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 rifle given to Jesse Galloway by Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, aka the Sundance Kid, after Galloway tried to help clear Longabaugh's name in a robbery in South Dakota. He may have been in Colorado and Wyoming working on ranches at the time.

Rifle In Wyoming Museum May Show Outlaw Sundance Kid Didn't Rob Bank

An intriguing trail of evidence at the Little Snake River Museum in Savery, Wyoming, suggests the Sundance Kid couldn’t have been involved in a bungled 1897 robbery of a South Dakota bank.

Renée JeanSeptember 17, 2023

Gregory Gadson talks to people at Don King Days in Sheridan.

Col. Gregory Gadson Lost Both Legs In Iraq, Now He's Helping Veterans Heal

Wounded warrior and retired Army colonel Greg Gadson was in Wyoming for the WYO West Warrior Foundation, which puts on an retreat for veterans every year in Sheridan. Gadson was nearly killed by a roadside bomb in 2007.

Renée JeanSeptember 16, 2023

The lobby at the Occidental Hotel in Buffalo, Wyoming, is eclectic, elegant and 100% Old West Wyoming.

At Wyoming’s Historic Occidental Hotel, The Ghost Gets Into Bed With You

Those who work at the historic Occidental Hotel in Buffalo have heard guests tell a lot of spooky stories about their stay, and not just its famous ghost child Emily. There's one ghost who gets into the bed while you're sleeping.

Renée JeanSeptember 16, 2023

The historic 118-acre Gros Venture River Ranch in Teton County, Wyoming, is for sale, listing at $58 million.

Wyoming’s Historic Gros Ventre Ranch For Sale, Listing At $58 million

Another of Teton County, Wyoming’s, iconic and storied dude ranches encircled by the national forest land has hit the market. The Gros Ventre Ranch is for sale, listing for $58 million.

Renée JeanSeptember 13, 2023

A statue of James Cash Penney is put up in front of his first store in Kemmerer, Wyoming.

Push On For Postage Stamp Honoring Founder Of Wyoming-Born JCPenney Stores

James Cash Penney is an American legend who started his iconic JCPenney brand in Kemmerer, Wyoming. U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis is getting behind a grassroots group pushing to put Penney on a postage stamp.

Renée JeanSeptember 12, 2023

Many of the dozens of big screens in the Cheyenne Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant were tuned to ESPN networks Monday afternoon leading up to Monday Night Football. The channels are available to Wyoming Charter-Spectrum customers again after Disney and Charter reached a deal earlier in the day.

Charter, Disney Strike Deal Just In Time For Monday Night Football

Disney and Charter reached a deal at the last minute, lifting the ban on Disney-owned channels for Charter-owned Spectrum customers in Wyoming — including ESPN — just in time for Monday Night Football.

Renée JeanSeptember 11, 2023

Paul Vance poses for a photo with the chuck wagon he and friend Jack Schmidt found, an extension of the Wyoming cowboy dream he's been living for the past 15 years.

Kentucky Man Moved To Wyoming To Be Cowboy, Now He's Bought An Authentic Chuckwagon

Paul Vance always wanted to be a cowboy, and for the last 15 years has cowboying it up in Wyoming. Most recently he's been restoring a broken-down chuck wagon and outfitting with with historically authentic artifacts.

Renée JeanSeptember 10, 2023

Katie Shoemaker takes a turn around the starting gate area before its her turn. She became the first woman to compete in the steer roping event at Don King Days over Labor Day weekend in Sheridan.

Wyoming People: Kassandra Shoemaker First Woman In Wyoming Steer Roping Finals

University of Wyoming student Kassandra Shoemaker made history last weekend as the first woman to compete in the Wyoming Steer Roping Finals in Sheridan, earning Rookie of the Year from the Wyoming Steer Roping Association.

Renée JeanSeptember 10, 2023

The entrance to Fort Bridger was crawling with people for the annual rendezvous, an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 of them.

Fort Bridger Rendezvous At 50 Draws 60,000, Is One Of Largest In The US

An estimated 60,000+ people attended the Fort Bridger Rendezvous this year, its 50th. The celebration of all things frontier has grown to be one of the largest in the United States.

Renée JeanSeptember 10, 2023

Jeff Shelburg and "Hoot" the owl at the Sundance Film Festival - Atmosphere - Day 7 in Park City, Utah, United States.

Meet Hoot, A Wyoming Owl Who Is The Most Famous Owl In The World

A Farson, Wyoming, man owns an owl named Hoot that’s been in 124 movies and counting, including many Harry Potter films. The 25-year-old bird is probably the most famous owl on the planet.

Renée JeanSeptember 09, 2023

The original Buffalo Carnegie Library is now the entry to the Jim Gatchell Memorial Museum.

Buffalo Citizens Rally To Save Crumbling Carnegie Library

One of Wyoming’s 10 remaining Carnegie libraries is crumbling, and unless $600,000 can be found to make necessary repairs, the Carnegie Library in Buffalo — built in 1909 — may be lost.

Renée JeanSeptember 09, 2023

Kroger, Albertsons To Sell 413 Stores, Including 12 In Wyoming

Kroger anticipates the sale of 413 Albertsons stores, including 12 in Wyoming, will bullet-proof their proposed $25 billion merger, but a union representing 750 Wyoming workers worries it could cost jobs.

Renée JeanSeptember 09, 2023

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The TVs at Ike's Bar and Grill in Cheyenne are tuned to ESPN, which isn't showing its regular sports content because of a dispute with Disney.

Angry Wyoming Spectrum Customers Dropping Disney, Cable During Dispute

Frustrated customers who are missing ESPN and other channels are tired of waiting for Disney and Charter to make a deal. So they're cutting the cord and signing up for YouTube TV and other streaming services.

Renée JeanSeptember 08, 2023

The Kim & Go convenience store at the intersection of East Lincolnway and Ridge Road in Cheyenne.

Wyoming-Born Maverik Rebrands 400 Kum & Go Stores In Wake Of Sale

A dozen or so Kum & Go stores in Wyoming will rebrand over the next two years after its acquisition by Maverik — Adventure’s First Stop. The new company will have more than 800 stores and 13,000 employees.

Renée JeanSeptember 05, 2023

Dan Stewart empties a bag of chanterelles at a booth during the Rendezvous City Beef Roundup in Riverton.

Riverton's Mushroom Man Dan Is Wyoming's First Dude Of Fungus

Mushroom Man Dan is on the cusp of scaling his mushroom side job in Riverton, Wyoming, tenfold thanks in part to the Fremont Local Market that gave him shelf space and room to grow.

Renée JeanSeptember 04, 2023

Outdoor seating with Devils Tower in the distance.

7th Generation Wyoming Family Maintains Devils Tower Gulch Restaurant Legacy

Meet the seventh generation of the Driskill family ranch, Ashley and Lincoln Driskill. Not only are they working hard to keep the ranch going, they're maintaining a local northeast Wyoming landmark in the Devils Tower Gulch Restaurant.

Renée JeanSeptember 04, 2023

Butch Cassidy and his friends played poker in the River Saloon's Poker Room in Thermopolis, Wyoming. The display recreates what the inside of the pictured cabin might have looked like, but also includes "Cattle Kate's" cabinet.

Thermopolis, Wyoming: A Favorite Haunt For Notorious Wild West Outlaws

As a favorite hangout for Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch and other notorious outlaws, Thermopolis, Wyoming, is flaunting its outlaw legacy as a Wild West tourist attraction.

Renée JeanSeptember 04, 2023

The unique and authentic buffalo hide coats worn by actors in "The Hateful Eight" were made by Merlin Heinze at Merlin's Hide Out in Thermopolis, Wyoming.

Wyoming People: Thermopolis Man Makes Buffalo Hide Gear For Hollywood

Merlin Heinze never imagined the things he learned in 4-H would one day lead to becoming the go-to guy when Hollywood needs authentic buffalo hide coats, like the uniquely accurate hides worn in the hit film "The Hateful Eight."

Renée JeanSeptember 04, 2023

Sundance's Turbiville Ranch Wins Best Beef In Wyoming Competition

It's a simple, but pure, test — cook a cut of beef seasoned only with salt and pepper and see which Wyoming beef tastes the best. This year, it's from the Turbiville Ranch in Sundance, Wyoming.

Renée JeanSeptember 04, 2023

Desiree Hannabach with her dream car, a 2010 Dodge Viper.

Wyoming People: Desiree Hannabach's Dream 628-Horsepower Muscle Car Took A Lifetime To Get

When Desiree Hannabach was a little girl, she rode in a Corvette, and from that moment on, she loved muscle cars. She finally got her dream muscle car – the 628-horsepower Dodge Viper, but had to survive breast cancer first.

Renée JeanSeptember 04, 2023

Ultra-Rare Sundance Kid Photo May Be Worth More Than The Wyoming Museum It’s In

A researcher discovered a treasure hiding in plain sight at the Hot Springs County Museum & Cultural Center a couple of years ago — one of five original photos of Harry Longabaugh (aka the Sundance Kid) and his companion, Etta Place.

Renée JeanSeptember 03, 2023

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