Bill Sniffin
Bill Sniffin has been a publisher and author in Wyoming for 53 years. He formerly owned all or part interest in 20 different newspapers, magazines, print shops, ad agencies, and internet companies.
He is one of Wyoming's best-known columnists, having written a statewide column for more than 22 years and a local column for 38 years prior to that.
Sniffin has published six books including three Wyoming-themed coffee table books, called the Wyoming Trilogy. He lives in Lander with his wife Nancy.
Latest from Bill Sniffin
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Bill Sniffin: Summer Is Half Over – How Is Your Bucket List Coming Along?
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, "“And if our days are numbered, what are we going to do with those limited days? That is why the old idea of putting together a bucket list has always been so important to me.”
Bill SniffinJuly 13, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: Our Big Fat Glorious Wyoming Wedding – During Monsoon Season!
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “We had been relegated to the roles of Uncle Lewis and Aunt Bethany from ‘Christmas Vacation.’ According to that movie, my job was to keep from setting my toupee on fire with my cigar and Nancy’s was to not recite the Pledge of Allegiance when saying grace.”
Bill SniffinJuly 05, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: Water, Water Everywhere – And You Better Drink A Whole Bunch Of It!
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, "Dave Love, Gap Pucci, and Finis Mitchell have spent more time in the wilds of arid Wyoming than just about anyone. I doubt they ever carried one of those quart-size Nalgene plastic bottles of water with them. They probably never even heard of Nalgene.”
Bill SniffinJune 29, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: Here Are A Few Of My Favorite Wyoming Political Stories
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “Dick Cheney told the woman, as he was heading out the door: ‘I am Al Simpson and I am running for U. S. Senate. I sure would appreciate your vote.’”
Bill SniffinJune 22, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: I Am The Pater Familias – But How Did I Get Here?
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “Family legend has it that my grandpa rode into town on his motorcycle and swept Allie off her feet. They defied old Irish family traditions, drove off, and got married. That event was critical to me ultimately being here.”
Bill SniffinJune 15, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: Wyoming’s Most Fantastic Mountain Man Was Finis Mitchell
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “He was the Johnny Appleseed of the future trout paradise that these mountain lakes became. Today, it is common for hikers to catch trout in the 18-24 inch range. Each fish should have a label: ‘Courtesy of Finis Mitchell.’”
Bill SniffinJune 09, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: Wyoming Is A Summer Bucket List Dream – What’s On Yours?
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, “As a lover of the Red Desert, it still baffles me that I have not visited Adobe Town east of Rock Springs. This amazing wonder might be the most spectacular spot in the entire desert area.”
Bill SniffinJune 01, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: Lord, Please Give Wyoming One More Boom
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “It is important to note that usually all our recent booms were short-lived, like 5-10 years. One bust that I lived through was 20 years, 1982-2002. That was a long dry spell.”
Bill SniffinMay 25, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: 2024 Graduates Ask ‘What Is Going To Happen To Me?’
Bill Sniffin writes: “To 2024 graduates, your future is coming at you at a terrific speed and there is very little you can do to get ready for it, except get an education and use your education.”
Bill SniffinMay 18, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: Grit And Gumption — How Two Hardy Wyoming Women Lived To 108
Bill Sniffin writes: “From 1915 to 2024, these two pioneer Wyoming women saw incredible changes. They lived through world wars, a depression, outlasted 16 presidents, saw the first televisions, computers, the internet and social media.”
Bill SniffinMay 11, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: Folks In Beautiful Sublette County Got Their Share Of News In April
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “Calls to boycott Wyoming tourism have echoed from all corners of the world. Some observers say this could be as bad to the state’s reputation as the murder of Matthew Shepard way back in 1998."
Bill SniffinMay 04, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: I Own 2 Million Acres Here In Wyoming — And You Do, Too
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “About 90 minutes north of us is the 2,221,766-acre Yellowstone National Park. That is one helluva piece of spectacular real estate. We share that with 4 million other owners each summer.”
Bill SniffinApril 27, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: It Took A Miracle To Prevent Killings At Wyoming School 38 Years Ago
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, "The perpetrator was the town’s former lawman named David Young. He entered the town’s elementary school with a grocery cart full of guns and gasoline bombs.”
Bill SniffinApril 20, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: RIP Dave Kellogg, Tall In The Saddle For Good Works In Wyoming
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “Dave Kellogg was sitting in his favorite chair looking out the window at those wonderful mountains. When Carol found him, he had a scotch poured but untouched on the table beside him. The only thing missing was 'a damned good cigar.'"
Bill SniffinApril 13, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: Quality Medical Care Is Essential, Especially When Sickness Strikes
Bill Sniffin writes: “After initial consults and my wife Nancy being wired with a portable harness (that sent medical signals somewhere) she was placed on a bed in a hallway of the hospital and I was issued a chair next to her. We stayed there for the next 22 hours!"
Bill SniffinApril 06, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: A 47-Year Debt Repaid (To Me) In A Welsh Mountain Town
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “This small Welsh town was made famous in 1903 when Wyoming’s Buffalo Bill performed several shows in the area. Some giant redwood trees were planted there in his memory.”
Bill SniffinMarch 30, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: A Birthday Brings Thoughts About Death, Memories, And Best Decisions
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, "“When us oldsters scan the obits, we will often say ‘old enough’ or ‘too young,’ which usually compares the decedents to our own age. Young people have no idea what I am talking about here.”
Bill SniffinMarch 23, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: When Did You Fall In Love With Wyoming -- And Its Mountains, Canyons, Rivers, Deserts?
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, “I was thinking about how I came to love Wyoming. That is a long, complicated story involving a whole bunch of wonderful people.”
Bill SniffinMarch 16, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: ‘Stinkers And Clinkers’ Define A Lifetime In Business – A Game Of Survival
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, "Nancy and I were involved in the ownership of 20 different newspapers, magazines, print shops, ad agencies, internet companies, and other operations over 50 years. We even founded three Wyoming newspapers."
Bill SniffinMarch 09, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: Wyoming Doomed To Have No Large Cities — Why?
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “Biggest reason for the lack of major growth was the 20-year bust that Wyoming endured from 1982 to 2002. Wyoming languished during this bleak period with a ‘make do, get by’ attitude.”
Bill SniffinMarch 02, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: A Good Tax? Shootouts. My Favorite Deer. Fun Tourism Conference.
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, “A revolutionary tax program has been proposed that would get rid of property taxes for 97 percent of the home-owners in Wyoming. It is a fantastic idea.”
Bill SniffinFebruary 24, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: I Like Big Buttes And I Cannot Lie!
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, "Between Wyoming’s soaring mountains and spectacular valleys are a series of bumps, called buttes, all over the state – and I love them all."
Bill SniffinFebruary 17, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: Longest Highway In America Enters Wyoming At Lusk, Exits At Yellowstone
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, “All the major historic roads from the Lincoln Highway to the Union Pacific Railroad to the Pony Express to the first telegraph line. All passed through Wyoming territory.”
Bill SniffinFebruary 10, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: Wyoming’s Far-Flung Population - How Do We Knit Everyone Together?
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “The University is a huge magnet for bringing Wyoming folks together. The Brown and Gold logos also mark the Cowboy State, itself.”
Bill SniffinFebruary 03, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: When It Comes To Wyoming Political Personalities, Bobbi Barrasso Was Perfect
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: "People who spend their lives in politics somehow are not supposed to be as 'nice' as the late Bobbi Barrasso, wife of U. S Sen. John Barrasso."
Bill SniffinJanuary 27, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: I Have Seen The Future. It's Just Like Today, Only Different
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “My futurist friend sees Wyoming as a bastion of common sense with its conservative values. Biggest advantage for Wyoming is its small population.”
Bill SniffinJanuary 20, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: Red Desert Is Wyoming Treasure - We Need To Fight For Access
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, "This desert is a place devoid of permanent human habitation. It has been the scene of American Indians, Oregon Trail travelers, gold prospectors, the Pony Express, the first telegraph poles, and other intrepid souls trying to conquer an unconquerable place.”
Bill SniffinJanuary 13, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: Looking Ahead In 2024 — National Election Will Be Huge For Wyoming
Bill Sniffin writes, “The 2016 win by Donald Trump, who was a true business person, stimulated fossil fuel development so that the USA became an exporter of energy. That was truly amazing.”
Bill SniffinJanuary 06, 2024
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Bill Sniffin: Terrible Winter, Big Loss Of Wildlife, Crazy BLM Plan Dominated The News In 2023
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, "The biggest tragedy and what should be the biggest news story was the amazing loss of life among deer and antelope during these cold winter months.”
Bill SniffinDecember 30, 2023
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Bill Sniffin: Last Minute Christmas Gifts – How Do You Gift-Wrap An Elephant?
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “She dreamt that she and our grandson Wolf were trying to tame our new elephant. It even had a name: Spectrum. “It was SO real,” she said, before rolling over and going back to sleep.”
Bill SniffinDecember 24, 2023
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Bill Sniffin: Driving To Cheyenne In Winter For Christmas Party – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, "Last winter, Interstate 80 was closed so much, it almost disrupted parts of the national economy because of those 13,000 stalled semi-trucks that pass through each day.”
Bill SniffinDecember 16, 2023
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Bill Sniffin: Bob Beck, Phil Roberts, Jack Nokes Discuss Winter Driving In Wyoming
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, "Oh, how bad could Interstate 80 get between Cheyenne and Laramie in the winter? Really bad. Some friends of Cowboy State Daily chimed in about winter driving in the wake of my column last week about winter roads in Wyoming."
Bill SniffinDecember 09, 2023
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Bill Sniffin: Who Better To Give Safe Winter Driving Advice Than Me!
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, “Our family’s first winter trip over Interstate 80 was in 1971. We were stopped on an icy hill behind another car. It was an awful blizzard. My wife Nancy started to panic. ‘We are sliding backwards!’ she yelled.”
Bill SniffinDecember 02, 2023
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Bill Sniffin: On My Mind – Blizzards, Folks We’ll Miss, And Advice For Newcomers
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, "Good God, the snow just keeps on coming! It is now being measured in feet here in Lander, not inches."
Bill SniffinNovember 26, 2023
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Bill Sniffin: Business Forum Is A Statewide Reunion From Across A Big Wyoming
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “Former Gov. Dave Freudenthal talked about how the original founders of the state felt strongly that residents had both the desire and the ability to pay their own way.”
Bill SniffinNovember 19, 2023
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Bill Sniffin: Creating Jobs By Involving All 30,000 Wyoming College Students
UW President Ed Seidel said, “We realized we could have more success with 30,000 college students as a working number than just the 12,000 students at the University of Wyoming.”
Bill SniffinNovember 15, 2023
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Bill Sniffin: Influential National Heritage Foundation Leader Has Deep Wyoming Roots
Bill Sniffin writes: “Heritage President Kevin Roberts predicts Joe Biden will be dumped by the Democrats and California Gov. Gavin Newsom will become their nominee.”
Bill SniffinNovember 11, 2023
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Bill Sniffin: We Boomers Were Born On Third Base And Thought We Hit A Triple
Bill Sniffin writes: “Pretty soon, our generation was running the country and the world. Just 46 years after our arrival, we elected our first of four baby boomer presidents with Bill Clinton in 1992.”
Bill SniffinNovember 04, 2023
Bill Sniffin: Mike Dabich and Paul Kruse Among Wyoming ‘Giants’ I Have Known
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “A ‘giant’ human needs to be over 7 feet tall. Two good friends who come to mind are Mike Dabich of Hudson and the late Paul Kruse of Lusk.”
Bill SniffinOctober 28, 2023
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Bill Sniffin: Journalism From Slow Wooden Type To Lightning-Fast Digital
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes: “We called what we did ‘refrigerator journalism.’ Every refrigerator in town had clippings from our paper plastered on the front of it with a magnet.”
Bill SniffinOctober 21, 2023
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Bill Sniffin: Eclipse Is When The Heavens Endow Us With A Magnificent Show
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, “We did see the eclipse Saturday from the Green River, from the Pilot Butte Historical Site, and from the Merc in Farson. Wyomingites had a great view of the event.”
Bill SniffinOctober 15, 2023
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'Ring-Of-Fire' Eclipse Dazzles Viewers Across Wyoming
All eyes were looking up Saturday morning as a "ring-of-fire" eclipse was visible as it made its way southeast across the United States, including some excited viewers in Southwest Wyoming.
Bill SniffinOctober 14, 2023
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Bill Sniffin: Wyoming Is Far From Being A ‘Big Empty’
Bill Sniffin writes: “From my vantage point crisscrossing the state, Wyoming doesn't look empty. It looks like a kaleidoscope of colors as river-formed canyons, big mountains and unique buttes abound all around us.”
Bill SniffinOctober 07, 2023
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Bill Sniffin: Bird’s-Eye View Of Wyoming – There Is Nothing Quite Like It
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, "One of my most extraordinary flying experiences ever was floating in a helicopter near the face of Wyoming’s highest mountain - Gannett Peak."
Bill SniffinSeptember 30, 2023
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Bill Sniffin: Wyoming Is Full Of Beautiful River Towns, So Which Is The Prettiest?
Bill Sniffin writes: “One of my all-time favorites is Evanston, which has taken its Bear River and made it a dominant item on its landscape. This town might deserve the prize for best use of its river.”
Bill SniffinSeptember 23, 2023
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Bill Sniffin: Wyoming’s Love-Hate Relationship With Interstate 80
Bill Sniffin writes: “I am always complaining about the 12,000 to 16,000 semitrailer trucks on Interstate 80. Even if 99% are courteous and safe, that other 1% means 120-150 monsters making stupid decisions that risk the lives of all of us.”
Bill SniffinSeptember 16, 2023
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Bill Sniffin: A Pair Of 70-Somethings At The ‘Barbie’ Movie — What Could Go Wrong?
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, “If you can see the opening 10 minutes and the last three minutes, well it gets a partial thumb’s up from me. The rest is a thumb’s down.”
Bill SniffinSeptember 02, 2023
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Bill Sniffin: Fantastic Landmark Arch Near Spot Where 15 Brave Firefighters Died 86 Years Ago
Columnist Bill Sniffin writes, "This past week marks the 86th anniversary of the worst fire fighter disaster in Wyoming history. And that disaster occurred in the shadow of what might be the state’s most unique landmark."
Bill SniffinAugust 27, 2023