Wyoming Life

How Christmas 1829 Turned Joe Meek From A Greenhorn Into A Mountain Man

Then a teenage runaway, Joe Meek survived a brutal winter stretch lost along the Yellowstone River before finding Capt. William Sublette’s mountain men right before Christmas 1829. Though young, he’d impressed them enough to call him one of their own.

Jackie DorothyDecember 24, 2025

Matthew Allwine is a 67-year-old former Marine and long-haul trucker with a soft heart for kids and soft, and perfecrt belly and luxurious white beard to be Santa. He's in his first season as a Wyoming mall Santa in Casper.

Behind The Beard With A Wyoming Mall Santa (Who Smokes And Drives A Kia)

When his employer told Cowboy State Daily that Santa would not be available for an interview, Santa would not stand for it. “I have a break at 3. You can find me in the parking lot. I’ll be at the gray Kia having a cigarette," he said.

Zakary SonntagDecember 24, 2025

Cheyenne’s Historic 1892 Pumphouse is getting a reprieve from the wrecking ball, with Cheyenne City Council replacing a resolution that called for its demolition with one that calls for restoring it to use again.

Cheyenne’s Historic 1892 Pumphouse Saved From The Wrecking Ball — For Now

Cheyenne’s Historic 1892 Pumphouse is getting a reprieve from the wrecking ball, with the Cheyenne City Council replacing a resolution that set a deadline for its demolition with one that calls for restoring it to use again.

Renée JeanDecember 24, 2025

Sally Gallop with her foster dogs in Cody.

Wyoming Animal Shelters Scramble To Find Foster Homes For Holidays

Animals shelters across Wyoming are scrambling to find foster homes for homeless pets for the holiday season. They say dogs who are fostered typically get adopted more quickly because they often behave differently in homes than they do in the shelters.

Kate MeadowsDecember 23, 2025

Red Butte overlooking the Salt Creek Valley and the bandits' lair.

Wyoming History: Locals Visit Outlaws In 1888 To Spread Christmas Cheer

It was Christmas Eve in 1888 when a father and his two young sons brought gifts to their neighbors — four outlaws hiding out in Salt Creek Canyon in the Wyoming Territory. They almost got shot before making friends with the bunch.

Jackie DorothyDecember 23, 2025

Avalanche Buries Teton Pass Under 30-Foot-Tall, 500-Foot-Long Wall Of Snow

Teton Pass was closed all day Monday as the Wyoming Department of Transportation used bulldozers to clear a wall of wet, heavy snow 30 feet tall and 500 feet long from Highway 22. It took crews about 14 hours to reopen the pass, but work continues Tuesday.

Andrew RossiDecember 22, 2025

Muscle cars put on a show traveling along Pierce Street.

Laramie Car Club Hosts Private Show For 11-Year-Old Boy Fighting Cancer

Like many 11-year-olds, Wyatt loves cars, especially tricked-out classic rides that are blinged-out to the max. But as a cancer patient in hospice care, he can’t get out to the car shows he loves. So, the show came to him Sunday.

Dale KillingbeckDecember 22, 2025

Clay Gibbons, Washakie County Historian, has stood on several historic sites exactly 100 years after the event occurred. He said that it is a profound experience.

Worland Man Relives Wyoming’s Wild West Past — Exactly 100 Years To The Day

Clay Gibbons has made it his mission to visit the site of Wyoming's most notorious historical events, including the shooting of 14-year-old Willie Nickell, the hanging of Tom Horn and the Spring Creek Raid. He does this exactly 100 years after they happened.

Jackie DorothyDecember 21, 2025

Kellie Humphries works in the Adult Services section of the library and said she really enjoys her work helping people.

Wyoming Librarians Also Have To Be Tech Savvy And De-Facto Social Workers

The job of librarian has changed. Now you have to wear a lot of hats, from explaining tech tools like 3D printers to connecting people with tele-health appointments. They are also de-facto social workers to serve homeless visitors.

Dale KillingbeckDecember 21, 2025

Tristan “Teton” Brown recently released his third self-produced ski film. He stands out as a longtime Jackson skier who goes to great lengths to ski for a living and live in one of the most expensive ski towns.

How "Teton" Brown Holds On In Jackson Hole, Making Films And Skiing On His Own Terms

"Teton" Brown is a 36-year-old professional skier who has worked in at least 10 restaurants, once lived on a porch, and scraped together every dollar to stay in Jackson. In his spare time, he's a filmmaker and just debuted his third film "Clean Slate."

David MadisonDecember 21, 2025

Cowgirls and ranch hands are the true innovators behind today’s Western style, not celebrity bandwagon jumpers. When it comes to fashion or function, dressing like a cowboy — or girl — is all about attitude, not wardrobe. At the National Finals Redeo in Las Vegas, Aspen Edge gets a new Western look.

Beyond the Bandwagon: The Real Pioneers of Western Style

When supermodels Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid this year made the cover of Vogue magazine on the strength of a Western-wear photo shoot in Jackson, they were merely jumping on the bandwagon. The real style pioneers are the cowgirls and ranch hands who live the Western lifestyle.

Zakary SonntagDecember 21, 2025

When Prohibition began in 1919, Joe Carey made bank-funded runs to Canada to “import liquor” for the good citizens of Greybull. He did so well that he was able to buy several businesses, including the Greybull Hotel, and retired from the “importing business” in 1923 to marry and raise his family.

Wyoming History: Rum Runner Joe Carey Ran Greybull’s Underworld In The 1920s

During Prohibition, 23-year-old Joe Carey of Greybull ran bootleg liquor from Canada with help from a local banker. His daring rum runs made him rich enough to buy businesses and go legit once Prohibition ended.

Jackie DorothyDecember 21, 2025

Big Piney Toddler Battles Leukemia As Brothers Compete To Be Donor

Traxton Rex Bennett (aka “T-Rex”) can’t be home in Big Piney for Christmas. He's in a Utah hospital fighting a rare form of Leukemia. He has lots of support, including two big brothers who are arguing over who gets to be his bone marrow donor.

Mark HeinzDecember 20, 2025

As NIL money reshapes college athletics, the state's only Division I program turns to analytics — and a Gillette native's vision — to compete against schools with deeper pockets. It’s a new pay-to-play landscape for the University of Wyoming. Men's basektball coach Sundance Wicks uses a "Moneyball" approach to identify under-the-radar talent he can use his NIL money for.

Pay To Play: University Of Wyoming's Battle To Remain Division I In An NIL World

The new reality facing the University of Wyoming is to maintain its major Division I athletic programs, it needs to generate revenue that is paid to players. Will Wyoming keep up as its rivals like Colorado State and BYU build war chests to pay for top players?

David MadisonDecember 20, 2025

Vince and Warren Meyer are making sure the Santa Go Pokes legend lives on for Christmas.

Go Pokes! Despite Death Of Steamboat's Owner, Lighted Wyoming Santa Rides On.

For more than two decades, thousands of people each year drive by a Cheyenne house to see a lighted 10-foot Santa riding Steamboat, Wyoming's iconic bucking bronco. Despite the death of its owner earlier this year, her family continues the "Santa Go Pokes!" tradition.

Renée JeanDecember 20, 2025

Dry and brown conditions outside of the Wyoming Supreme Court building on Saturday, December 20, 2025

Most Of Wyoming Will Have A Gross, Dry, Brown Christmas This Year

After a month of above-average temperatures, below-average precipitation and intense windstorms, the same weather patterns that prevented snow from reaching Wyoming will continue through Christmas. Forecasters say, expect a brown Christmas.

Andrew RossiDecember 20, 2025

The strongest wind gust recorded during Wyoming's Wednesday windstorm was a mind-blowing 144 mph. It occurred at the summit of one of the state's most notoriously windy places, Mount Coffin in Lincoln County.

144 MPH Wind Gust On Wednesday One Of The Strongest Ever Recorded in Wyoming

The 144 mph wind guest on Mount Coffin in Lincoln County on Wednesday was one of the strongest wind gusts ever recorded in Wyoming, but not a record. The highest, according to the National Weather Service, was 165 mph set in 2017, also on Mount Coffin.

Andrew RossiDecember 18, 2025

Why Scientists Are So Intrigued By 33-Billion-Ton Comet 3I/ATLAS

Comet 3I/ATLAS, a 33-billion-ton object that's older than our solar system, will make its closest approach to Earth on Friday. Scientists are captivated by its unusual "anti-tail." It's a phenomenon that indicates there's a lot more to this object than meets the eye

Andrew RossiDecember 17, 2025

Wyoming Blasted By 123 Mph Winds On Wednesday And More Wind To Come

Wyoming was hammered Wednesday by hurricane-force winds up to 123 mph. Highways closed, semis blew over, and forecasters are calling for more wind and higher than average temperatures heading into Christmas.

Andrew RossiDecember 17, 2025

Parishioners of Sts. Cyril and Methodius Catholic Church in Rock Springs are fighting to save a century-old church now slated for closure and sale to fund a new parish campus.

Historic Rock Springs Church Faces Closure After A Century Of Worship

A historic 100-year-old Catholic church in Rock Springs has been closed and is to be put up for sale to help fund a new parish campus. Parishioners have formed a nonprofit to try to buy and preserve it as a sacred, historic church.

Renée JeanDecember 17, 2025

Josh Allen, left, called Jaxon Sweep’s number and challenged him to start a giant beer snake at War Memorial Stadium.

When Josh Allen Asked A Superfan To Build A Beer Snake, A Legend Was Born

Jaxon Sweep doesn't even drink beer. But when Josh Allen personally tapped him to build "the biggest beer snake f***ing possible," the lifelong Cowboys superfan delivered. The slithering tower of cups caught the attention of ESPN and the Kelce brothers.

David MadisonDecember 16, 2025

New Rodeo Points System At NFR Makes Scoring More Precise And More Competitive

The National Finals Rodeo saw tighter competition this year with a trial run of a new quarter-point scoring system. A computer system upgrade means judges can score by full or half points, which opens the door for averages with quarter-points.

Jackie DorothyDecember 16, 2025

Wyoming Gamblers Turn To Self-Ban Program As Addictions Surge

Wyoming has joined a national self-exclusion program, letting problem gamblers ban themselves from betting. Experts say it can help, but warn it’s only one tool to address surging addictions.

Scott SchwebkeDecember 15, 2025

Around Wyoming, selling read Christmas trees is a popular fundraiser for Boy Scout troops and other groups.

Real Or Fake? Wyomingites Split On What Type Of Christmas Tree To Put Up

In Wyoming, it's easy to think that every household would have a fresh evergreen harvested from the forest decorated and ready for the holidays. But not everyone wants the mess and stress of a live tree.

Wendy CorrDecember 15, 2025

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