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

Bill Van Den Ouden sits at the Safari Club bar with his friend, John Cordova. He and his wife, Maria Van Den Ouden, had come back to visit Thermopolis specifically to show their family friend the large taxidermy collection that they first saw with their kids over two decades prior.

Thermopolis Safari Club’s World-Class Big Game Trophy Collection Needs A New Home

The Safari Club in Thermopolis is well-known for the big game trophies from around the world. Most were hunted by the late Jim Mills, who hunted and fished for 80 years. But after selling their share of the business two years ago, his family wants a buyer who will keep the world-class collection intact.

Jackie DorothySeptember 01, 2024

Ham operator Casey Freund makes a handshake, slang for making a quick contact, to another park across the nation.

Ham Radio Still Alive And Kicking In Wyoming

Casey Freund of Thermopolis, Wyoming, goes by the call sign KC7E, but that’s not his TikTok handle. He’s one of the few who don’t need Wi-Fi or smartphones to keep in touch with civilization. He’s a ham radio operator.

Jackie DorothyAugust 25, 2024

West View of the log blacksmith shop is believed to have been built as early as the 1860s on the Hart Ranch. The Albany County Historical Society is looking into the best way to preserve the structure.

Laramie Bought Hart Ranch For Its Water, Now It Wants To Save The Rest Of It

The city of Laramie bought the historic Hart Ranch for its 1860s water rights. Now, the city is working out how to save the rest of the historic Wyoming ranch for future generations.

Jackie DorothyAugust 24, 2024

Ranchers and construction workers are helping build fire lines around the huge House Draw Fire in Johnson County.

Construction Crews, Ranchers With Weed Sprayers Battle Huge Wyoming Fires

With aggressive wildfires having already burned 250,000 acres across northern Wyoming, it’s all hands on deck. In addition to firefighters, construction crews with bulldozers and ranchers with weed sprayers are also on the fire lines.

Clair McFarland & Jackie DorothyAugust 23, 2024

Smoke billows up from the Fish Creek Fire in northwest Wyoming.

Fish Creek Fire Grows 800 Acres In Northwest Wyoming, Remains 0% Contained

A wildfire in rugged terrain near Togwottee Pass in northwest Wyoming grew 800 acres Tuesday and remains 0% contained. The fire was started by a lightning strike Friday.

Jackie DorothyAugust 20, 2024

The Fish Creek Fire has burned more than 1,700 acres as of Monday afternoon and is 0% contained. It's burning in the Bridger-Teton Naitonal Forest about 7 miles southwest of Togwotee Pass.

Uncontained Wildfire Putting Out Plumes Of Smoke In Northwest Wyoming

Started by lightning Friday, the Fish Creek Fire has burned more than 2,500 acres in the Bridger-Teton National Forest and is 0% contained. It, and a few other fires in the area, are putting out plumes of smoke.

Jackie DorothyAugust 19, 2024

The GC initials on this hill are still kept whitewashed in Grass Creek.

Wyoming Oil Fields Gave Rise To A New Western Outlaw — The Claim-Jumper

The discovery of oil in remote Wyoming sparked a flood of fortune-seekers to the Cowboy State. It also gave rise to a new kind of Western outlaw — the claim-jumper.

Jackie DorothyAugust 18, 2024

Inga Arvad was romantically involved with a young John F. Kennedy, was pursued by Adolf Hitler and ended up married to a Western movie star from Wyoming.

How Hitler’s “Nordic Beauty” And JFK's Love Became The Wife Of A Wyoming Movie Star

Inga Arvad had been adored by Adolf Hitler, loved by President John F. Kennedy and pursued by the FBI. She ended up marrying a Western movie star from Wyoming.

Jackie DorothyAugust 18, 2024

Blacksmith David Osmundsen gives a presentation about blacksmithing at the Wyoming Discovery Days.

Wyoming Blacksmith An Artist With A 3,500-Degree Forge And Hammer

Buffalo's David Osmundsen is an artist with a hammer and a 3,500-degree forge. The Wyoming blacksmith attracts students from all over the world to his Arrowhead Forge School of Blacksmithing where he teaches the ancient practice.

Jackie DorothyAugust 18, 2024

From left, Tim McCoy, Joan Crawford and Rex Lease in "The Law of the Range," directed by William Nigh for MGM in 1927.

Before John Wayne, Wyoming's Tim McCoy Was America’s Favorite Western Star

Everyone in Wyoming knows John Wayne, the prototypical Western movie star. But before The Duke became The Duke, Wyoming's Tim McCoy was Hollywood’s favorite Western lead actor, even getting top billing over Wayne.

Jackie DorothyAugust 17, 2024

Realizing his vision of capturing this image finally happened when Larry Rogers layered three images taked from the same spot. The result is this stunning shot of Castle Geyser in Yellowstone erupting at night, lit up from behind, with the Milky Way as a backdrop.

That’s Not Luck: Stunning Photo Of Yellowstone Geyser Took Months Of Planning

Photographer Larry Rogers loves shooting in Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks, and once spent 20 years waiting to get a perfect photo. He said it took him months of planning to build a composite image of Castle Geyser lit up at night.

Jackie DorothyAugust 17, 2024

Climbing up the cliff side with spotters pointing out the best route at Wagonhound Off-Road Park.

Wyoming Rock Crawlers Get A Huge Adrenaline Rush At 2 MPH

Why go around a giant boulder in the road when you can just go over it? That’s rock crawling in a nutshell. And for Wyoming rock crawlers addicted to that adrenaline rush at 2 mph, the bigger the boulders the better.

Jackie DorothyAugust 11, 2024

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Covered in soot from the Clearwater Fire, a U.S. Forest Service drone operator leads it up with "dragon eggs," small explosive charges used to remotely create and guide firelines.

Fire Crews Use High-Tech Drones To Keep Clearwater From Yellowstone Entrance

High-tech drones dropping incendiary “dragon eggs” are among the tools wildland firefighters are using to keep the Clearwater Fire in northwest Wyoming from closing the East Entrance to Yellowstone.

Jackie DorothyAugust 08, 2024

Gen. George A. "Sandy" Forsyth was a major when he was part of a company led by Gen. Philip Sheridan to the scene of Custer's battle at Little Big Horn a year after. He described the journey in an eloquent diary that's now in possession of the Hot Springs County Museum.

How An Important 1877 Soldier’s Diary Wound Up In A Wyoming Bank Vault

Maj. George “Sandy” Forsyth’s 1877 diary was on its way to the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C., in 1960. But its owner decided it belongs in Wyoming where it was written, and it’s been in a Thermopolis bank vault for nearly 65 years.

Jackie DorothyAugust 08, 2024

The Clearwater fire burning in the Shoshoni National Forest east of Yellowstone and near Wapiti, Wyoming.

Highway From Cody To Yellowstone Remains Open As Clearwater Fire Burns

Yellowstone tourists can still use the national park’s East Entrance despite a wildfire that continues to burn in the area. Several campgrounds and trails remain closed.

Jackie DorothyAugust 06, 2024

The Clearwater fire burns in the Shoshoni National Forest near the East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Keeping Yellowstone’s East Gate Open A Priority As Fire Burns Near East Entrance

The Clearwater fire has burned nearly 2,000 acres in some of the most rugged and remote terrain in northwest Wyoming. Keeping Yellowstone’s East Gate open among the top priorities for those fighting the blaze.

Jackie DorothyAugust 05, 2024

Warren Borton digs crocks from a saloon pit in Newcastle, Wyoming.

The Dirty Job Of Digging Up Wyoming History In Outhouses

Warren Borton has spent decades digging up old Wyoming outhouse pits. What he finds are sometimes rare and significant pieces of history. And bottles. Lots and lots of old glass bottles.

Jackie DorothyAugust 04, 2024

Many of the graves in the Gebo cemetery hold children.

Dedication Will Remember Gebo’s Children, Forever Home In Wyoming Ghost Town Cemetery

A society that specializes in the absurd will get serious Saturday when it dedicates the Wyoming ghost town of Gebo. The former mining boom town is also the final resting place for many of Gebo’s children, who died during epidemics.

Jackie DorothyJuly 29, 2024

Veteran newspaperman Bill Sniffin with a signed miner's helmet, which he calls the greatest award he's ever received. It was a thank you from Lander-area miners after stories he published resulted in national legislation to help families of uranium miners.

Longtime Wyoming Newsman Bill Sniffin Wins National Lifetime Achievement Award

Bill Sniffin, who’s spent more than 50 years producing Wyoming newspapers, has been honored by the National Newspaper Association with its lifetime achievement award. Sniffin is also a columnist for Cowboy State Daily.

Jackie DorothyJuly 27, 2024

Shell-carrying pack mules had to be led through mud and all kinds of terrain during World War I.

With A World War Brewing, Wyoming Was Captivated By A Rogue Army Mule Named Gabriel

While nations built up their forces leading up to World War I, the exploits of an ornery mule named Gabriel captured Wyoming’s attention. A reporter with Gen. John. J. Pershing in Mexico spun and entertaining tale of how a stubborn mule brought the U.S. Army to a halt.

Jackie DorothyJuly 21, 2024

WYDOT Studying Ways to Bypass Wind River Canyon Byway

Wyoming transportation officials are studying alternative routes or detours around Wind River Canyon Byway because when there is inclement weather or a major traffic incident, waits can take hours and sometimes days.

Jackie DorothyJuly 17, 2024

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