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

Paul Knowles shows a recently discovered photo of Jim Douglas, left, founder of Dixon, Wyoming, riding with famous mountain man Jim Baker.

Wyoming History: New Photos Of Legendary Mountain Man Jim Baker Discovered

In what Western historians call an “extremely exciting” discovery, a trunk containing new photographs of the famous mountain man Jim Baker has been found. It also holds letters written to a lawman by Wild Bunch informants.

Renée JeanJuly 20, 2025

Terry Anderson looks for gold flakes during Gold Rush Days at South Pass City. He was one of several Wyoming Prospector Association members at the event, helping newcomers learn to pan for gold.

There’s An Art To Panning For Gold That’s Part Patience, Part Recklessness

Six tiny flakes of gold in one pan of pay dirt are a nice haul. Panning for gold takes patience and a bit of reckless abandon — then rinse and repeat. Finding those flakes sparks an annual Wyoming gold rush to South Pass City.

Renée JeanJuly 19, 2025

Ian Munsick performs at Cheyenne Frontier Days as the first Wyoming native to headline the CFD stage.

Ian Munsick Makes History As First Wyoming Native To Headline Cheyenne Frontier Days

Friday was an huge night for Sheridan's Ian Munsick, who fulfilled a dream by headlining Cheyenne Frontier Days. An emotional Munsick called being the first Wyoming native to headline CFD the biggest stage of his career so far.

Renée JeanJuly 19, 2025

Artist Chris Navarro, center, at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Western Art Show. In the foreground, his sculpture, Chasing Rainbows, one of four pieces he brought to this premier Western art show. Navarro said it's one of his favorite shows, one he doesn't miss.

Cheyenne Frontier Days Isn’t All Rodeo, There’s Also World-Class Western Art

One thing to know about the celebrated Western Art Show at the Cheyenne Frontier Days Old West Museum is that it’s not a stereotypical stuffy art show. In fact, it’s considered by many as the signature social event of the Daddy of ’em All.

Renée JeanJuly 18, 2025

Wyoming Company Helps Develop Tech-Driven Early Alzheimer’s Detection Tool

Wyoming technology company Lunavi has helped develop a tech-driven digital tool to detect Alzheimer’s disease before most other tests can. It will make the tests inexpensive and available to anyone with an internet connection.

Renée JeanJuly 18, 2025

Riders taking off for Sinks Canyon, a couple of them with cowboy hat bike helmets they purchased online.

Cyclists Say Exclusive Tour De Wyoming One Of Best Bike Tours In The Nation

The Tour de Wyoming rolled out for a loop trail around Sinks Canyon at about 6 a.m. Tuesday as the cyclists hit the event’s halfway point. Camped in Lander, riders in the exclusive 250-bike event say it’s one of the best in the nation.

Renée JeanJuly 15, 2025

Avianna Frady demonstrates how the Domeco can be used to train for rock climbing during the International Climbers' Festival in Lander.

One Weekend A Year, Lander’s The Center Of The Rock Climbing World

Lander, Wyoming, is an international destination for rock climbers. This past weekend was the 32nd International Climbers’ Festival, which makes Lander the center of the rock-climbing world, drawing hundreds of rock climbers.

Renée JeanJuly 14, 2025

Harvey Deselms, and his dog Dot, with one of the bronze sculptures for the Capital Avenue Bronze Project

Cheyenne’s Capitol Avenue Bronze Project Closes In On 100 Sculptures

For Cheyenne art dealer Harvey Deselms, dreams really do come true. He dreamed of bronze sculptures lining every corner of Capitol Avenue, and now the Capitol Avenue Bronze Project is closing in on its 100th installation.

Renée JeanJuly 14, 2025

A giant 15-foot buffalo skull made by Vic Lemmon from fiberglass forms the entry of the Laundromat and Carwash in Dubois, Wyoming. It will also be a temporary art gallery when it hosts a unique exhibit.

Fluff And Fold With Culture: Dubois Buffalo Skull Laundromat To Host Art Exhibit

A pair of artists in Dubois are planning an art show in an unusual space. Instead of a gallery, their show is going inside the town’s famous laundromat, the one with the giant buffalo skull entrance.

Renée JeanJuly 13, 2025

Celebrity Chef Vincent Fiore was the resident chef at the historic UXU Ranch near Yellowstone and loves all things Wyoming and the West. Especially food. He’s bringing that to a national audience as host of a new show, “Cookin’ With Cowboys.”

Wyoming Ranch Chef Brings Cowboy Cookin’ To National Audience With New TV Show

Celebrity Chef Vincent Fiore, creator of the award-winning cooking shows “The Wiseguy Kitchen” and “Coast to Coast,” is coming to Cody to highlight cowboy cuisine for a new show he’s hosting this fall on Roku called “Cookin’ With Cowboys.”

Renée JeanJuly 12, 2025

National Museum of Military Vehicles owner Dan Starks.

Visitors Can’t Find Rooms In Dubois, So Military Museum Owner Is Building A Motel

Despite a number of mom-and-pop motels and 90-some Airbnbs in the area, Dubois is often out of rooms for tourists in the summer. It was impacting growth for the National Museum of Military Vehicles, so owner Dan Starks is building a new 70-bed motel.

Renée JeanJuly 12, 2025

A luxury Jackson, Wyoming, home built for an avid golfer and once frequented by Payton Manning, has hit the market for $9.95 million.

$9.95M Jackson Home Once Frequented By Peyton Manning Is Perfect For Golfers

A luxury Jackson, Wyoming, home perfect for an avid golfer and once frequented by Peyton Manning has hit the market for $9.95 million.

Renée JeanJuly 11, 2025

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Gov. Mark Gordon talks about the restoration of Wyoming's Liberty Bell. All 50 states have Liberty Bells, but not every state kept theirs. Wyoming's required significant restoration to save it for future generations.

Liberty Bell Rings Again In Wyoming Ahead of Nation’s 250th Anniversary

Wyoming rang its Liberty Bell and unveiled an amped-up tour of the restored state Capitol on Thursday. It was all part of a kickoff to the nation’s 250th anniversary next year — on the 135th for Wyoming statehood.

Renée JeanJuly 11, 2025

Wyoming Data Center Hires Public Service Commissioner Mary Throne

Prometheus Hyperscale, a new data center project in western Wyoming, has hired Wyoming Public Service Commissioner Mary Throne to help it navigate the regulatory environment. Throne starts Aug. 1 and will step down from her role at the PSC.

Renée JeanJuly 10, 2025

Broken Water fires at a target that is a thin silver chain, swinging in the wind.

You Can Walk In Jim Bridger’s Footsteps At 1838 Rendezvous In Riverton

The 1838 Mountain Man Rendezvous in Riverton isn’t just held near a historic rendezvous site, it’s the actual site. It's where Jim Bridger and Kit Carson walked when they met in 1838 for the annual end-of-season blowout.

Renée JeanJuly 06, 2025

Shoshoni’s former Town Hall is at one of Wyoming’s busiest crossroads for travelers, now it’s for sale to spur economic development. A cardiology clinic wants to buy the property for an operation that can serve a wide region of the state.

Town Of Shoshoni In Talks For State-Of-The-Art Cardiology Clinic

The town of Shoshoni has a population of less than 500 people but its town hall sits on one of the state's busiest crossroads. To attract economic development, the city offered it for sale. A cardiology clinic has proposed building a 7,620-square-foot clinic there.

Renée JeanJuly 06, 2025

Surging demand for electricians is filling up programs to train them, like this one at the Business, Agriculture and Tech Department of Laramie County Community College.

Employment Boom: Wyoming Unions Say Thousands Of Electricians Needed

Jerry Payne with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 322 told Cowboy State Daily he has a project in Kemmerer that will need 540 electricians. His counterpart with Local IBEW 415, Truett Thompson, needs another 400 to 500 electricians. That's just the tip of the iceberg, they say.

Renée JeanJuly 06, 2025

Chef Petrina Peart talks about her journey on the "Yes Chef!" reality cooking series which featured Chef Jose Andres and Martha Stewart, during a Monday night watch party at Brownie's Tasting Bar in Cheyenne.

Wyoming Chef Petrina Peart Celebrates ‘Yes, Chef!’ Finale With Celebrity Chef T

Chef Petrina Peart celebrated the end of her “Yes, Chef!” television culinary competition with fellow contestant and celebrity, Chef T. The collaborative cook-off featuring Martha Stewart showcased Appalachian and Wyoming foods.

Renée JeanJuly 05, 2025

This yellow tank is a tiger tank, used in the Korean War, playing off of superstitions about such powerful symbols.

Dubois Cheers As 24 Vintage Military Tanks Rumble Through On The Fourth Of July

Dubois triples in size for the Fourth of July as thousands fill the tiny Wyoming town to celebrate. The main attraction is 24 vintage military tanks that rumble through, anchoring the annual parade as monuments to freedom in America.

Renée JeanJuly 05, 2025

Ian Munsick’s Line Of Western Accessories Sells Out In Nashville

Wyoming native Ian Munsick is one of country music’s fastest rising stars. He’ll headline Cheyenne Frontier Days for the first time this summer, and his new line of buckles, bolos and other Western accessories has sold out in Nashville.

Renée JeanJuly 04, 2025

The Historic Cato Ranch is a working Black Angus cattle ranch.

Historic Sheridan Rodeo Ranch, Now A Working Angus Operation, For Sale

The P.K. Ranch hosted a rodeo that went head-to-head with Cheyenne Frontier Days in 1928 and still attracted 17,000 people from 28 states. The historic property, today known as the Cato Ranch, is going up for sale.

Renée JeanJuly 04, 2025

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