is actively destroying a road in Meeteetse and there's nothing anyone can do about it until the area dries out. It can happen anywhere in Wyoming, and does. Although with summer, the "earthflow season" is coming to an end.

Andrew RossiJune 30, 2024

Copman's Tomb is a distinctive feature in the Bighorn Basin

Wyoming History: Copman’s Tomb Named For Man Who Wanted To Fly Off It In 1880s

Copman’s Tomb, in Wyoming's Bighorn Basin, is named for a German trapper, farmer and inventor who in the 1880s invented a flying machine -- which reportedly worked -- and planned on flying it off the mountain top.

Dale KillingbeckJune 30, 2024

Erik Kvale uses a poster to explain the paleoecology of the Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite. Kvale was one of the Greybull residents who discovered the limestone exposure in 1997, which preserves over 800 dinosaur footprints from the Middle Jurassic Sundance Formation.

Red Gulch Dinosaur Trackway One Of The Most Important Fossil Deposits In The World

The Red Gulch Dinosaur Trackway is a unique record of a time when Greybull, Wyoming, was beachfront property and when dinosaurs roamed the shores of an ancient sea about 160 million years ago during the Jurassic Period.

Andrew RossiJune 30, 2024

Big Boy 4014 makes the first stop on its 2024 summer tour in Laramie, Wyoming, on Sunday morning, June 30, 2024. Hundreds of curious people and serious train buffs waited for more than two hours to get a good viewing spot.,

Big Boy 4014 Gets Big Welcome At First Whistlestop In Laramie

In the world of steam engines, Big Boy 4014 is a rock star, and it got a rock star welcome on Sunday. Hundreds of people lined up in downtown Laramie for the first whistlestop on its 2024 summer tour.

Greg JohnsonJune 30, 2024

The two-story outhouse at the Grand Encampment Museum may seem odd, but actually makes sense. The second story isn't for volume use, its to use when the snow's so deep the bottom level is blocked. Also, the holes have luxurious beaver pelt covers.

Believe It Or Not, Rural Wyoming 2-Story Outhouse Makes Sense

One of the more bizarre and interesting attractions at the Grand Encampment Museum in southern Wyoming is a historic 2-story outhouse, and believe it or not, it actually makes sense.

Amber SteinmetzJune 30, 2024

This painting depicts Fr. Pierr-Jean De Smet, who traveled extensively throughout the early West spreading the gospel and establishing Catholic missions.

The American West: Fr. Pierre De Smet, The Jesuit Priest Who Baptized The West

Jesuit priest Fr. Pierre-Jean De Smet was born in Belgium, but found his life’s calling establishing Catholic missions throughout the early settlement of the West, including holding the first Catholic mass in Wyoming.

Candy MoultonJune 30, 2024

Graves of the victims of the 1864 attack on the Kelly-Larimer wagon train. William Larimer, the Rev. Andrew Sharp, Noah Taylor and Franklin Sullivan are buried in a single grave on the left; Little Mary Kelly, as she was known in contemporary accounts, is buried in the right-hand grave.

The American West: The 1864 Attack On The Kelly-Larimer Wagon Train

All that’s left today of the July 12, 1864, attack on the Kelly-Larimer Wagon Train in what would later become Wyoming Territory are the harrowing accounts of women taken captive and a small graveyard.

Terry A. Del BeneJune 29, 2024

Ranch hand and rodeo cowboy Herschel Clay "Tricky" Riggle was sentenced to death for killing his fiancée and a local ranch hand at a Wheatland café in 1953.

The Wyoming Rodeo Clown Who Gunned Down 2 People In 1953

It was a notorious crime in Wheatland 71 years ago that seems to have been lost to history. Rodeo clown Tricky Riggle gunned down his fiancée and her companion, escaped the gas chamber and continued his act even while in prison.

Jake NicholsJune 29, 2024

When People Disappear In Yellowstone National Park, Some Are Never Found

Despite huge acreage and treacherous terrain, most missing persons at Yellowstone National Park are found. But a small number of disappearances have never been solved. The reasons why are as vast as the park.

Jen KocherJune 29, 2024

We Tried The Huitlacoche (Corn Smut) And It Was Fantastic

Many readers were repulsed when we introduced them to Huitlacoche, aka “corn smut,” two weeks ago. So we asked Wyoming celebrity chef Petrina Peart to prepare it and she proved looks can be deceiving. It was fantastic.

Renée JeanJune 29, 2024

"How 'Bout Them Cowgirls" by Buffalo artist D. Michael Thomas.

Stroke Of Luck Saves Cheyenne Frontier Days Cowgirl Sculpture From Devastating Fire

A new sculpture honoring cowgirls called “How ’Bout Them Cowgirls,” at Cheyenne Frontier Days was dedicated Friday at Frontier Park, but it almost didn’t happen. A stroke of luck saved it from a devastating fire.

Renée JeanJune 29, 2024

Big Boy 4014 will roll into Laramie at 10:45 a.m. Sunday morning.

This Weekend In Wyoming: Big Boy On The Rails Again And Cody Stampede

Summer really gets rolling this weekend with some premiere Wyoming events: The Cody Stampede, a huge rodeo that leads up to July 4, and Big Boy No. 4014 hitting the rails for its big summer tour.

Renée JeanJune 28, 2024

A red giant star is orbited by a white dwarf in this illustration of how a nova like the T Coronae Borealis could happen.

Once-In-A-Lifetime Nova Should Appear In Wyoming Skies This Summer

Like clockwork, a nova from the star T Coronea Borealis has been seen every 80 years for centuries. Astronomers expect the explosion to appear in the skies a couple years early this time which means it should be visible above Wyoming before the end of the summer.

Andrew RossiJune 27, 2024

Mitch Godwin takes on the yoke device with 950-pounds attached to walk 100 feet across the gym.

Sheridan Native Wins 2024 U.S. Strongman Nationals

Sheridan native Mitch Godwin calls himself a regular “working-class guy” with his day job at the local wastewater treatment plant. Outside of that, he’s a beast in the gym, winning the U.S. Strongman Nationals earlier this month.

Dale KillingbeckJune 25, 2024

Carole Trusheim Waters brought a special gift for the Hot Springs County Museum. It's a play station her dad built for Waters and her sister Billy Jean when they were kids growing up in Gebo. He used old shipping crates to make it, and painted it a cheery yellow. It was a way to make do, Waters said, and making do was a way of life for the people who once lived in the coal mining town.

Growing Up In Gebo: Resident Recalls Ghost Town From Nearly 90 Years Ago

Carol Trusheim Waters came back for the 70th annual History Trek at the ghost town of Gebo, Wyoming, over the weekend. She recalled going to first grade there nearly 90 years ago and being told she had to learn English in three months (which she did).

Renée JeanJune 24, 2024

Clay Gibbons talks to a tour group he's taking to the Hole in the Wall.

The Wyoming Historian Who Unraveled The Mysteries Of 115-Year-Old Spring Creek Raid

Finding the exact locations of the Spring Creek Raid near Ten Sleep and filling out the rest of the story took a lifetime of detective work by Wyoming historian Clay Gibbons, as well as a little bit of what he believes was divine intervention.

Renée JeanJune 23, 2024

Jonny Kulow, left, and Adam Chaney of the United States react after a swim-off during the Men's 50-meter freestyle semifinal on Day Six of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Swimming Trials at Lucas Oil Stadium on June 20, 2024, in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Lander Swimmer Jonny Kulow Part Of Rare Double Swim-Off At Olympic Trials

Jonny Kulow was one of the most decorated athletes in Wyoming prep swimming history in Lander. On Thursday, the five-time Pac-12 Conference champion was part of a rare double swim-off at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Indianapolis.

Amber SteinmetzJune 23, 2024

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