Wyoming Life
News
Retired Wyoming Army Officer Keeps Historic Overland Trails Music Alive
Retired U.S. Army officer Hank Cramer spends much of his summers traveling around Wyoming sharing the folk music and stories of its historic overland trails. For many pioneers, their music was key to keeping spirits up and motivated.
Dale KillingbeckJuly 21, 2024
Wyoming-Based Western AF Is Shaking Up The Country Music Landscape
Two Laramie, Wyoming-based videographers are shaking up the country music landscape with their YouTube channel, Western AF. It spotlights some of the emerging country artists, giving them a platform to gain exposure.
Renée JeanJuly 21, 2024
The American West: Smokey Bear, America’s Most Iconic Forest Ranger
How a scared little 5-pound bear cub who survived a devastating wildfire in 1950 became a national icon. Smokey Bear remains America’s most iconic and recognizable forest ranger.
James A. CrutchfieldJuly 21, 2024
In Tiny Point Of Rocks, Wyoming, There's A Museum Inside The Conoco Station
The Conoco Station in Point of Rocks, Wyoming, is a little oasis in a spot with no other services for miles. It also has a tiny museum filled with artifacts from an area that used to be on the Overland Stage Route.
Renée JeanJuly 21, 2024
Around Wyoming: Lusk’s Legend Of Rawhide An Immersive Wild West Experience
Legend of Rawhide is a Lusk tradition -- held on the second weekend of every July -- that reenacts the culture clash between pioneers and Native American tribes. It’s an immersive experience with gunshots and hillside fire.
Renée JeanJuly 21, 2024
Casper Still Excited For John Wayne Visit 56 Years After He Filmed ‘Hellfighters’
It’s been 56 years since Hollywood legend John Wayne visited Casper to film “Hellfighters,” but locals are still excited about it. The movie featured an elite hotshot crew of oil rig firefighters and filmed some of its most spectacular scenes in Wyoming.
Dale KillingbeckJuly 20, 2024
At The Height Of Wyoming’s Sheep Wars, Raiders Clubbed, Shot And Blew Up Sheep
Upping the ante in their war against sheep men, Wyoming cattle ranchers clubbed, shot and blew sheep up with dynamite. While the Spring Creek Raid of 1909 is the most famous clash, it really began along Badwater Creek in 1904.
Dale KillingbeckJuly 20, 2024
Wyoming Woman To Ride 620-Mile Mongolian Derby, World’s Toughest Horse Race
Dede Anders of Powell is confident her medical and equestrian experience will help her win the grueling 620-mile Mongol Derby. Anders will embark on a 9-day ride, spending 11 hours a day in the saddle across 620 miles of Mongolia's vast, isolated wilderness.
Andrew RossiJuly 20, 2024
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Matilda ‘Tillie’ Bock Sewell Spent Years In The Saddle
In Wyoming ranch country, gender is irrelevant. Anyone who can do the job is a cowboy. Tillie Bock Sewell grew up riding horses in Weston County, and was one of the toughest cowboys in the region. She'll be inducted into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame in October.
Candy MoultonJuly 20, 2024
Wyoming History: In Early 1900s, Streets Of Shoshoni Were Paved With Gold
When a prospector accidentally spilled gold dust in the streets of Shoshoni in 1906, it sparked rumors the streets were paved with gold. Pandemonium erupted as people ran out on the dusty roads with picks and shovels in a mad dash to scoop up the precious metal.
Renée JeanJuly 20, 2024
Record $45 Million For Stegosaurus Could Prompt Finders To Sell Rather Than Donate
Apex, a 75% complete Stegosaurus skeleton, sold for a record $44.6 million at a Sotheby's auction this week. The huge price tag could influence Wyoming ranch owners to cash-in at private auctions over donating their prehistoric finds.
Andrew RossiJuly 20, 2024
Without Cash, Northwest Wyoming's Only Animal Shelter Could Close In Months
The cash-strapped Park County Animal Shelter, the only one in northwest Wyoming, could only have a few months left if donations don’t pick up. While costs have increased, donations have fallen off for the shelter that serves the Bighorn Basin.
Andrew RossiJuly 19, 2024
Sheridan 4-Year-Old Defies Medical Odds, Awakes From Coma And Is Recovering
Doctors said 4-year-old Serafina Blue Day might not be able to talk or hear after she suffered brain damage in a two-story fall last month. But then she woke from 10-day coma and by Sunday, she'd regained her spunky personality.
Clair McFarlandJuly 16, 2024
Let's Go Hot Air Ballooning Over Casper
Cowboy State Daily reporter Dale Killingbeck on Friday hopped into a wicker basket, and let a pilot launch him into the air over Casper by blasting flames into a nylon balloon.
Dale KillingbeckJuly 14, 2024
Casper Couple Transforms Former Drug House Into Wyoming Mountain Retreat
When Walter and Sharon Merschat heard that a 'drug house' was getting demolished by the City of Casper, they stopped inside to take a look. They saw the woodwork and told the city "you can't do this." The city gave them one month to move the house.
Dale KillingbeckJuly 14, 2024
The American West: The Battle of Granby -- 2004
Marvin Heemeyer climbed into his improvised tank-bulldozer, cranked up the engine, and proceeded to drive through the wall of his rented building onto the parking lot of business neighbor Cody Docheff’s newly constructed concrete plant.
James A. CrutchfieldJuly 14, 2024
The American West: Fort Laramie Attacked
Though one of the most important military forts in the West, Fort Laramie lacked fortifications. It was an open assemblage of buildings that one might usually expect to find within protective walls of any U.S. Army fort in the Nineteenth Century.
Terry A. Del BeneJuly 14, 2024
Are We Dating The Same Guy? Wyoming Women Use Facebook To Avoid Dating Disasters
A Wyoming woman created “Are We Dating The Same Guy 307” Facebook page in 2023 as a forum for women to share information about the statewide dating scene and to help expose cheaters. In less than 18 months, it has become a very active page with more than 10,000 members.
Jen KocherJuly 14, 2024
Forgotten 1860s Wyoming Stagecoach Stop Reveals Artifacts Thousands Of Years Old
A recent dig on a long-forgotten archaeological site at a private Laramie Valley ranch has uncovered more than 10,000 artifacts that date back to prehistoric times, the Plains Indian Wars and an apparent mercantile in the 1870s.
Dale KillingbeckJuly 14, 2024
Chapel Of The Transfiguration: 100 Years Of Worship In Grand Teton National Park
The Chapel of the Transfiguration was built in Grand Teton National Park 100 years ago when early settlers got fed up with a 25-mile ride to church on Sundays. Now it's a must-see tourist destination, popular wedding chapel, and still-functioning Episcopal church.
Jake NicholsJuly 14, 2024
Cody Stampede Launched Click Thompson's Career As Top Rodeo Photographer
The Cody Stampede launched two-time Rodeo Photographer of the Year Christopher "Click" Thompson’s career. He was back last week to shoot the Stampede and host a master class for aspiring rodeo shutterbugs.
Renée JeanJuly 14, 2024
Wyoming Bartenders: Wrong Orders, Bad Tips, Getting Hit-On, Here's What Bugs 'Em
As a public service to our readers, Cowboy State Daily visited many Wyoming bars and asked the bartenders about their jobs. They like most everything about their profession but there are a few things that drive them crazy.
Jake NicholsJuly 14, 2024
Decades After Visiting As A Kid, Cheyenne Man Gets Wish For Yellowstone Return
Paul Terry visited Yellowstone National Park as a kid and always longed to return, but never did. That is until this week, when the 78-year-old Cheyenne man had his wish granted by AARP.
Leo WolfsonJuly 14, 2024
Cody’s First Church Was Built With Money Won In High-Stakes Poker Game
The “Poker Church,” as it’s affectionately known, was the first church built in Cody. It was partially built with winnings from a lively poker game in 1900 that included Buffalo Bill Cody.
Amber SteinmetzJuly 13, 2024