Serving all of Eastern Laramie County since 1908
Serving all of Eastern Laramie County since 1908
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At one time, this Wyoming man’s face was the most photographed image in the world. Darrell Winfield, 85, the original Marlboro Man, died Jan. 12. And now I can publish a column that I originally wrote in 2000. I interviewed him at his ranch and then later called him to go over the facts. He firmly told me, “No, you cannot publish that. You cannot write anything about me. It is all owned by Marlboro,” he said. So this column has sat there in my files for 15 years waiting for this day. Here goes:... Full story
When old-timers talk about economic trends out here on our isolated island of Wyoming, a big one always looms its head. Is Wyoming’s economy the opposite of the rest of the country’s? It may be coincidental but it seems the last three boom-bust cycles in Wyoming and the USA were like two ends of a teeter-totter. The Cowboy State’s economy seems to be counter-intuitive to the economy of the rest of America. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the USA was booming. Wyoming was hurting. The late... Full story
My, how things have changed in my wonderful newspaper business over the past 45 years! A week ago at this time, I was mingling with young, earnest reporters and gray-haired publishers. Plus even a few of the retired silver-haired mossback curmudgeons (like myself) who could still manage to drive across the state in the dead of winter to show up. Cheyenne hosted the annual Wyoming Press Association convention and, as near as I could tell, it was a big success. What struck me the most is not so...
We all know that Wyoming is the windiest state in the union but gusts recorded back on Jan. 5 raised some eyebrows. They were so severe, U. S. Sen. Mike Enzi even posted some of them on his Facebook page. If you are unlucky enough to live in Clark near Cody, you endured winds of 113 mph. What is surprising is that Clark only has an elevation of 4,659 feet. Muddy Gap, which straddles Carbon, Natrona and Fremont Counties, saw winds of 88 mph. Hiland between Shoshoni and Casper recorded 82 mph....
Wyoming is full of unusual and mysterious places. The Medicine Wheel between Lovell and Sheridan is one such place. The birthing rock north of Rock Springs is another. And one of the oddest of all is the Ames Monument, known as the “pyramid of the plains” located between Cheyenne and Laramie. That monument will be a primary focus of the Laramie event in June to celebrate the 125th anniversary of Wyoming. It is a unique structure that can barely be seen from Interstate 80 at the top of the She...
For a while it was all around me and then poof, it was gone. I am referring to the year 2014. How could a year go by that quickly? Alas, this means it is time to offer up my 2015 predictions of what is going to happen. Two people and one institution will fare very well in the new year, U. S. Sen. Mike Enzi, Gov. Matt Mead and the University of Wyoming. Sen. Enzi will be heading up the powerful Senate Budget Committee, which is one of the most influential jobs in the country. After easily...
Both statewide and worldwide, the biggest news story of 2014 has involved oil – both in how prices have dipped and how production has grown. Here in Wyoming, the state was experiencing a boom similar to the late 1970s and early 2000s as oil development has been going crazy. Back in June, bankers in Casper told me it was “the biggest boom” ever. A few months later, oilfield folks told me that people were being laid off and rigs were being idled because of the sudden declining prices. The price...
Sometimes, just sending folks a piece of Wyoming can suffice, even if it is a small one. In Riverton, Sandy Barton likes to give fresh sagebrush wreaths. In this vein, up in Buffalo, Jim Hicks tells this story: “At the start of WWII my folks had moved to California (dad was working at a US Army Air Corps Pacific Supply facility). Nobody in our family had any money. “I recall one of the relatives from Gillette sent along a Christmas greeting and the gift inside was a small sprig of Wyoming sag...
Retiring Secretary of State Max Maxfield thinks copies of the new Wyoming commemorative coin would make a great Christmas gift. Wyoming celebrates its 125th anniversary next year and the coin will be a wonderful keepsake. Go to the Internet to find out how to order it. Books by CJ Box, Craig Johnson and Alexandra Fuller are some favorite authors. Their books are available all over the state. In Worland, Debbie Hammons suggested gifts from Rocky Mountain Framing & Gallery. “Terry Cook, the o...
In a recent column, I questioned that in the current Wyoming Republican-dominated political landscape, would it even be possible for such popular Democrat governors as Ed Herschler, Mike Sullivan or Dave Freudenthal to win today? This was in the wake of the big loss suffered by Democrat Mike Ceballos who many (including this writer) thought would do much better in his race for State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Two Democrats contacted me with some spirited thoughts. UW Prof Phil...
A lonely bald eagle near Kaycee, a long pile-up of semi-trailer trucks on Interstate 80 near Rock Springs, dry roads all around Rawlins and high winds between Douglas and Wheatland. These were just a few of the adventures during a recent road trip around the state. It started on the last day of the most beautiful autumn most of us have ever experienced in Wyoming. On Sunday, Nov. 9, I listened to the Bronco game while heading over South Pass to Rock Springs to stay ahead of a big snowstorm...
When famed author and reporter Bob Woodward asked a Wyoming audience recently if they thought President Barack Obama was doing a good job – about 12 out of 500 hands went up. Later when he asked how many people thought the economy was improving, an overwhelming majority of people raised their hands. Thus is the paradox of booming Wyoming compared to the rest of the struggling country. Woodward is a terrific speaker who keynoted the Wyoming Business Alliance annual forum in Cheyenne. He also w...
According to all indicators, business in my home county of Fremont is going well. My banker friends and Chamber of Commerce officials say times are good. Business folks are doing brisk sales. And yet, I admit to feeling like I returned to Sleepy Hollow after a whirlwind spin around the state. If you think business is okay in Lander and Riverton, folks, you need to get out and see what is happening in Cheyenne, Laramie, Gillette, Casper, Rock Springs and Jackson. The level of building activity, b...
Know those “hazardous materials” suits that you see health workers wearing on TV? Well, they are not comfortable and they are difficult to get on and off. That is the conclusion by Steve Erixson, the administrator of the SageWest Hospitals in Lander and Riverton. He and his staff at the two hospitals have been working on Ebola issues ever since people started becoming infected with the deadly disease in Texas and other parts of the country. Other hospitals in Wyoming have been working on pla...
No, I am not running for any political office, but lately we have been all over Wyoming and what we have seen is very impressive. In Gillette for a state tourism summit, we heard Mary Silvernell of the Campbell County Lodging Board say that lodging tax receipts are at “an all-time high.” It is not tourists who are filling all those hotel rooms, but workers in the oil and gas industry. It appears the Powder River Basin is enjoying that similar kind of boom as that is occurring up north in the...
We joined folks from Laramie, Green River, Lusk, Rawlins, Saratoga, Encampment, Medicine Bow, Chicago and Sun Valley at an event at an even more obscure place in Wyoming recently. Does the name Elk Mountain mean anything to you? To a wintertime traveler on Interstate 80, the name Elk Mountain conjures up fearsome, scary images. That location in winter, which can occur from September to May, on this road is also where 16,000 semi-trailer trucks a day go blasting along, kicking up swirling snow...
For years, the giant billboard showing cars working their way down a street through a Wyoming cattle drive was stationed on the busiest highway in New York City. It was figured that this image was seen by millions of frustrated and stranded city-dwellers stuck in stalled traffic. Caption on the billboard read: “Rush Hour in Wyoming.” I was on the travel commission back in the 1990s when our brilliant director Gene Bryan came up with that idea. That image, which was snapped by the late Lan...
Wyoming has rarely gotten the reputation as a wet place. Perhaps except only when ski areas get buried or back when Cheyenne was inundated by a horrific super cell thunderstorm, our state is generally known as semi-arid. A tour of the state this spring, summer and early fall shows that Wyoming, incredibly, is still green in a great many places. Although snowpack levels in the mountains this past winter were not that high, a constant stream of rainstorms ever since has kept the landscape verdant...
As the leaves turn and the mercury plummets and occasional snow threatens our young trees, it gives a man pause. It is appropriate to recall those two most important questions that pop up this time of year: Where did the summer go? What did I do this past summer? Before talking about our elusive Wyoming summer experiences, it is important to point out that in many ways fall is the best time of year. The chilly mornings followed by sunny afternoons and crisp evenings provide enjoyable times....
Picture this: the most interesting man in Wyoming is surrounded by his beautiful wife, his pretty daughters in law, daughter and pretty granddaughters. He raises a glass in a toast and looks into the camera and says: “I don’t normally drink, but when I do . . . I drink Wyoming Whiskey.” That could be the key line in a TV commercial as a takeoff of the amazing beer campaign that got me thinking a few weeks ago about just who is the most interesting man or woman in Wyoming? After putting it to a...
Wyoming governors historically love hosting the One Shot Antelope Hunt in Lander. Gov. Matt Mead is no exception and will be hosting his fourth hunt on Sept. 20. The hunt now in its 71st year is a competition where three-man teams compete to see who can kill Pronghorn bucks the quickest and with just one shot each. Governors invite other governors and the competition is keen. Last year, Mead also invited former Vice President Dick Cheney. As someone who has been attending these events for over...
Most men secretly envy that male character in the beer commercials known as “the most interesting man in the world.” After watching that and also feeling a tinge of envy, I got to thinking about who is “most interesting man in Wyoming?” Or woman, for that matter. After all, this is the Equality State. Another key attribute is the name of the person you could pick to spend the rest of your life with on a desert island – now that would require someone interesting. This column is just a first attem...
After lots of finger-pointing, shrill complaints and off the wall ideas, the primary campaign of 2014 came to a close with predictable results. And as readers of this column may recall, I went out on a limb a few weeks ago and predicted the outcomes of the three most contested statewide races. How I did with those predictions deserves some comment but before getting into that, here are some other observations: It is truly impressive that an African-American man could capture one-third of the vot...
The 2014 Republican primary is shaping up to be a real doozy. Just about all the statewide action of this political cycle will be decided in less than a week from right now. Thus, it is time to make some SWAG predictions. (SWAG stands for Scientific Wild A** Guess). Here are my guesses in the key races of governor, secretary of state and state superintendent of public instruction: Governor - Let’s start at the top where two shrill and combative adversaries are challenging incumbent Gov. Matt M...
Way back in December 1999 I wrote a column, which detailed the achilles heel of Wyoming’s economic expansion - the lack of qualified workers who live here. My solution was inviting natives, former residents and frequent visitors back home to the Cowboy State as a key way to solve this problem. Now here we are 15 years later, the problem is not only still occurring but it might be worse today than it was way back then in the last century. And on a similar subject, now, like then, the o...
