Wyoming Life

Tumble Inn as seen in the John Margolies Roadside America photograph archive in the Library of Congress.

Wyoming’s Iconic 28-Foot Neon Tumble Inn Cowboy Will Have New Home In Casper

There’s still a lot to do, but the restoration of Wyoming’s iconic 28-foot Tumble Inn neon cowboy has hit overdrive, and when finished is expected to have a prominent new permanent home in Casper.

Dale KillingbeckDecember 03, 2023

The Dam Bar and Privy were famous — and infamous — Wyoming landmarks.

Wyoming’s Infamous Dam Bar With A Speaker In The Women’s Outhouse

The Dam Bar and Privy near Boysen Dam along U.S. Highway 20 was a relic of the Old West with a brief and colorful history in the 1940s and 1950s that included a speaker mounted in the women’s outhouse connected to the nearby bar.

Andrew RossiDecember 02, 2023

A pair of POWs work in a beet field near Wheatland in 1944.

How World War II POWs From Italy And Germany Saved Wyoming Harvests

Douglas author Lee Ann Siebken recalls how a Wyoming World War II prisoner of war camp with with soldiers from Italy and Germany grew to outnumber the small town it was in — and helped save the crops of local farmers.

Dale KillingbeckDecember 02, 2023

The Big Island Bridge over the Green River south of Fontenelle Reservoir.

Wyoming ‘Bridge Nerd’ On A Mission To Document State’s Historic Bridges

John Bernhisel of Cowley, Wyoming, is on a mission, spending his summers visiting, photographing and chronicling the stories of historic Wyoming bridges and crossings.

December 02, 2023

Sleeping Giant Ski Area is one of many around Wyoming excited for a big dump of snow this weekend.

Wyoming Ski Resorts Can Expect Up To 2 Feet Of Snow Over Weekend

Wyoming's ski areas could get up to 2 feet of over the weekend, and temperatures are finally cold enough start building a snowpack for the season.

Andrew RossiDecember 01, 2023

The photo is a piece of a painting on an elk hide showing Black Kettle with the American Flag and the military attack at Sand Creek. The hide was painted by Northern Arapaho Benjamin Ridgely Sr. The original is on display at the Northern Arapaho Experience Room in the Wind River Hotel and Casino just west of Riverton.

Sand Creek Massacre: The Most Dastardly Episode In American History Of Broken Promises

The Sand Creek massacre, which happened Nov. 29, 1864, was "really the most dastardly episode in American history of broken promises, followed by a massacre,” Indian Wars historian John Monnett told Cowboy State Daily.

Candy MoultonNovember 29, 2023

A snowplow that was hit from behind by a vehicle while clearing Interstate 80 near Baggs, Wyoming, during last weekend's storm.

WYDOT To Wyoming Drivers: Quit Running Into Our Snowplows!

The first major snowstorm of the season in Wyoming over the Thanksgiving weekend saw drivers plow into three snowplows, damaging two of them enough to put them out of commission.

Andrew RossiNovember 29, 2023

Rock Springs Mayor Max Mickelson discusses an online news report that he says unfairly targeted a city police officer and the department.

Rock Springs Mayor, Police Department Refute Online Attack Of Police Officer

Saying it’s been “frustrating” dealing with the unsubstantiated claims by an online report accusing a Rock Springs police officer of malfeasance, the city has released bodycam footage that doesn’t support the opinionated and inflammatory reports.

Clair McFarlandNovember 29, 2023

The Natrona County High School marching band performs Metallica's "Lux Aeterna."

For Whom The Band Tolls: Natrona County Marching Band Enters Metallica Competition

The 100-member Natrona High School marching band is the only Wyoming band entered in a nationwide contest to translate heavy metal group Metallica’s songs into an on-field performance.

Dale KillingbeckNovember 27, 2023

Nope, That Heart-Tugging New Chevrolet Ad Was Not Filmed In Wyoming

Readers reached out to Cowboy State Daily over the weekend to ask the location of the Wyoming drive-in theatre featured in a new heart-tugging Chevrolet ad which addresses Alzheimer's disease. It is a real theatre but it's located in Dearborn, Michigan.

Dale KillingbeckNovember 27, 2023

A giant sunspot archipelago, or a collection of sunspots, on the surface of the sun covers an area more than 15 times the width of Earth.

Enormous Sunspot 15 Earths Wide Could Give Wyoming Awesome Light Shows

As the sun enters its 11-year solar maximum, Wyomingites can expect a lot more dazzling aurora borealis displays caused by giant collection of sunspots that cover an area as wide as 15 Earths.

Andrew RossiNovember 27, 2023

If your property doesn't have a well, an off-grid water system is critical to establishing your homestead. There are many options to do this, including putting a large gravity-fed water tank outside your house.

Off The Grid In Wyoming: Wasting Water A Cardinal Sin For Homesteaders

The average American household wastes 90 gallons of water every day, something that would be a cardinal sin on an off-grid homestead, where water is much too valuable and important to waste.

November 26, 2023

Mountain man Hugh Glass does battle with a sow grizzly in this exhibit at the Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale.

Mountain Man Hugh Glass’ Real And Embellished Legacy Inspired ‘The Revenant’

Filmmakers consulted with Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale when they made “The Revenant,” and an exhibit shows Glass wielding a Bowie knife in a battle with a grizzly. Now they're hearing rumors of a sequel to the movie.

November 26, 2023

Jade Moser puts her welding talents to use on creating a huge 10-foot, 5,000-pound horse sculpture.

Wyoming Metal Artists Dumpster Dive To Create 10-Foot, 5,000-Pound Horse

Terry Bison Ranch owner Dan Thiel and Jaden Moser are dumpster diving to find material to create another uniquely Wyoming metal sculpture for the 27,500-acre operation — a 10-foot, 5,000-pound horse.

Dale KillingbeckNovember 26, 2023

Students taught by Elise Mayor stand in front of the Big Four School in Four Mile near Kaycee in the late 1920s.

Strict Rules For Early Wyoming Teachers: No Makeup, Drinking Or Hanging Out

Like most teachers of her time, Elise Mayor had to sign a strict contract about her behavior when she began teaching in Wyoming in 1926 — no makeup, drinking or hanging out in ice cream shops.

Amber SteinmetzNovember 26, 2023

The communities of Casper, Wyoming, and Fort Collins, Colorado, are connected by more than 222 miles of Interstate 25. Fort Collins was named for Lt. Col. William O. Collins and Casper for his son, 2nd Lt. Caspar Collins.

Casper, Wyoming, And Fort Collins, Colorado, Named For Father And Son Soldiers

Casper, Wyoming, and Fort Collins, Colorado, are connected by more than 222 miles of Interstate 25. They're named for father-son soldiers — Fort Collins for Lt. Col. William O. Collins and Casper for his son, 2nd Lt. Caspar Collins.

Dale KillingbeckNovember 26, 2023

Clarence Fisher reads the Torah at a local Cheyenne coffee shop. He said finding God saved his soul and changed his perspective on life. After 32 years in prison, he's now living his best second life.

After 32 Years In Prison, Cheyenne Man Making Up For Lost Time

Clarence Fisher hasn’t wasted a minute making up for lost time, and he has a lot to make up for. Fisher was released from the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins in 2020 after spending 32 years there. Now he owns his own business just bought his own home.

Leo WolfsonNovember 25, 2023

Cavigelli points out the marks left in the sandstone by a rock saw. Cavigelli, a paleontologist working at the Tate Geological Museum, plans to return to the place where this block was found to hopefully find more well-preserved fossils from the Wasatch Formation, which could reveal crocodiles, turtles, fish and other animals.

Wyoming Rancher Discovers Rare Cache Of 50 Million-Year-Old Fossilized Fish

A rancher in Converse County discovered at least seven fossilized gar fish believed to be between 50-55 million years old. After hundreds of hours of work, the specimens are on display at the Tate Museum in Casper.

Andrew RossiNovember 25, 2023

Kim Redding, a Lander, Wyoming, native was shocked to find this historically important piece of history for sale on eBay, left, an 1876 peace medal given to Chief Washakie by President Ulysses S. Grant.

Chief Washakie's 1876 Peace Medal From President Grant Bought Off eBay By Lander Native

A Lander native may have stumbled across a significant piece of Wyoming history for sale on eBay – a peace medal given to Chief Washakie by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1876. Washakie's great-grandson believes it's authentic.

Mark HeinzNovember 25, 2023

Wyoming History: Yellowstone’s Place In The Last Stand Of The Nez Perce Almost Lost To History

As the Nez Perce Tribe was making its way to a U.S. government-established reservation, they moved through Yellowstone as they made their last stand as a free people.

Candy MoultonNovember 25, 2023

The space shuttle on a 747 at Ellington Field in Houston, Texas.

Wyoming People: Larry LaRose Never Went To Space, But He Flew The Space Shuttle

Larry LaRose never went into space, but his lucky number 13 draft position in the Vietnam War led to a career as a military flight engineer, including flying 747 jets to taxi space shuttles around the United States.

Renée JeanNovember 24, 2023

A University of Wyoming grappler ties up with an opponent from Campbell University in a barn on the Deerwood Ranch in Centennial, Wyoming, dubbed "The Battle in the Barn."

UW Wrestling Hosts "Battle In The Barn" In Centennial; Streamed On UFC Fight Pass

They called it “The Battle in the Barn.” The University of Wyoming Cowboys wrestling team hosted a North Carolina university at more than 8,000 feet elevation in a barn in the Snowy Range livestreamed to hundreds of thousands viewers on UFC Fight Pass.

Jake NicholsNovember 24, 2023

A semitrailer was torn open, spilling a load of ground beef across Interstate 80 Thursday evening after a pileup involving several semitrailers.

Wyoming Highways A Gallery Of Black Ice, Blowing Snow And Pileups

Several of Wyoming's state and federal highways were either closed or under high-impact advisories for black ice, stalled vehicles and extreme blow-over risks after a Thanksgiving storm dumped more than 20 inches of snow across the state.

Andrew RossiNovember 24, 2023

The iconic Molesworth House in Cody is a showcase of Western Wyoming culture, designed and built by famed furniture designer Thomas Molesworth.

Built By Legendary Furniture Designer, Cody’s Molesworth House Is Pure Wyoming

The Molesworth House in Cody is more than a charming throwback to Western heritage. It’s the only building designed and built by the man who defined early 20th century Western interior design.