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About 112 years after it was completed in 1914, the Schlater Castle still looms over Rock Springs from atop a hill in a now-residential area.

Why The Heck … Is There A Castle In The Middle Of Rock Springs, Wyoming?

No one knows why German immigrant and master stonemason John Schlacter built a castle overlooking Rock Springs more than a century ago. He spent five years building it by hand, hauling locally quarried stone by horse and wagon before finishing it in 1914.

Kolby FedoreJune 07, 2026

The Laramie County Sheriff’s Office’s new SUV is turning heads, covered in Western artwork that oozes Western vibes. “It looks pretty badass,” said Sheriff Brian Kozak — which is exactly what he wanted.

Wyoming Sheriff Orders "Clint Eastwood High Plains Drifter" Look For New Cruiser

When Laramie County Sheriff Brian Kozak wanted a new design for the newest SUV in the fleet, he asked a local artist to create a "Clint Eastwood High Plains Drifter" look. "It looks pretty badass," Kozak said, noting he's received many compliments.

Kolby FedoreJune 06, 2026

Sundance kid inset 6 6 26

Wyoming History: How The Sundance Kid Earned His Infamous Nickname

Harry Longabaugh became the legendary outlaw the Sundance Kid after a series of thefts and escapes landed him in the jail in Sundance, Wyoming. While serving his 18-month sentence, he met other notorious outlaws and gained his infamous nickname.

Jackie DorothyJune 06, 2026

Raydon Bowel before his hospitalization, left. Right, An infusion of stem cells into Raydon's bone marrow has not yet started producing blood components.

Rare Genetic Condition Took Kemmerer 7-Year-Old's Eyesight, Threatens His Life

A Kemmerer couple is on medical leave taking care of a newborn and their 7-year-old son who has a rare genetic condition that took his eyesight. All the little boy wanted to do was go hunting this year, instead he's fighting for his life.

Dale KillingbeckJune 06, 2026

Samuel Weidenhofer, left, and Matthew Hohnholt met a the cemetery in Gillette on Memorial Day. Weidenhofer is raising funds for veterans across the country.

Gillette Marine Vet With PTSD Struggles To Pay Off Funeral Debt From Son’s Suicide

A 45-year-old Gillette Marine Corps veteran struggles with PTSD, along with paying off funeral debt from his 19-year-old son’s suicide last year. "I was really looking forward to getting to know him as a man,” said Matthew Hohnholt.

Dale KillingbeckJune 06, 2026

Kids who attend the one-room Slack school near Parkman, Wyoming, still ride horses to their schoolhouse on the first and last days of class.

Kids Still Ride Horses To This One-Room Wyoming Schoolhouse

Kids who attend the one-room school near Parkman, Wyoming, still ride horses to their schoolhouse on the first and last days of class. “If you let one horse start trotting, then you’re going to have a horse race on your hands,” one ranch mom said. 

Renée JeanJune 06, 2026

Die-hard University of Wyoming fans wear their UW jerseys and Buffalo Bills beanies while at Niagara Falls, New York, near Buffalo.

University Of Wyoming Partners With Buffalo Bills Again As UW Builds 'Student Pipeline'

The University of Wyoming has announced a partnership with the Buffalo Bills again. The goal is to build a "student pipeline" as support is building in western New York. In fact, there are more incoming students from New York in 2026 than Utah or Idaho.

Jimmy OrrJune 05, 2026

An aurora over Casper on Nov. 11, 2025.

Powerful Geomagnetic Storm Could Bring Aurora Shows To Wyoming Thursday And Friday

Scientists are excited about the possibility of colorful aurora shows on Thursday and Friday nights and Wyoming is in the target zone. Conditions for this event are being compared to May, 2024, which provided some of the most colorful shows in decades.

Andrew RossiJune 04, 2026

A pair of strong snowstorms that hit southern Wyoming in early May, the month was Jekyll and Hyde for moisture with the state still in various degrees of drought.

Despite Huge Storms During Jekyll-And-Hyde May, Much Of Wyoming Still In Drought

Despite huge storms in southern Wyoming, May was Jekyll and Hyde, either exceeding or falling short of moisture expectations — with much of the state still in drought. “It looks like it hasn’t rained for years in Thermopolis,” said meteorologist Don Day.

Andrew RossiJune 03, 2026

Presley Whitaker during her recovery in a Salt Lake City hospital after having her hand taken off in an accident with a rodeo horse.

Montana Woman Loses Hand In Rodeo Accident: 'I Thought She Was Going To Die'

A Bozeman woman is home following a 24-day hospital stay after her hand was ripped off in a terrifying horse accident at the Montana State University rodeo practice arena. “The boys, they had to go find her hand,” said her husband and MSU rodeo coach.

Kate MeadowsJune 02, 2026

Tim Meadows tells Cowboy State Daily he’s about to do something he’s never done in 40 years as a comedian — perform in Wyoming. “I try to punch up,” Meadows said about his style. “I don’t really like to punch down at people or issues."

'Saturday Night Live' Legend Tim Meadows To Perform In Wyoming For First Time

Tim Meadows told Cowboy State Daily he’s about to do something he’s never done in 40 years as a comedian — perform in Wyoming. Meadows, who appeared on Saturday Night Live for 10 seasons as The Ladies Man and other comedic characters, will do four live sets in June.

Renée JeanMay 31, 2026

Lola West, who ran the Black and Tan Cafe in Cheyenne in the 1940s, was a key figure in prosecuting the city's mayor and police chief for shaking down Black businesses and promoting prostitution. Her former club is still standing at 901 W. 18th St. at the intersection of Snyder Avenue.

Wyoming History: Cheyenne's Mayor, Police Chief Convicted Of Extorting Black Bar Owners

It was 80 years ago that Cheyenne’s mayor and police chief were convicted of running a protection racket and extorting black bar owners. "You have to pay us. If you don’t pay us we are going to shut down your business,” federal agents recorded them saying.

Dale KillingbeckMay 31, 2026

It’s turned heads for decades in the Medicine Bow range, a squat observation deck that looks like a Medieval castle ruin. "Your mind kind of starts making up some fancy histories about it,” said a photographer about the Libby Flats Observation Tower.

What The Heck … Is That Medieval Castle-Looking Thing On The Snowy Range Byway?

The observation deck that looks like a Medieval castle ruin has turned heads for decades in the Medicine Bow range. For Laramie photographer David Peel, the 11,000-foot elevation and lack of light pollution make it a great place for astrophotography.

Kolby FedoreMay 31, 2026

For 30 years, Miner’s Delight in Atlantic City drew the rich and famous for French food in the middle of nowhere. “One patron said it was the only place where she was willing to wear heels through cow manure to get in,” said the local historical society.

For Upscale French Cuisine, ‘Miner’s Delight’ in Atlantic City, Wyoming, Was Tops

For 30 years, the Miner's Delight restaurant in remote Atlantic City, Wyoming, was the place to go in the Cowboy State. Started by an advertising executive from New York, the upscale French cuisine attracted diners from hundreds of miles away.

Jackie DorothyMay 31, 2026

Six years after a huge sinkhole opened up in a subdivision near Black Hawk, South Dakota, victims still waiting for relief. The disaster highlights the difference between Wyoming’s abandoned mine safeguards and South Dakota’s limited protections.

Six Years Later, Black Hills Sinkhole Victims Still Waiting For Relief

Six years after a massive 85-foot-deep sinkhole opened in a residential neighborhood in the Black Hills, homeowners live in financial limbo. Dozens of homes have sat abandoned and deteriorating while property owners wait for answers, compensation and accountability.

Kate MeadowsMay 31, 2026

When HGTV’s “Rehab Addict” filmed a historic home renovation in Evanston, Wyoming, it was the over-the-top Halloween “Clown House” across the street that kept photobombing the episode. Now fans won’t leave the homeowner alone.

Evanston Man’s Clown House’ Photobombs HGTV's "Rehab Addict" TV Show

When an episode of HGTV’s “Rehab Addict” was being filmed in Evanston, Wyoming, the creepy “Clown House” across the street inadvertently photobombed the shoot and was all its viewers were talking about. Now fans won't leave the house alone.

Renée JeanMay 31, 2026

It’s been 50 years since “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” was filmed at Devils Tower. “It’s the longest-running movie in a single location ever,” says Ogden Driskill about the movie, which has been shown there every summer night for 40 years.

50 Years Later, Sci-Fi Fans Still Find Their ‘Close Encounters’ At Devils Tower

Fifty years ago, the cameras rolled on “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” at Devils Tower after a handshake between a then-unknown Steven Spielberg and rancher Jesse Thomas Driskill. It would go on to completely reshape tourism in northeast Wyoming.

Renée JeanMay 31, 2026

Saving and restoring the historic Evanston Roundhouse has been the most extensive reclamation project in the city's history.

Evanston Has Spent Decades, And $28M, Restoring Its Historic Railroad Roundhouse

A century after Union Pacific stopped using it, decades of work has saved and restored Evanston’s historic Roundhouse and Railyards. The $28 million spent so far has made it one of the rare roundhouses in the U.S. that’s still completely operational. 

Renée JeanMay 31, 2026

Rusty Rawson and his son Sterling, now 14, were living homeless lives surrounded by violence, drugs and gangs in Las Vegas when Rusty made the best decision he could have as a parent — he askeds his young son what to do. "Dad, everything will be OK if we go back to Casper,” was the answer.

How A Casper Father And Son Saved Each Other From Lives Of Gangs And Drugs

Living homeless in a Las Vegas wash, hooked on meth, and surviving by the reflexes of his past gang life, Rusty Rawson turned to his adolescent son for guidance. The answer brought them back to Casper and toward a life that seemed out of reach.

Zakary SonntagMay 31, 2026

An egraving depicting Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer's last stand at the Battle of The Little Bighorn in 1876.

Wyoming History: The Courier Who Carried First Dispatch From Custer’s Last Stand

John “Josh” Deane came West looking for adventure — and got more than he bargained for when he took a job as a military dispatch rider. It was 150 years ago that he found himself carrying the first message about Custer’s last stand to Wyoming’s Fort Brown.  

Jackie DorothyMay 31, 2026

FBI files from 1933 reveal that a substantial portion of $90,000 in ransom loot stuffed in a suitcase ended up buried somewhere around Cheyenne. The plot was carried out by George "Machine Gun" Kelly, right, and Albert Bates. Whether all the loot was ever recovered remains a question.

$25,000 From 1933 Kidnapping Ransom Could Still Be Buried Somewhere In Cheyenne

FBI files from 1933 reveal that $90,000 in ransom loot from a Machine Gun Kelly kidnapping scheme ended up buried somewhere around Cheyenne. Whether all the loot was ever recovered remains a question with about $25,000 still unaccounted for.

Dale KillingbeckMay 30, 2026

Someone has stolen a massive, 60-million-year-old piece of petrified wood from a storage unit in Powell. “My dad was always afraid someone would steal it,” said the daughter of the WWII pilot who treasured the artifact, which had become a family heirloom.

Huge 60-Million-Year-Old Petrified Log Stolen From Powell Family's Storage Unit

Someone has stolen a massive, 60-million-year-old piece of petrified wood from a storage unit in Powell. “My dad was always afraid someone would steal it,” said the daughter of the WWII pilot who treasured the artifact, which had become a family heirloom.

Andrew RossiMay 30, 2026

For decades, motorists speeding down Interstate 90 in west-central South Dakota have done double takes at a towering human skeleton leading a T. rex on a leash. It’s a quirky prairie creation born from one man’s lifelong dream to build his own dinosaur.

Near Wyoming: The Skeleton Who Walks A Giant T-Rex On A Leash In South Dakota

For decades, motorists speeding down Interstate 90 in west-central South Dakota have done double takes at a towering human skeleton leading a T. rex on a leash. It’s a quirky prairie creation born from one man’s lifelong dream to build his own dinosaur.

Kate MeadowsMay 30, 2026

A 75-year-old Coldspot refrigerator from the 1950s still works, and is still keeping 30-year-old cans of Schlitz beer cold. More than a year after a Casper woman died, her daughters found the fridge still running in her basement.

75 Years Later, a Casper Woman’s Fridge Is Still Running, Cold Schlitz Inside

More than a year after a Casper woman died, her daughters found a 75-year-old Coldspot refrigerator, hidden by cobwebs and insulation, humming with life. In fact, the fridge from the 1950s, was keeping 30-year-old cans of Schlitz ice-cold.

Kolby FedoreMay 30, 2026

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