Wyoming Life

Tour guides Joe Dean and Wayne Morrow outside the Evanston Roundhouse.

Ghosts Of Wyoming's Railroad Heyday Haunt Evanston's Historic Roundhouse

The Evanston Roundhouse's heyday was in the early 1940s when its 350-person crew maintained steam locomotives and train cars of all shapes, sizes and purposes.

August 26, 2023

During Rally Week, or when labor is scarce, the Ponderosa Cafe closes and the restaurant runs out of the bar.

Eating Wyoming: Hulett's Ponderosa Cafe May Look Like A Dive But Doesn't Taste Like A Dive

Michael Dean Coronato, "the crabby chef" from New Jersey, owns the Ponderosa Cafe in Hulett. He’s catered for very large crowds over his 30-plus year career including backstage catering for Bruce Springsteen and other famous rock stars.

Renée JeanAugust 26, 2023

How Elvis (Indirectly) Helped Create A Divided Highway In Middle Of Nowhere, Wyoming

Before it was a back road between Rock River and Bosler, U.S. Highway 30 was one of Wyoming’s busiest stretches of road. A crash that killed one of Elvis Presley’s movie co-stars helped upgrade 19 miles of it with wide-open four-lane pavement.

Mark HeinzAugust 26, 2023

Barrie Lynn Bryant a documentary photographer points to a sandstone slab that is falling off. Bryant said the slab was not loose the last time he and Mike Bies checked on the petroglyphs. Drought has been hastening the disintegration process.

Race On To Save Wind River Petroglyphs From Sliding Off Canyon Face

Retired cultural resources expert Mike Bies is working fast to document petroglyphs and pictographs on the Wind River Indian Reservation. The ancient rock art is sliding off the face of canyon walls.

Renée JeanAugust 26, 2023

Rainbow in Sublette County on August 24, 2023

Who Needs Summer? It’s Already Turning To Fall Around Wyoming

A long winter, extended spring and unusually wet and cool summer make it feel like it’s too soon for fall to set in around Wyoming, but that’s happening, says Cowboy State Daily meteorologist Don Day.

Andrew RossiAugust 25, 2023

"Sounds of the Night," a bronze sculpture by Powell-based sculptor Vic Payne, at the entrance of the Bunker Sands Gallery at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. This piece is one of 104 pieces of art included in the 42nd Annual Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale.

Cody Art Show Has National Appeal As Auction Expected To Fetch More Than $1.2 Million

The annual Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale kicks off one of the most prestigious Western art events in the nation. This year its auction is expected to fetch more than $1.2 million.

Andrew RossiAugust 21, 2023

This is a recent photo of the band during its summer tour of the West, which included the Las Vegas Highland Games.

Lander Bagpipe Band In Demand All Over The West

The Lander Pipe Band may have been started by adults, but today most of its members are youths who play the bagpipes expertly — and they're in demand to perform across the West.

Renée JeanAugust 20, 2023

Kris Stauffer with a skull of Pachycephalosaurus. Replicas of this rare dinosaur fossil are in museums and homes, copied from the original fossils found by Kris' father, Leonard Zerbst, on the ranch.

Five Generations Of Digging Up Dinosaurs At Wyoming’s Zerbst Ranch

Each generation of the Zerbst family has found significant specimens on the 7,000 acre ranch -- including a mummified Edmontosaurus, one of the most complete and best-preserved Triceratops skeletons ever found, and a magnificent Pachycephalosaurus skull (pictured).

Andrew RossiAugust 20, 2023

A young 4-H member shows off a ribbon he won at the Teton County Fair.

Would You Pay $1,000 For A Rabbit? Yup, If It’s A 4-H Wyoming Grand Champ

Fair season in Wyoming has wrapped up another summer, with many counties knocking on $1 million 4-H livestock sales.

Jake NicholsAugust 19, 2023

Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Marion Scott, Campbell County Cowboy

In 1949, the Scott Ranch had no equipment to move the record-breaking snow, so horses provided the power for all the work. At 17-years-old, Marion loaded 400-500 pounds of cake on two pack horses and rode seven miles through the deep snow to feed their cows. He did this every day for weeks.

Candy MoultonAugust 19, 2023

Doug and Dayna Jobe, right, were among the visitors to get up close to the Ames Monument on Saturday.

What The Heck Is … That 60-Foot Pyramid In the Middle Of Nowhere Off I-80?

Just minutes off Interstate 80 about 20 miles east of Laramie is the Ames Monument, a 60-foot pyramid in the middle of Wyoming pastureland.

Greg JohnsonAugust 19, 2023

Researchers at the Powars II red ochre mine archaeological site may have discovered an even older red ochre mine.

Groundbreaking: Even Older Red Ochre Mine May Have Been Found At Powars II In Wyoming

Researchers from around the world at Wyoming’s Powars II Paleoindian archaeological dig have found what could be a much older red ochre mine on the site. The original site contains one of the oldest paleoindian mines ever discovered.

Renée JeanAugust 19, 2023

Keith Susan Wagner shared this dramatic storm hovering over Cheyenne to the Wyoming Through the Lens Facebook page Aug. 4.

With 17+ Inches Of Rain So Far, Cheyenne Is Wetter Than Seattle This Year

The 17.38 inches of rain Cheyenne has received so far in 2023 is the second wettest on record and there's still 4 1/2 months to go. Cheyenne has even received more rain this year than Seattle.

Andrew RossiAugust 17, 2023

Much of the vast stretches of Wyoming grasslands remain relatively green and lush in mid-August.

How Is Wyoming Still This Green In Mid-August?

A winter with record snow, and wetter-than-normal spring and summer has Wyoming weather and agriculture experts marveling at how green it still is, saying it’s “unheard of.”

Andrew RossiAugust 17, 2023

Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Pat Dew

In 1913, when he was 21, William Patrick "Pat" Dew drove a wagon from Nebraska to Pinedale where he soon found a cowboy job in Big Piney country, spending most of his time on the round-up and on the range. Dew will be inducted into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame in September.

Candy MoultonAugust 15, 2023

Kenny Lankford of Albany, left, won the National NRA Match Rifle Championship at Camp Atterbury, Indiana in July. He’s pictured with Armanda Elsenboss, winner of the 2023 National NRA Service Rifle Championship and Overall Championship.

Wyoming Man Wins Prestigious National Rifle Association Rifle Championship

Now in his 70s, Kenny Lankford, of Albany, Wyoming proved he hasn't lost a step. In July, he hopped into his 1948 Willys Jeep station wagon and drove to Indiana where he won this year’s NRA Match Rifle Championship.

Mark HeinzAugust 14, 2023

Wyoming Places: White Sulphur Spring An Overlooked Gem At Hot Springs State Park

Anyone who wants a pocket-sized Yellowstone experience can find it at Hot Springs State Park in Thermopolis. One of the “local secrets” of Hot Springs State Park is the White Sulphur Spring.

Andrew RossiAugust 13, 2023

Caesar the Allosaurus at Sheridan College

Who Really Ruled The Jurassic: Gearing Up For A Bigger Dinosaur Hunt In The Bighorns

There’s a place in the Bighorns near Buffalo that is a paleontological gold mine. It has already yielded Caesar the Allosaurus and other rare finds, but this is just scratching the surface of what’s waiting to be discovered.

Renée JeanAugust 13, 2023

Dave Freitag with a collection of uncut and unhammered Wyoming jade. All the Wyoming jade collectors and artisans at the Wyoming Jade Festival find their own pieces, although those as large as these are rare after the collecting boom of the 1930s.

Cowboy State Places: Jeffrey City Hosts Wyoming Jade Festival

Wyoming is home to one of the largest and purest troves of jade in the world. The Wyoming Jade Festival, one of only three such rock shows in the U.S., was held right in the heart of jade country, Jeffrey City, Wyoming.

Andrew RossiAugust 13, 2023

Sheryl McLaughlin poses with a table full of her beadwork and jewelry. She's been a mainstay vendor at the Beartrap Summer Festival for 25 of its 30-year run.

Around Wyoming: 25 Years At The Beartrap Fest For The Bead Lady

Sheryl McLauglin has been a fixture at Casper's Beartrap Summer Festival for 25 of its 30 years. She’s watched the festival grow up, and has grown as an artist right alongside it.

Renée JeanAugust 13, 2023

A pet bulldog wears an American flag kerchief around its neck at a Fourth of July celebration

Until Dogs Get Adopted, Rock Springs Animal Shelter Let's Them Go On 'Doggy Dates'

Until the dogs get adopted, the Rock Springs animal shelter is allowing its dogs to go out on 'dates' with volunteers and others who love animals but, for whatever reason, can’t provide them a home.

August 12, 2023

The skull of Tarbosaurus bataar on display in the Library of Congress. The discovery of this skull in Wyoming was part of multiple investigations by Homeland Security in three states, which resulted in the seizure and repatriation of several illegally imported Mongolian fossils.

How Did A Rare Dinosaur Skull From Mongolia End Up In A Wyoming Rock Shop?

A rare skull fossil of a Tyrannosaur relative from Mongolia was discovered in a Wyoming rock shop. Paleontologists called the skull "one of the best-preserved fossils ever found" of the 70 million-year-old dinosaur. It was returned to his home country this week.

Andrew RossiAugust 12, 2023

Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx on the carousel with daughter Ruby, 4, at the Teton County Fair.

At Teton County Fair, Jackson’s A-Listers Are Like Anyone Else

The Teton County Fair is just like any other fair in Wyoming. It celebrates everything equine, swine and fried food. Except you might see Mötley Crüe's Nikki Sixx at the rodeo or Harrison Ford or Sandra Bullock or any of the other local celebs.

Jake NicholsAugust 12, 2023

The tiny town of Hulett, Wyoming, was a little crowded Wednesday for the annual Ham-N-Jam.

Hulett’s Famous Ham-N-Jam Grows Up With Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

The tiny town of Hulett hosts more than 25,000 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally bikers for its annual Ham-N-Jam, a main street party that’s aged as gracefully as the rally.

Renée JeanAugust 12, 2023

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