Wyoming Life

Members of the 1949 Reliance state championship basketball team. Top row, from left: Coach Jack Smith, Ronald Wilson, Robert Burns, Tony Tsakakis, Everett Hernandez, John Fortuna, George “Bud” Nelson, Stan Kouris, Claude Thomas, Walter Sawick, assistant coach Thomas Manatos. Bottom row: Manager Henry Telck, George Jelaco, Michael Fresques, James Rafferty, William Strannigan, Ernest Mecca, Spiro Varras.

Wyoming’s ‘Hoosiers’: How Tiny Reliance Beat The Unbeatable To Make Run At 1949 Title

Forget Hollywood, Wyoming had its own real “Hoosiers” Cinderella story in 1949. That’s when the high school basketball team from the tiny coal town of Reliance beat the unbeatable, defending state champion Cheyenne High School, to make the title game.

Leo WolfsonApril 12, 2025

Paleontologists uncovered a bonebed containing more than 19 giant amphibian skeletons from the Popo Agie Formation near Dubois, Wyoming. The bonebed is a smorgasbord of skeletons, dense with dismembered heads, chests, hips and tails.

Mass Grave Of Prehistoric Amphibians With Toilet Lid-Shaped Heads Found Near Dubois

Paleontologists are uncovering a bonebed containing more than 19 giant amphibian skeletons from the Popo Agie Formation near Dubois, Wyoming. They may have been victims of “boiling frog syndrome.”

Andrew RossiApril 12, 2025

The Frontier Town Bar was constructed from a single 50-foot log of Douglas fir and in its heyday, it was the king of rustic Montana bars. And now a new generation hopes to see the bar and its diorama reopen to the public.

Montana’s Historic Frontier Town Bar Made From A Single Giant 50-Foot Log

A California couple bought Frontier Town, the inspiration for Disney’s Frontierland. It’s also home to one of the largest bars ever made from a single giant 50-foot, and the new owners hope to reopen it.

David MadisonApril 12, 2025

Rob O'Neill is the Navy SEAL who killed the world’s most wanted terrorist. He told Cowboy State Daily that the May 2, 2011, mission to kill Osama bin Laden “went to hell” from the start. He thought he was going to die, then put three bullets into bin Laden’s head.

He Thought He Was Going To Die, Then He Killed Osama bin Laden

The man credited with killing the world’s most wanted terrorist tells Cowboy State Daily the May 2, 2011, mission to kill Osama bin Laden “went to hell” from the start. He thought he was going to die, then put three bullets into bin Laden’s head.

Zakary SonntagApril 12, 2025

Willie LeClair dedicated much of his life teaching Plains Indian Sign Language.

Wyoming Humanities Shell-Shocked By Federal Cut, Loses 80% Of Its Budget

Wyoming Humanities has been shell-shocked by the federal government cutting a National Endowment for the Humanities grant. That money makes up 80% of its operating budget.

Jackie DorothyApril 11, 2025

Liam Cobb, 19, a wind turbine technician from Dougals, died Wednesday from a fall while working on a turbine in Carbon County. His family says he’ll be remembered for his kindness and intense curiosity about the world.

19-Year-Old Wyoming Wind Technician Dies In Fall From Turbine

Liam Cobb, 19, a wind turbine technician from Douglas, died Wednesday from a fall while working on a turbine in Carbon County. His family says he’ll be remembered for his kindness and intense curiosity about the world.

Leo WolfsonApril 11, 2025

Astrophotographer Dan Bartlett got this image of the newly discovered Comet 2025 F2 (SWAN) as seen on earthsky.org.

Newly Discovered Comet Can Be Seen From Wyoming If You Wake Up Early Enough

It's been less than two weeks since Comet 2025 F2 (SWAN) was discovered, but it can already be seen from Wyoming with binoculars. If you wake up early enough, you can see it, and it could be brighter than Uranus if it survives rounding the sun May 1.

Andrew RossiApril 11, 2025

Wyoming’s Normal Winds Blow Away Record-Breaking March For Other States

Number crunching shows that March was one of the windiest on record overall in the U.S. and record-setting for many states. But Wyoming is always windy, which means even with a normal year, it blows away a record-breaking March for other states.

Andrew RossiApril 10, 2025

Current class members of Wyoming LEAD, an agriculture and rural policy leadership group, pose for a photo at a Washington, D.C., restaurant Friday. Left to right: Cody Alps of Yoder, Laramie Seymour of Crook County, Marie McClaren of Kemmerer, Mattie Stevenson of Jeffrey City, Beth Butler of Douglas and Katie Shockley of Cheyenne.

Wyomingites Say Washington, D.C., Is OK, But The Ranch Is Better And Friendlier

A group of young Wyoming ranchers and farmers toured Washington, D.C., last week, experiencing the history and culture shock of the nation’s capital. They also say that while it’s OK, life on the ranch is better — and friendlier.

Sean BarryApril 09, 2025

Rancher Eddie Shumway built his lookout tower to enjoy the view above Owl Creek in Hot Springs County. He installed a solar light on his tower which can be seen for miles around.

Mischievous Rancher Behind Those Mysterious Lights In Rural Hot Springs County

The mysterious red, blue and green lights that flash in the middle of nowhere around Hot Springs County aren’t UFOs. They belong to Eddie Shumway, a mischievous rancher who likes giving people something to talk about.

Jackie DorothyApril 06, 2025

Public archaeologist Colin Ferriman with the Cultural Resource Analysts company surveys proposed project sites to look for potential historic and prehistoric artifacts that may need to be protected. Over the years, he and his team have discovered many interesting sites pertaining to Wyoming’s varied history including a mountain man trap and discarded bottles on the Oregon Trail.

Archeologists Have Only Begun Digging Up Wyoming’s Secrets Of The Past

Archaeologist Colin Ferriman travels around Wyoming and the region searching for historic artifacts at project sites for developing energy development. The Cowboy State has only begun giving up its secrets of the past.