🚧 Wyoming Life | Cowboy State Daily

A screenshot from a Wyoming Department of Transportation highway camera shows snow falling on Togwotee Pass on U.S. Highway 26/287 near Wind River Lake on Monday morning.

Seasons Greetings: Wyoming Gets First Snow Of The Season

As many areas of Wyoming battle huge wildfires, the first snow of the season fell over Togwotee Pass on Monday morning. Meteorologist Don Day said this doesn't mean summer is over, but summer is on the way out.

Andrew RossiAugust 26, 2024

After a record year for growing humongous pumpkins in Wyoming last year, this summer has been “very, very difficult," said Jay Richard.

Wyoming's 'Pumpkin King' Having Difficult Year Growing Gigantic Pumpkins

Jay Richards, better known as Wyoming's "Pumpkin King," says it's been a difficult year for growing humongous pumpkins. He was hoping to break the 2,000-pound mark this year but said he made too many mistakes.

Andrew RossiAugust 26, 2024

Ham operator Casey Freund makes a handshake, slang for making a quick contact, to another park across the nation.

Ham Radio Still Alive And Kicking In Wyoming

Casey Freund of Thermopolis, Wyoming, goes by the call sign KC7E, but that’s not his TikTok handle. He’s one of the few who don’t need Wi-Fi or smartphones to keep in touch with civilization. He’s a ham radio operator.

Jackie DorothyAugust 25, 2024

Matt Warner's is one of the names carved into the Buckhorn Panel near the San Rafael River in Utah. He began his outlaw life early and was a friend of the notorious Butch Cassidy in Wyoming.

Butch Cassidy In Wyoming: Outlaw Buddy Matt Warner Started A Criminal Life Early

Butch Cassidy’s best friend Matt Warner started his life as a Western outlaw. At the age of 14, he thought he killed a man. That sent him running to Brown’s Hole, where he pulled off his first robbery before he’d turned 19.

Renée JeanAugust 25, 2024

Paula Volker has been teaching history and government in Natrona County schools since 1994. She was recently named Wyoming’s History Teacher of the Year by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

Casper Woman Named Wyoming History Teacher Of The Year

Kelly Walsh High School history teacher Paula Volker has been named Wyoming's History Teacher of the Year by a prestigious national history organization. They gave her the award because she believes using primary sources such as original documents is the best way to present history.

Dale KillingbeckAugust 25, 2024

West View of the log blacksmith shop is believed to have been built as early as the 1860s on the Hart Ranch. The Albany County Historical Society is looking into the best way to preserve the structure.

Laramie Bought Hart Ranch For Its Water, Now It Wants To Save The Rest Of It

The city of Laramie bought the historic Hart Ranch for its 1860s water rights. Now, the city is working out how to save the rest of the historic Wyoming ranch for future generations.

Jackie DorothyAugust 24, 2024

Family of Cheyenne Boy Who Saved Sister From Attacking Dog Writes Book For Kids

Bridger Walker was hailed as a hero when he saved his little sister Brielle from an attacking dog in 2020. Now he and Brielle are characters in their family’s new children’s book, “You Can Be a Hero.”

Amber SteinmetzAugust 24, 2024

In this image from the early 1920s, a group of Ku Klux Klansmen gather in an unknown location. Like much of America in the early 1920s, Wyoming seemed an opportunity for expansion for the Ku Klux Klan. Newspaper headlines proclaimed new chapters and the Klan openly advertised its growing numbers, but opposition and scandal would eventually bring the group down.

The Ku Klux Klan Pushed Into Wyoming In The Early 1920s, Then Wyoming Pushed Back

Like much of America in the early 1920s, Wyoming seemed an opportunity for expansion for the Ku Klux Klan. Newspaper headlines proclaimed new chapters and the Klan openly advertised its growing numbers, but opposition and scandal would eventually bring the group down.

Dale KillingbeckAugust 24, 2024

Butch Cassidy In Wyoming: A Perfect Hideout After His First Bank Robbery

Fresh off his first bank robbery in Telluride, Colorado Butch Cassidy finds the perfect hideout in Wyoming. His Brown’s Hole hideout remains one of the most remote places in the region.

Renée JeanAugust 24, 2024

Bones would get the better of JB Mauney this time at the 2010 World Finals.

Bones, One Of The Baddest Rodeo Bucking Bulls Ever, Was Only Ridden 5 Times

The legendary Bones was one bad bull and the GOAT. The two-time Professional Bull Riders world champion bucking bull was only ever ridden five times. He died peacefully in retirement Aug. 15 at age 21.

Jake NicholsAugust 24, 2024

Vic Goni, a sheep rancher, near the area where his sheep normally graze. On Thursday, firefighters arrived on the plains behind him to extinguish the House Draw Fire off Buffalo Sussex Cutoff Road.

Wyoming Sheep Ranchers Scramble To Save Flocks From 175,000-Acre House Draw Fire

Wyoming’s rural sheep industry was nearly destroyed when the House Draw Fire exploded to 175,000 acres, killing some sheep. Ranchers scrambled to save what they could. Now they have to find winter feed for those that survived.

Pat MaioAugust 24, 2024

Vies of the Remington Fire courtesy of the Rosebud County Sheriff's Office in Montana.

More Than 350,000 Acres Have Burned As Wyoming Fire Blows Up Into Montana

The Remington Fire that started in northern Wyoming blew up to nearly 130,000 acres and into Montana overnight Friday, with about 30,000 of that blaze in Wyoming. Including other major wildfires in the area, Wyoming's fires have burned more than 350,000 acres (some in Montana) so far.

August 24, 2024

Although the fall is fast approaching, it still feels like summer across Wyoming. At Holiday Park in Cheyenne on Thursday, the walking path around the lake was busy.

As Wildfires Burn Across State, Wyoming Can Expect “Fall-Like Weather”

Heat and wind are helping fan a number of wildfires across Wyoming, but there could be some relief on the way. A cold front is expected to bring “fall-like” and cooler weather to Wyoming this weekend.

Andrew RossiAugust 22, 2024

This GMC Yukon that sits crashed and abandoned in rugged terrain off Highway 14-16-20 in northwest Wyoming sparked a lot of speculation. Truth is, a suspected drunk driver left it there.

She Claimed Carjackers Got Her SUV Stuck, And It’s Been There For 2 Months

More than two months after an allegedly drunk woman claimed carjackers got her SUV stuck off Highway 14/16/20, it’s about to be recovered. But it’s going to be a bear of a job, requiring two wreckers and a crew of at least five.

Andrew RossiAugust 21, 2024

An intense hailstorm broke windshilds, toppled trees and caused extensive damage to the KOA campground at Devils Tower on Monday, Aug. 19, 2024.

Devils Tower Closes After Baseball-Sized Hail Shatters Windows, Knocks Down Trees

Devils Tower National Monument in northeast Wyoming is closed Tuesday after baseball-sized hail pummeled the area. Windows were shatterd, trees knocked down and the KOA campground severely damaged.

Andrew RossiAugust 20, 2024

Patrons at the opening reception of the 43rd Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody.

Buffalo Bill Art Show Opening Puts Cody In National Spotlight

The 43rd Buffalo Bill Art Show and Sale is one of the most important Western art showcases in the nation. Cody is in the national art spotlight with the show’s opening Friday.

Andrew RossiAugust 19, 2024

When Maggie Harrop stepped outside after a summer thunderstorm Saturday evening, she saw something spectacular over Laramie, Wyoming. An incredible burst of color seemed to be exploding from the cloud-filled sky.

Timing Perfect For “God-Moment” Storm Cloud Explosion Over Laramie

A Laramie woman captured “God-moment” photos of a sunset reflecting off a thunderstorm in a color explosion Saturday. The clouds are typical, said meteorologist Don Day, but her timing was perfect and images “amazing.”

Andrew RossiAugust 19, 2024

Wyoming inventions include the cartridge belt for soldiers, an electric garage door opener and a brutal execution method. Wyomingites hold more than 4,000 individual patents.

Wyoming Inventions: Cartridge Belt, Garage Door Opener, Innovative Execution Method

Wyoming citizens have come up with some interesting inventions. From a cartridge belt adopted by the Army which is still in use today to an automatic garage door opener to an innovative execution method that basically forced people to hang themselves.

Dale KillingbeckAugust 18, 2024

Creed Day from Evanston washes his steers named Carlos and Pickles at the Wyoming State Fair on August 16, 2024, in Douglas, Wyoming.

Scenes From The 2024 Wyoming State Fair

Cowboy State Daily photographer took these images at the 2024 Wyoming State Fair in Douglas. Enjoy!

August 18, 2024

From an ability to learn and shows recognition of flash cards to opening gates and doors, horses are pretty smart. A new study says they may be smarter than most previously thought.

New Research Says Horses' Intelligence Is Under-Estimated, Capable Of Strategic Thinking

A team of researchers in the UK has published research that says horses have higher levels of intelligence than previously thought and are capable of strategic thinking. Wyoming outfitter Sy Gilliland says "they are definitely smarter than we give them credit."

Andrew RossiAugust 18, 2024

The GC initials on this hill are still kept whitewashed in Grass Creek.

Wyoming Oil Fields Gave Rise To A New Western Outlaw — The Claim-Jumper

The discovery of oil in remote Wyoming sparked a flood of fortune-seekers to the Cowboy State. It also gave rise to a new kind of Western outlaw — the claim-jumper.

Jackie DorothyAugust 18, 2024

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

Inga Arvad was romantically involved with a young John F. Kennedy, was pursued by Adolf Hitler and ended up married to a Western movie star from Wyoming.

How Hitler’s “Nordic Beauty” And JFK's Love Became The Wife Of A Wyoming Movie Star

Inga Arvad had been adored by Adolf Hitler, loved by President John F. Kennedy and pursued by the FBI. She ended up marrying a Western movie star from Wyoming.

Jackie DorothyAugust 18, 2024

Blacksmith David Osmundsen gives a presentation about blacksmithing at the Wyoming Discovery Days.

Wyoming Blacksmith An Artist With A 3,500-Degree Forge And Hammer

Buffalo's David Osmundsen is an artist with a hammer and a 3,500-degree forge. The Wyoming blacksmith attracts students from all over the world to his Arrowhead Forge School of Blacksmithing where he teaches the ancient practice.

Jackie DorothyAugust 18, 2024

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