Headlines

Explore a chronological display of Cowboy State Daily’s articles.

Jack O'Rourke and Michael, his youngest son, several hundred miles off the coast of North Carolina as the sun goes down on a 1,200-mile sail south to the Virgin Islands.

How A Landlocked Wyoming Native Became A Sailor In The Virgin Islands

After a childhood of camping in the backcountry around Buffalo, Wyoming, Jack O’Rourke finds himself most at home living on a sailboat thousands of miles away. He says people ask all the time “how a boy from Wyoming ended up in the Virgin Islands.”

Jackie DorothyMarch 30, 2025

Guest Column: Wyoming Doesn't Need To Go Soul-Searching On Social Media

Guest Columnist Gail Symons writes: "Technology and electronic media accelerate everything in a whirlwind of noise and turmoil. We need a moral compass anchoring us to what matters most. And we have one: The Code of the West."

Gail SymonsMarch 30, 2025

Cassie Craven: The Strange Bedfellows of Wyoming, Blockchain and Bill Gates

Columnist Cassie Craven writes, “Microsoft founder Bill Gates' group said it has received about $14 million in new funding in support of a pilot project in Wyoming. I thought we didn’t like those darn out-of-state influences and dark money? I guess that is only OK when the establishment tells us it is."

Cassie CravenMarch 30, 2025

After his suicide death in February, Hunter Harlow's family has launched a campaign to donate tennis shoes to those teens in need in honor of his lifelong love of sports.

Suicide Of Young Gillette Man ‘A Whole Different Level Of Grief, Pain’ For Family

Less than six weeks since her 20-year-old nephew took his own life, his Gillette aunt says she’s still wrapped up in “a whole different level of grief, pain, confusion.” She’s now trying to use his devastating decision to save others.

Jen KocherMarch 30, 2025

Cheyenne resident Hannah Snitko and her fiance both took DNA tests with 23andMe.

Wyomingites Who Gave DNA To 23andMe Left In Limbo With Company’s Bankruptcy

Wyoming 23andMe users are scrambling to delete their DNA data in the wake of the company announcing bankruptcy. Others say they hope a future buyer will use their genetic information to help develop medical cures.

Renée JeanMarch 30, 2025

Sandhill cranes take flight at Wyoming’s Table Mountain wildlife habitat management area.

Thousands Of Cranes Pour Into Wyoming For Spring Migration, Even A Few Whoopers

Sandhill cranes are pouring into Wyoming by the thousands during spring migration. A few rare whooping cranes are showing up too. Many cranes come here to nest and raise their young.

Mark HeinzMarch 29, 2025

Are Farmer’s Almanacs Still The First And Last Word For Farmers And Ranchers?

For generations, American farmers have lived and died by almanacs going back to 1792, but with current technology, are they still trusted? Scientific or not, getting a Farmer’s Almanac or Old Farmer’s Almanac is a treasured tradition.

Andrew RossiMarch 29, 2025

Wild Bunch member Tom O’Day’s pistol is on display at the Fort Caspar Museum as part of an exhibit on weapons. The pistol is said to have part given to his attorney for payment following a 1904 series of trials.

Wyoming History: Wild Bunch Outlaw Tom O’Day Traded His Colt To Pay A Debt

The Fort Caspar Museum has a Colt single-action Army pistol said to have belonged to Wild Bunch outlaw Tom O’Day. He gave it to his attorney as payment for defending him in a 1904 trial.

Dale KillingbeckMarch 29, 2025

The GeyserTimes Dashboard of webcams has become a wildly popular way for people to visit Yellowstone National Park year-round from anywhere on the planet. Fans also name their favorite features, like "The Sitting Sasquatch Tree" in the Upper Geyser Basin.

People Love Spotting ‘Sitting Sasquatch Tree’ On Yellowstone Webcams

GeyserTimes is more than a real-time view of Yellowstone National Park, it's a venue for park fans to share data and banter about their favorite spot on the planet. Wildlife, geysers and even the “Sitting Sasquatch Tree” are favorites on its webcams.

Andrew RossiMarch 29, 2025

The Casper Rail Trail currently has 6 miles of pathway in place and two additional miles of construction are planned this year out to Edness K. Wilkins State Park.

Wyoming Remains Huge Gap In 3,700-Mile Cross-Country Trail System

An ambitious effort to build more than 3,700 miles of trails across 12 states and Washington, D.C., moves ahead. But Wyoming remains a huge gap in connecting the West and East coasts.

Dale KillingbeckMarch 29, 2025

Even In Wyoming, Experts Say Shooting At Someone Stealing Your Stuff Not A Good Idea

It’s best to know what the law says about using a gun to defend yourself, your home and possessions in Wyoming before opening fire, experts say. A Casper man may learn that after unloading at his own truck while a guy was stealing it.

Mark HeinzMarch 29, 2025

Why People Drive Hours For Chugwater Soda Fountain’s Upscale Supper

Chugwater Soda Fountain is already famous for being Wyoming’s oldest operating soda fountain. Now it’s becoming known for its upscale Supper at the Fountain — and people drive hours for a spot at a table.

Renée JeanMarch 29, 2025

Truly in the middle of nowhere of southwest Wyoming, a historic Little America sign has been placed by Eddie Shumway. He found the treasure in his inherited junk pile and his daughter, Susie Brinkenhoff, painted it for him.

Long-Lost Little America Penguin Sign Rescued From Remote Wyoming Junk Pile

A historic metal Little America penguin sign was nearly rusted away, forgotten in a remote Wyoming junk pile, when rancher Eddie Shumway discovered it on his property in Hot Springs County. He has restored the iconic sign along an isolated highway.

Jackie DorothyMarch 29, 2025

Alfred Packer confessed to cannibalism for eating his five companions in the winter of 1874. He had been hired as their guide and instead got them lost in the San Juan mountains of Colorado during a blizzard. The spelling of his first name is wrong on this sign, a common mistake because Packer himself had a tattoo with his first name misspelled "Alfred."

A Wyoming Sheriff Caught Infamous Cannibal Alfred Packer, Brought Him To Justice

After eating his five traveling companions in the Colorado mountains in the winter of 1874, Alfred Packer eluded capture for nearly a decade. One of the most infamous cannibals in U.S. history was caught and brought to justice by a Wyoming sheriff.

Jackie DorothyMarch 29, 2025

Wyoming Again In Spotlight With New TV Series About ‘Happy Face Killer’

A new TV series on Paramount+ will feature the story of Keith Jesperson, who admitted to murdering at least eight women across five states — including Wyoming — between 1990 and 1995.

Jen KocherMarch 29, 2025

The American West: The Great Plains Inspired Mari Sandoz and Willa Cather

Two of the West’s best-known writers, Mari Sandoz and Willa Cather, found inspiration in the landscapes of Nebraska. In both cases the literature and the landscape endure. Cather called the harsh land "the happiness and the curse of my life."

Candy MoultonMarch 29, 2025

Bill Sniffin: My Personal Editor's Library Is Living On Borrowed Time

Bill Sniffin writes: “Despite my pride in them, I think these books will become dust catchers going forward into the future. Someday our kids and grandkids will have to lug all these books to some terrible place, like the dump."

Bill SniffinMarch 29, 2025

Joan Barron: Sure Hope You Can Find Your Birth Certificate By Next Election

Columnist Joan Barron writes: "I don’t think anyone wants to see illegal aliens voting in Wyoming elections, though the possibility is remote. But I also don’t believe that people want to disenfranchise residents who cannot comply with the new voter registration requirements."

Joan BarronMarch 29, 2025

Cowboy State Daily Morning Show — Saturday, March 29, 2025

It's the Saturday morning show with John Baggett from 6-10AM.

Jake NicholsMarch 29, 2025

A series of combative town halls last week prompted Wyoming congresswoman Harriet Hageman to cancel future in-person events. After threats in Laramie and Wheatland last week, there were no fireworks during her Friday phone-in town hall March 28, 2025.

After Threats Last Week, No Fireworks During Hageman Phone-In Town Hall

A series of combative town halls last week prompted Wyoming congresswoman Harriet Hageman to cancel near-future in-person events. After threats in Laramie and Wheatland last week, there were no fireworks during her Friday phone-in town hall.

Leo WolfsonMarch 29, 2025

The American West: Rattlesnake Kate Started Killing Snakes To Protect Her Baby

The legendary homesteader "Rattlesnake Kate" was a mama first. She slaughtered 140 rattlesnakes that dared surround her 3-year-old son while the pair were out on horseback, looking for waterfowl on the Colorado plains in 1925.

Linda WommackMarch 28, 2025

Jonathan Lange: The Censorship Machine Is Exposed - Time To Destroy It

Columnist Jonathan Lange writes: "We didn’t have a word for the suppression of ideas during COVID-19. But this outrageous collusion of manufactured academic claims, official government denials of the truth, and non-governmental organizations has since been dubbed the 'censorship industrial complex.'"

Jonathan LangeMarch 28, 2025

Reservation Man Accused Of Rape Found Not Guilty In Rare Federal Acquittal

A federal trial jury Wednesday found a 23-year-old Wind River Indian Reservation man not guilty of multiple sexual abuse charges. His accuser had claimed he raped her while she was drunk. Federal trial acquittals are extremely rare.

Clair McFarlandMarch 28, 2025

The Roundup: A Conversation With Cyning Meadowcroft

This week, host Wendy Corr visits with Cyning Meadowcroft, an Englishman who built his dream home outside of Cheyenne. Angelcynn Heall was built with a medieval method of construction, and Meadowcroft takes us on a tour of his 22-year project.

Wendy CorrMarch 28, 2025

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