Business and Tourism Reporter

Renée Jean

Renée Jean is the business and tourism reporter for Cowboy State Daily and is based in Cheyenne. Previously, Renée spent seven years covering energy and agriculture in North Dakota and Montana. She has won many writing awards over a 30-year career, and has written magazine articles for Guideposts.

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Latest from Renée Jean

The 17,000-square-foot Valley Community Center in Baggs is the place to be in this tiny community of fewer than 500 people in southern Wyoming.

They Told Baggs It Was Too Tiny For A Community Center, So They Built A Huge One

The town of Baggs, in south-central Wyoming, has fewer than 500 people, but that didn’t stop the town from building a 17,000 square-foot community center. It even has an indoor walking track and draws people from around the region.

Renée JeanAugust 18, 2024

The 190-acre Red Hills Ranch, owned by late U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, is a spectacular property in the Gros Ventre River Valley. It's listed for $65 million.

Red Hills Ranch In Teton County On The Market For $65 Million

Red Hills Ranch, the 190-acre Jackson Hole home of late U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl, is for sale for $65 million. The property, which is only 25 miles from downtown Jackson, was previously owned by Wyoming politician Cliff Hansen, the grandfather of former Gov. Matt Mead.

Renée JeanAugust 17, 2024

The Hurricane shot is an experience. It starts with a shot of Koltiska poured straight into the mouth, top left. Then water thrown in the face, bottom left. And finished with a slap, right. Customers pay $40 for The Hurricane.

Drinking Wyoming: The Hurricane In Aladdin — A Shot And Slap In The Face For $40

Like a shot and a slap in the face? Try the Hurricane at the General Store in Aladdin, Wyoming. For $40, you get the drink and then they'll slap you in the face.

Renée JeanAugust 17, 2024

Cheyenne’s Historic Downtown Plains Hotel Has A Buyer

The historic Plains Hotel in downtown Cheyenne has finally attracted a buyer, almost a year after it was put up for sale. The buyer is a former Wall Street investor and tech media startup founder who’s new to Cheyenne.

Renée JeanAugust 16, 2024

A home in Saratoga that's listed for short-term rental on the Airbnb website.

In Wyoming Tourism Towns, Short-Term Rentals Squeeze Real Estate Markets

Wyoming tourism towns like Saratoga are experiencing an explosion of homeowners doing short-term rentals like Airbnb and VRBO. Now people build houses to rent out, which is squeezing real estate markets for available single-family homes.

Renée JeanAugust 16, 2024

This home on Trader Road in Jackson, Wyoming, has 7,234 square feet on 11.59 acres with six bedrooms and six full baths and lists for $23 million.

Jackson Primed For New Wave Of Luxury Homes In The $25 Million Range

Two new luxury home listings in the Jackson Hole market in the $25 million range are just the beginning, says The Jackson Home Co. Another on the way promises to be in the neighborhood of $65 million.

Renée JeanAugust 15, 2024

Sheridan’s 7,500-Square-Foot Lion Dog Estate Hits The Market At $4.5 Million

There’s nothing not to like about the fully automatic, 7,500-square-foot Lion Dog Estate in Sheridan, including a waterfall color-therapy tub. It’s unique, stuffed with gee-whiz features for sale, listing at $4.5 million.

Renée JeanAugust 14, 2024

Brandi Kelly was one of the original Ham and Jam girls. She said the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Ralley event in Hulett used to be more wild and raunchy, but has evolved into a great party.

Original Hulett Ham And Jam Girl Remembers A More Wild, Raucous Party

Brandi Kelly was one of the first Ham and Jam girls for the annual party that brings 30,000 people to tiny Hulett, Wyoming, during the Sturgis rally. She says it was wilder then, but it’s still magic because it brings people together.

Renée JeanAugust 11, 2024

Laramie resident Gerry Meyer ran the 50-meter dash 3 seconds faster than he did in last year's Wyoming Senior Olympics. The 105-year-old is not just still kicking, he's winning gold medals.

Wyoming Senior Olympian Still Winning Gold Medals At 105

Laramie resident Gerry Meyer is 105 years old and still winning gold medals at the Wyoming Senior Olympics. At this year’s games, he won the 50- and 100-meter dashes, beating his 2023 50-meter mark by 3 seconds.

Renée JeanAugust 11, 2024

A ramp was built for the annual Sundance Burnout in Crook County during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. It places riders up higher so the crowd could better see them.

How One Rowdy Bar Customer Sparked 50 Years Of Sturgis-Week Burnouts In Sundance

The annual Burnout Wednesday during Sturgis rally week in Sundance, Wyoming, has been a must-do for bikers for nearly 50 years. It began with one rowdy customer who threatened to burnout inside the Dime Horseshoe Bar.

Renée JeanAugust 11, 2024

Brian Evans and Anthony Asset from Fort Collins, Colorado, were among the people who came for Saratoga's Steinley Cup last weekend, Wyoming's oldest brewfest.

The Steinley Cup Remains The OG Trophy Of Wyoming’s Legacy Brewfests

Everyone knows about the Stanley Cup. But even more prestigious is Saratoga’s Steinley Cup — the highest award microbrewers can win in Wyoming. Now in its 28th year, the Steinley Cup Microbrew Festival is the oldest brewfest in Wyoming.

Renée JeanAugust 10, 2024

C.J. Box poses for a selfie with some fans in Saratoga, Wyoming.

Want To Be A Character In A C.J. Box Book? Once A Year, You Get A Chance

Being a character in a “Joe Pickett” novel would be a dream come true for many fans of Wyoming author C.J. Box. So, he offers it up as an auction item to benefit his hometown Saratoga Museum.

Renée JeanAugust 10, 2024

Other Authors

Bob Coronato's painting hiatus has been broken. He's just completed a new poster series, and it was all the rage with Sturgis rallygoers at this year's Hulett Ham and Jam.

Wyoming Artist Bob Coronato’s “Trump Train” Painting Catches Fire With MAGA Nation

Hulett, Wyoming, artist Bob Coronato already has a painting in the Smithsonian. The artist, best known for painting historical figures, has painted six Trump campaign posters, and is planning to show them to the former president at a fundraiser this weekend in Jackson.

Renée JeanAugust 10, 2024

A sea of bikes in Hulett for Ham and Jam 2024.

The Party Next Door: Hulett's Ham And Jam On Wednesday Of Sturgis Week

Although the topless rodeo is no longer allowed, Hulett's annual Ham and Jam still gets wild. Some 30,000 bikers head to the town on Wednesday of Sturgis week for free pork sandwiches, music, insanity, and surprisingly, very few arrests.

Renée JeanAugust 10, 2024

In the same family since 1895, the Antlers Ranch has huge swaths of pristine Wyoming woodland with trophy fishing streams and lots of room to roam.

Antlers Ranch Near Meeteetse Listed At $85 Million, In Same Family Since 1895

The historic Antlers Ranch near Meeteetse, Wyoming, has hit the market for $85 million. The ranch, which includes 16,532 deeded acres and control of more than 40,000 acres, has been in the same family since 1895 and has never been for sale before.

Renée JeanAugust 08, 2024

Big Horn Mountain Stage Co. in Ten Sleep Wyoming

Popular Coffee Spot Still Has Plenty Of Historic Ten Sleep Mercantile In It

Who doesn’t love a good bullet hole or two, especially when it’s in a building that has a lot of history and character? That’s the case for the Big Horn Mountain Stage Co., a coffee stop in Ten Sleep that’s about to turn 120 years old.

Renée JeanAugust 04, 2024

A lid goes on top of the potatoes to help hold in the heat.

Cody’s 2 Mules Chuckwagon Explodes In Popularity Thanks To Guy Fieri

Cody’s 2 Mules Chuckwagon is real working, living, breathing history that you can literally taste. And it’s become a lot more popular ever since appearing on Food Network host and restaurateur Guy Fieri’s “Guy’s All-American Road Trip.”

Renée JeanAugust 04, 2024

Ayden Skillman of Greybull, Wyoming, gives a thumbs up in the hospital for a heart transplant.

Greybull Cheers Local Teen Who Finally Gets A New Heart

Ayden Skillman has lived much of his life without a complete heart because of a congenital heart defect. Now his hometown of Greybull, Wyoming, is cheering the local 18-year-old who’s always shown tons of heart who finally has a new one.

Renée JeanAugust 04, 2024

Drinking Wyoming: The Experience In Pinedale Lives Up To Its Name

The Experience at Lakeside in Pinedale lives up to its name. The restaurant and bar sits beside Fremont Lake’s deep, blue, crystal-clear water surrounded by the beautiful Wind River Range off in the distance.

Renée JeanAugust 03, 2024

Almost $1B Spent So Far To Push Through $25B Mega Kroger-Albertsons Merger

Kroger and Albertsons have already spent nearly $1 billion to push through a massive $25 billion mega grocery merger. That’s even as three legal cases are teeing up that are bound to cost more.

Renée JeanAugust 03, 2024

The campus of the new Hotel Yellowstone in Jackson, Wyoming, the state's only adults-only hotel.

Wyoming’s Only Adults-Only Hotel Opens In Jackson, And Rooms Start At $1,800 A Night

The first kids-free hotel in Wyoming opened Thursday in Jackson. Those 17 and younger are not allowed at all, even if they’re with their parents. Rooms start at $1,799 and range up to $2,199 per night, with a two-night minimum stay.

Renée JeanAugust 02, 2024

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