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

Origin Of Famous Baby-Switching Prank In ‘The Virginian’ May Be Unraveled — Again

Many Wyoming communities have claimed they inspired the baby-switching prank pulled by The Virginian in Owen Wister’s famous novel of the same name. A historian, however, says the location really is Thermopolis.

Renée JeanJune 30, 2024

The iconic Horseshoe Bend Motel sign in Lovell, Wyoming, is going to get a facelift.

Lovell’s Horseshoe Bend Motel Neon Sign To Get Restored From American Express

The iconic sign at the Horseshoe Bend Model in Lovell was immortalized at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York back in 1973. Now, thanks to a grant from American Express, the sign will get professionally restored.

Renée JeanJune 30, 2024

Ten Sleep Brewery is right up against the colorful Signal Cliff in an unpretentious barn.

Drinking Wyoming: Speed Goat Put Ten Sleep Brewing Co. On The Map

The stunning backdrop at Ten Sleep Brewing Co. will have you feeling like you’re sitting in a painting while drinking a cold one. It’s also the home of one of Wyoming’s most popular beers, Speed Goat.

Renée JeanJune 30, 2024

We Tried The Huitlacoche (Corn Smut) And It Was Fantastic

Many readers were repulsed when we introduced them to Huitlacoche, aka “corn smut,” two weeks ago. So we asked Wyoming celebrity chef Petrina Peart to prepare it and she proved looks can be deceiving. It was fantastic.

Renée JeanJune 29, 2024

"How 'Bout Them Cowgirls" by Buffalo artist D. Michael Thomas.

Stroke Of Luck Saves Cheyenne Frontier Days Cowgirl Sculpture From Devastating Fire

A new sculpture honoring cowgirls called “How ’Bout Them Cowgirls,” at Cheyenne Frontier Days was dedicated Friday at Frontier Park, but it almost didn’t happen. A stroke of luck saved it from a devastating fire.

Renée JeanJune 29, 2024

Big Boy 4014 will roll into Laramie at 10:45 a.m. Sunday morning.

This Weekend In Wyoming: Big Boy On The Rails Again And Cody Stampede

Summer really gets rolling this weekend with some premiere Wyoming events: The Cody Stampede, a huge rodeo that leads up to July 4, and Big Boy No. 4014 hitting the rails for its big summer tour.

Renée JeanJune 28, 2024

Artillery World is one of two Colorado-owned fireworks stands just north of the Wyoming-Colorado border that are open again after a judge temporarily blocked a Laramie County decision to pull their business permits.

‘Obnoxious’ Cheyenne Fireworks Business Open Again After Court Order

A court has ordered Jurassic Fireworks and Artillery World can open again after Laramie County commissioners pulled their business permits because they said they were too “obnoxious.”

Renée JeanJune 28, 2024

The legacy Wapiti View Ranch is a pristine 40 acres surrounded by the National Elk Refuge near the Grand Tetons. It recently listed for $17.9 million and was snatched up right away.

$18 Million Wyoming Legacy Ranch Surrounded By Elk Refuge Sells Immediately

The 40-acre Wapiti View Ranch in northwest Wyoming is surrounded by stunning views of the Tetons and the 25,000-acre National Elk Refuge. It had barely hit the market at nearly $18 million before it was snatched up.

Renée JeanJune 26, 2024

Guy Fieri, right, and his son Hunter, center, talk with chuck wagon cook Rich Herman.

Finally, The Wyoming Segments Of Guy Fieri's "All-American Road Trip” Are Airing

Guy Fieri dropped in on several spots in Cody and Buffalo as part of his "All-American Road Trip" last summer, including a "chaotic" stop at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West -- complete with lots of tequila. Those episodes have begun airing.

Renée JeanJune 24, 2024

Carole Trusheim Waters brought a special gift for the Hot Springs County Museum. It's a play station her dad built for Waters and her sister Billy Jean when they were kids growing up in Gebo. He used old shipping crates to make it, and painted it a cheery yellow. It was a way to make do, Waters said, and making do was a way of life for the people who once lived in the coal mining town.

Growing Up In Gebo: Resident Recalls Ghost Town From Nearly 90 Years Ago

Carol Trusheim Waters came back for the 70th annual History Trek at the ghost town of Gebo, Wyoming, over the weekend. She recalled going to first grade there nearly 90 years ago and being told she had to learn English in three months (which she did).

Renée JeanJune 24, 2024

Clay Gibbons talks to a tour group he's taking to the Hole in the Wall.

The Wyoming Historian Who Unraveled The Mysteries Of 115-Year-Old Spring Creek Raid

Finding the exact locations of the Spring Creek Raid near Ten Sleep and filling out the rest of the story took a lifetime of detective work by Wyoming historian Clay Gibbons, as well as a little bit of what he believes was divine intervention.

Renée JeanJune 23, 2024

Wyoming's own Ian Munsick sold out Red Rocks for a June 6 performance, checking off a bucket-list item for the Sheridan Country-Western star.

After Playing Red Rocks, Ian Munsick Says Ultimate Dream Is Cheyenne Frontier Days

After selling out Red Rocks earlier this month, rising Wyoming country music star Ian Munsick says his ultimate dream is to headline Cheyenne Frontier Days. "That's where my heart will always be," he said.

Renée JeanJune 23, 2024

Other Authors

Bin22 in Jackson Wyoming is an affordable, European wine and tapas bar experience. The unique thing about them is they sell bottles of wine at retail prices that can be enjoyed with your dinner.

Drinking Wyoming: Bin22 An Affordable Wine And Tapas Bar In Jackson

Bin22, a wine and tapas bar in Jackson, has more than 2,000 bottles of wine from all over the globe which they pair with the kitchen's small, sharable plates. And they're sold at retail prices with no restaurant markup or corkage fees.

Renée JeanJune 22, 2024

William Stocks, front, holds mountain man Jim Baker's sword up, demonstrating where it might be placed at the Little Snake River Museum, while LSR Museum board member Jim Roberts and LSR Museum Director Lela Emmons look on. Stocks has donated the sword to the museum, where it will join other Baker items on display.

Famous Wyoming Mountain Man Jim Baker’s Sword Found, Donated To Museum

William Stocks of Dixon inherited mountain man Jim Baker’s sword from his father, whose grandmother was given it by Baker himself. Last Monday, Stocks donated it to the Little Snake River Museum and now everyone can see it.

Renée JeanJune 22, 2024

Wyoming Photographer Snaps Nearly Perfect Image Of State Logo

Wyoming photographer Michael Magill spent years chasing a perfect photo that shows off the spirit of Wyoming. He captured a nearly identical image of the state logo last weekend at a rodeo in Chugwater.

Renée JeanJune 22, 2024

Clay Gibbons watches a music video by Kiesza at his ranch between Worland and Thermopolis. The video includes a poem he wrote in college for a classroom assignment. He was 23 when he wrote the poem.

Pop Star Kiesza Came To Wyoming To Dig Fossils And Discovered A Cowboy Poet

“The Mysterious Disappearance of Etta Place,” a new single from Canadian pop star Kiesza, is not only about Wyoming, its music video was filmed here and features a poem by Worland's cowboy historian Clay Gibbons.

Renée JeanJune 22, 2024

A horse and buggy brings guests in to the Esterbrook Church. Cars are parked a distance away, to leave room for those arriving the old fashioned way.

Once A Year, It’s Bring-Your-Horse-To Church Sunday In Esterbrook, Wyoming

This past Sunday, the townspeople of Esterbrook, Wyoming, celebrated the 20th anniversary of the "bring-your horse-to-church" event to celebrate Father's Day. They call it "Buckboard Sunday" and it has become quite the community affair.

Renée JeanJune 17, 2024

Sit down among the goats and you quickly become part of their idea of goat yoga, as Kristi Walk finds out.

Cheyenne Kids Go Wild Getting Their Own Urban Goats To Play With

Javier Garcia was riding his bike near Sun Valley Park in Cheyenne when he happened to see something unusual going on. Someone was unloading a bunch of goats and they were being handed off to random people.

Renée JeanJune 16, 2024

After 32 years as one of the anchor architects behind the growth of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, CFO Matt McCreedy is retiring June 30.

Anchor Architect Of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort Retires After 32 Years

For nearly four decades, Jackson Hole’s highest elevation chairlift has been a superstar. Its fans have their own names for it like Space Mountain, Sublette or The Quad. Few of those fans, however, know the name of the man behind the scenes who made it happen.

Renée JeanJune 16, 2024

The Crystal Castle 23 miles west of Cheyenne near Crystal Lake was built in the 1960s by a man named Harry Widholm, who used 30,000 glass embalming fluid bottles to create a lake cabin — his castle away from home.

Wyoming’s ‘Crystal Castle’ Is Made From 30,000 Glass Embalming Fluid Bottles

Wyoming’s “Crystal Castle” is 23 miles west of Cheyenne and about 2 miles from Crystal Lake Reservoir in Curt Gowdy State Park. The vacation cabin was made from 30,000 embalming fluid bottles in the 1960s.

Renée JeanJune 16, 2024

Food Sunday: Huitlacoche Isn’t Popular In Wyoming, But Worth Trying (If You Can Find It)

Granted, huitlacoche may look horrible. After all, it's a fungus that grows on corn. It's also known as Mexican truffles, corn mushrooms or “corn smut.” Wyoming chef Petrina Peart says the $50 per pound delicacy is hard to get but fun to try.

Renée JeanJune 16, 2024

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