John Thompson
Latest from John Thompson
Capturing Knowledge: Wyoming Farmer Documenting Wisdom Being Lost To Time
Knowledge, wisdom and homespun skill passed down through generations of American farm families is being lost to time and giant ag conglomerates. Newcastle's Paul Eitel is one farmer who can’t abide this trend.
John ThompsonJanuary 20, 2024
Drinking Wyoming: Dad’s Bar In Thayne Is An Authentic Cowboy State Honky-Tonk
Dad's Bar in Star Valley is a place where the phrase “because that’s the way we’ve always done it” is never questioned as traditions have been passed down through five owners over the last 90 years.
John ThompsonJanuary 07, 2024
Beaver Dam Cams Are The Captivating Ring Doorbells For Wyoming Wildlife
Beaver Dam Cams are becoming the Wyoming wildlife version of Ring doorbell cams, showing the bears, moose, foxes and other critters that use beaver dams as nature’s highway.
John ThompsonJanuary 06, 2024
Highest Elevation Winter Ultra-Marathon Race In the US Is Wyoming's Grueling "Drift 100"
The Drift 100, an ultramarathon held in Wyoming’s Wind River Mountains in early March, is the highest winter ultramarathon in the United States. It begins at the north end of Kendall Valley in Sublette County and gains 9,000 feet in elevation.
John ThompsonJanuary 01, 2024
Evanston’s Historic Chinatown Yields 300,000 Artifacts From The Late 1800s
An archaeological excavation of Evanston’s historic Chinatown, a community that was built in 1868 and burned in 1922, has so far turned up more than 300,000 artifacts.
John ThompsonDecember 24, 2023
Drinking Wyoming: Joe’s Liquor And Bar In Rock Springs, A Landmark That Feels Like The Early 60s
Billed as the smallest bar in Rock Springs, Joe’s Liquor and Bar only seats 14 people. Walking in the bar is like stepping back in time to 1961 -- dimly lit and the walls are covered with dark wood paneling.
John ThompsonDecember 24, 2023
Steel Shipping Containers Made Into 800-Square-Foot Rural Wyoming Home
An 800-square-foot home made from three steel shipping containers hit the real estate market last weekend 10 miles south of Pinedale. The property, which has amazing views, is listed for $315,000, or $393.75 per square foot.
John ThompsonDecember 17, 2023
Wyoming History: Thousands Of Names Carved Into Stone Along Historic Western Trails
Long before people could document their travels on social media, they carved their names into cliff walls along the Oregon, Mormon and California trails through Wyoming. They served not only as unofficial registries but key navigational landmarks.
John ThompsonDecember 16, 2023
Wyoming Ranchers File $7 Million In Claims For 15,000 Head Of Lost Livestock
The brutal winter of 2022-2023 cut a diagonal swath of death across Wyoming that killed nearly 15,000 head of cattle, sheep and goats. Ranchers filed $7 million in claims for those losses.
John ThompsonDecember 14, 2023
Real Wyoming: Pinedale’s Cowboy Bar Was Built By An Outlaw And Won In A Card Game
Pinedale’s Cowboy Bar was built by an outlaw who rode with Butch Cassidy and later owned by a Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Famer who won the bar in a card game. The current owner, Lila Golden, has worked there since she was 6 years old.
John ThompsonDecember 10, 2023
Off The Grid In Wyoming: Power Systems Cost Less, But Require More Know-How
When Cody Lettiere found out it was going to cost about $50,000 to dig a trench and run a power connection to his cabin in the mountains near Dubois, he decided to explore a solar powered alternative.
John ThompsonDecember 10, 2023
Carmakers Dropping AM Radio But Farmers Fighting To Reverse It
Although two major carmakers have dropped AM radio from their vehicles, farmers have banded together to stop that trend. Ford has since reversed its decision to drop it.
John ThompsonDecember 03, 2023
Wyoming Experts Say UN’s Anti-Meat Push For Climate Change Doesn’t Add Up
Wyoming industry experts don’t buy the conclusions of a new U.N. report that suggests eating less meat will help the global fight against climate change.
John ThompsonDecember 03, 2023
Wyoming ‘Bridge Nerd’ On A Mission To Document State’s Historic Bridges
John Bernhisel of Cowley, Wyoming, is on a mission, spending his summers visiting, photographing and chronicling the stories of historic Wyoming bridges and crossings.
John ThompsonDecember 02, 2023
Off The Grid In Wyoming: Wasting Water A Cardinal Sin For Homesteaders
The average American household wastes 90 gallons of water every day, something that would be a cardinal sin on an off-grid homestead, where water is much too valuable and important to waste.
John ThompsonNovember 26, 2023
Mountain Man Hugh Glass’ Real And Embellished Legacy Inspired ‘The Revenant’
Filmmakers consulted with Museum of the Mountain Man in Pinedale when they made “The Revenant,” and an exhibit shows Glass wielding a Bowie knife in a battle with a grizzly. Now they're hearing rumors of a sequel to the movie.
John ThompsonNovember 26, 2023
Eating Wyoming: The Bear Den In Daniel Lays Claim To State’s Best Burger
Tourists and travelers have been stopping at Daniel Junction since 1940 when the original business on the site was established by Leander “Linn” Sargent and his wife Helen. The Bear's Den restaurant is where the locals eat.
John ThompsonNovember 25, 2023
Living In An Off-The-Grid Subdivision In Southwest Wyoming
Josh Winkler and his family of four live year-round in an off-the-grid community about 20 miles north of Kemmerer. Although the winters can be challenging, Josh says it's worth it -- especially when he straps on his snowshoes and heads out on a full moon night in January.
John ThompsonNovember 23, 2023
Ranchers Shell Out $140K For Unborn Calf Of Famous Million Dollar Angus Bull
Doc Ryan is a famous Angus bull that earns more than $1 million per year for his semen and is so sought after that ranchers recently shelled out $140,000 for one of his unborn calves. The former owner of the bull is Gillette native, Trey Wasserburger.
John ThompsonNovember 18, 2023
Congressman Upset Feds Are Tight-Lipped On $25 Million Yellowstone Bison Plan
It’s been nearly nine months since a $25 million plan to increase Yellowstone bison numbers and improve habitat was announced. A Montana congressman says he’s getting ghosted by agencies about what’s being done.
John ThompsonNovember 16, 2023
Foreign Ownership Of Ag Land A Struggle For Lawmakers In Wyoming And DC
Brett Moline, of the Wyoming Farm Bureau, said his organization supports restricting foreign ownership of U.S. agriculture land. Even though the percentage of overall farmland owned by foreign investors is small, it’s a situation that could quickly get out of hand if left unchecked.
John ThompsonNovember 12, 2023
Wyoming Ag Industry Divided On Reform Of Taxes That Can Fund Anti-Ag Efforts
Congress is considering reform of taxes on the sale of farm commodities that, if misallocated, can find farmers and ranchers attacked by anti-ag lobbying efforts they essentially paid for.
John ThompsonNovember 06, 2023
Evanston Already Planning For Economic Spillover From 2034 Utah Winter Olympics
A border community on Interstate 80, Evanston, Wyoming, has long positioned itself to reap the benefits of Utah’s vibrant economy. The 2034 Olympic Games would bring hundreds of thousands of visitors to the region.
John ThompsonNovember 05, 2023
Wyoming Soldier Found Hitler’s Photos, But They’ve Been Missing For Decades
Pvt. Alton More of Casper took two photo albums from Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest in the Bavarian Alps at the end of World War II and brought them back to Wyoming, but they mysteriously disappeared decades ago.
John ThompsonNovember 04, 2023
As EU Kills Off Cows To Fight Climate Change, Hageman Warns It Could Happen Here
Farms in Ireland and other European Union countries are being forced to cut cattle numbers to reach climate change goals. U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman warns it could happen here.
John ThompsonNovember 03, 2023
Two Juveniles In Jail After Wild Crime Spree Across Rock Springs And Green River
A pair of juveniles remain in custody after a Monday crime spree through Rock Springs and Green River that included stealing and crashing two vehicles, shooting up property with a stolen gun and other crimes.
John ThompsonNovember 01, 2023
Off The Grid In Wyoming: Choose The Right Spot For Your Modern Homestead
The days of free government land giveaways for homesteading ended long ago, but that doesn’t mean the spirit of the homesteader is dead. The first step is getting land, and that’s something Wyoming has plenty of.
John ThompsonOctober 29, 2023
Evanston Rallies To Save Historic Wyoming State Hospital From Wrecking Ball
Despite the state seemingly willing to pay more than $50 million to raze the 27 buildings on the historic Wyoming State Hospital campus in Evanston, locals are working to save them from the wrecking ball.
John ThompsonOctober 29, 2023
Wyoming Teacher Makes 180-Mile Trail Run From Lander To Jackson
During a normal week of training, Lander's Gabe Joyes runs about 100 miles while gaining about 20,000 feet of elevation. But in August, he decided to go 180 miles in a mountainous four-day run to get from Lander to Jackson.
John ThompsonOctober 29, 2023
Nets Could Help Cull Lake Trout Threatening Flaming Gorge’s World-Class Fishery
Fisheries experts will recommend to the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission that thousands of lake trout should be netted, cut open and sunk to the bottom of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir in order to help the remaining fish flourish.
John ThompsonOctober 22, 2023