Writer

Jackie Dorothy

Jackie Dorothy is a reporter for Cowboy State Daily based in central Wyoming.

Over the past 20 years, Jackie has worked in television, radio and print across Wyoming. In this role, she has won numerous writing and history awards including the Wyoming Governor’s Journalist of the Year and SBA Journalist of the Year.

Jackie is also the podcast host of ‘Pioneers of Outlaw Country’ that explores little known historical stories of Wyoming with entertaining narrative.

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Latest from Jackie Dorothy

Englishman Mike Bell didn’t start out to become an expert on Butch Cassidy and Wyoming outlaws. But his research led him to writing several books on this very topic and sharing his love of the Wyoming west in his home country.

The English Westerner Society: Brits Obsessed with Wyoming, Outlaws And All Things Cowboy

The English Westerner Society started in the 1950s to give American West enthusiasts in England a place to talk about their favorite topic. Mike Bell is one of those British enthusiasts. He has written several books on Butch Cassidy and Wyoming outlaws.

Jackie DorothyMarch 02, 2025

Left: Japanese waltzing mice crawl all over 18-year-old Pat Palmer, who worked at a pet shop in the 1950s. Right: A portrait of Abbie Lathrop by Jesus Romero.

Wyoming History: When The Waltzing Mouse Was The Most Popular Pet In America

More than a century ago, the waltzing mouse exploded as the most popular pet in America. Now we know these spazzed-out tiny rodents have a neurological disorder, but then they were beloved for their “dancing.”

Jackie DorothyMarch 02, 2025

Barb Tomes Vietti is passionate about history in her hometown of Thermopolis and admits to going down a rabbit hole when she started investigating the history behind the Smoky Row Cemetery. Her research has revealed that the cemetery has three graves, not the six to 10 that legend had claimed.

Where Are The Six Bodies Missing From Wyoming’s Smoky Row Cemetery?

As many as nine people were long believed to have been buried in the historic 1890 Smoky Row Cemetery in Hot Springs State Park in Wyoming. Now ground-penetrating radar shows six of them aren’t there, so where are the missing Smoky Row bodies?

Jackie DorothyMarch 01, 2025

Tom O’Day’s booking photo (left). Tom O’Day poses in a photo that now hangs in Cody’s Old Town (right)

The American West: How A Wyoming Outlaw Won A Gunfight With A Coffee Mug

When outlaw Tom O’Day was ambushed in a Thermopolis café back in 1903, a coffee cup was his only defense. Although O'Day was injured, he was declared the winner of the gunfight by newspapers all across Wyoming. The media lampooned the gunman for losing to a coffee cup.

Jackie DorothyMarch 01, 2025

The American West: The Doomed Gold Rush Of Wyoming’s Wind River Canyon

In 1906, a gold rush erupted in Wyoming’s Copper Mountains above the Wind River Canyon. Asmus Boysen’s dream to build a dam and power for these mines was destined for ruin.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 28, 2025

For 50 years, Jerry Kintzler has been designing flower arrangements from his store, Jerry’s Flowers, in downtown Riverton, Wyoming.

Meet Jerry Kintzler: 55 Years Of Designing Flower Arrangements — And Saving Lives

Jerry Kintzler has been designing flower arrangements for 55 years in Riverton and has even saved lives with his flower knowledge. At least twice, he warned people that premature dead flowers were a sign they had gas leaks in their homes.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 23, 2025

Ski Instructor Karl Milner lost a leg during while fighting in the military. Now he and Eric teach first-time skiers at Antelope Butte.

He Lost A Leg In Combat, Now Wyoming Vet Teaches Others To Adapt And Overcome

Karl Milner lost a leg in combat, but the Gillette veteran used his military training to adapt and overcome to map out a new mission in life. Now he treats others facing mental and physical challenges to ski. He's a better teacher, he says, because "he's been there."

Jackie DorothyFebruary 23, 2025

Maria Kelson’s debut novel is a crime thriller available at both local bookstores and through national chains. She loves that after ten years of writing, she can walk into the Storyteller in Thermopolis and see her books on display.

Award-Winning Wyoming Author Debuts First Crime Thriller That Took 10 Years To Write

Maria Kelson was already an award-winning Wyoming poet when she decided to tackle something totally different — a crime thriller. The result is “Not The Killing Kind,” a gripping whodunit that took 10 years to write.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 23, 2025

Chancey Williams was inspired to write and record “The Ballad of Uncle Don” after listening to his uncle Don Williams' stories.

Chancey Williams’ Ode To His Wyoming Cowboy Uncle Hits No. 1 On CMT Music

Inspired by his uncle Don Williams and the joy of bronc riding, Chancey Williams’ new hit song “The Ballad of Uncle Don” has hit No. 1 on the CMT Music charts. Chancey said the song came about over cup of coffee with his uncle in Moorcroft, Wyoming.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 22, 2025

The American West: Butch Cassidy’s Banker, Eugene Amoretti Sr.

Eugene Amoretti Sr. was the founder of Lander, Wyoming, and known friend of both outlaw Butch Cassidy and Fremont County Sheriff Charles Stough, who pursued the outlaws. Amoretti came to America to seek his fortune and died a millionaire.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 21, 2025

Wildfires Help Push 40,000 Head Drop To Wyoming’s 2024 Cattle Production

Despite a 3% decrease in cattle production in 2024, Wyoming ranchers expect 2025 will bring back a strong cattle market. The Wyoming Stock Growers Association says part of the reason for the 40,000-head decrease was the severe wildfire season.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 18, 2025

Comic Valentines were all the rage in the 1800s and early 1900s. These valentines were usually sent anonymously and could be considered spiteful. They were usually sent to either someone you hated or a friend you were making fun of.

Wyoming History: Valentine’s Day Used To Be As Much For Haters As Lovers

In the 1800s and early 1900s in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Valentine’s Day was not just for lovers, it was also for haters and just for fun. It was popular to share your anonymous feelings with humorous and derogatory Valentine’s Day cards.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 13, 2025

Other Authors

Don’t Crowd The Snowplow During Wyoming’s Whiteouts

So far there have been nine incidents of motorists running into snowplows this year. With big winter storms converging on Wyoming this week, WYDOT is asking drivers to slow down and steer clear of snowplows.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 10, 2025

Caitlin Youngquist (right) teaching a compost workshop for Wyoming Dept of Environmental Quality

The Art Of Turning Manure To Compost

Manure management is one of the biggest problems faced by feedlots. One soil scientist is helping a feedlot in Worland make better use of their manure by creating more compost for local farmers and gardeners.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 09, 2025

When LeAnn Baker of Worland, Wyoming, found this stone in her gravel that was hauled in, Google told her it was a magic hag stone. However, local archaeologist, Mike Bies, said it might be an artifact called a spindle whorl.

A Rock Found In Worland Could Be Magic Or An Ancient Tool

When LeAnn Baker found a rock with a smooth hole in the middle, she was told it was a magic hag stone. However, archaeologist Mike Beis said it was most likely a spindle whorl, a simple tool used by Indian tribes for centuries.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 09, 2025

What's In A Name: Dubois, Wyoming

You can always spot a tourist in Dubois, Wyoming, by how they pronounce the name of the town. In Wyoming, it's called Doo-boys, not the French pronunciation of Deh-bwah. How it got called that is shrouded in myth and mystery.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 09, 2025

U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman talks with students at Wind River Job Corps in Riverton, Wyoming.

Learning Trades Isn’t Just Landing Wyoming Youth Good Jobs, It’s Saving Lives

The teens and young adults in the Wind River Job Corps in Riverton usually get there out of desperation. But the trades there can lead to great-paying jobs. Plus, it's the only job corps in America that offers training for petroleum technicians.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 02, 2025

First Chair student Sawyer watches on as fellow student Ronin Wichern struggles to get into his skis. This is the first part of the lesson of learning to ski.

Kiddos On Skis: How Wyoming's Antelope Butte Ski Resort Teaches Littles How To Ski

At Antelope Butte, the youngest students are just three years old and when they are first put on the skis. But it doesn’t take long for them to start grasping the basic concepts and take off in controlled chaos.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 02, 2025

Students at Casper College study first study anatomy on models before being accepted into the actual cadaver lab.

Want To Donate Your Body To Science? It’s A Challenge In Wyoming

Want to donate your body to science? Although there’s a shortage of human cadavers for students to learn on, donating your body after you die can be a challenge, especially in a rural state like Wyoming.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 01, 2025

The American West: Mountain Man Joe Meek Arrived In Wyoming in 1829 As Greenhorn Teenager

The roar of the grizzly, war cries of the Blackfeet, and the lonesome song of the wind ushered 18-year-old Joe Meek to a world of the mountain men. Death was a constant companion and if you weren’t at the Rendezvous, it was assumed you had met the grim reaper along the way either by beast, enemy, or harsh weather.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 01, 2025

Layne, left, and Liam Jordan are joined by Tom Webb. A flatbed trailer acts as an improvised stage in Hyattville in October 2024.

Wyoming Twin Teens Grew Up In The Middle Of Nowhere, But Have Huge Music Dreams

Liam and Layne Jordon, 14, have grown up in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming’s Bighorn Basin. That hasn’t stopped the young musicians from pursing some big dreams of writing and performing their music for the masses.

Jackie DorothyFebruary 01, 2025