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Pioneers of Outlaw Country: Wyoming History
Welcome to Pioneers of Outlaw Country: Wyoming History where we dive deep into the rugged, untamed spirit of Wyoming's rich history.
I’m your host, Jackie Dorothy. So pleased to meet you! I am a historian, journalist and memoir coach and you can find me at legendrockmedia.com. I’m the seventh generation of my family living in Wyoming and currently live near Thermopolis on the Wind River Reservation. My passion is to make history come alive!
Many of these stories have been forgotten and the pioneers are relatively unknown. Join us for a journey back into time that is fun for the entire family and students of any age!
This podcast series has been supported by our partners; the Hot Springs County Pioneer Association, the Wyoming Cultural Trust Fund, a program of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources, the Wyoming Humanities, and the Wyoming Office of Transportation.
Episodes
49 episodes
Ghost Town of Yellowstone: Cinnabar
In this episode of Pioneers of Outlaw Country, we travel back to the vanished railroad town of Cinnabar, once the bustling gateway to Yellowstone National Park. Born overnight as a frontier depot and abandoned just as quickly, Cinna...
Haunted Mines of Wyoming
Deep beneath Wyoming’s mountains, where daylight disappears and superstition takes hold, miners swore they were not alone. In the darkness of coal shafts and gold tunnels, ghosts whispered warnings, phantom animals stalked the living, and illus...
An Outlaw Christmas In Wyoming Territory
In the wilds of Wyoming territory, near present-day Newcastle, Alfred Nelson decided to celebrate Christmas by showing his sons want the season was truly about. This father showed by his actions that he was not only a man of courage, but a stro...
Headless Bride of Old Faithful Inn
Visitors to the Old Faithful Inn whisper about a pale young woman who drifts down the long-abandoned Crow’s Nest, her white gown floating behind her… and her head tucked neatly under her arm. Some say she’s a restless bride fr...
Lost Hunter of the Bighorns: A Wyoming Ghost Story
The Legend of the Ghost in Red FlannelThank you for joining me, Jackie Dorothy, for another adventure in Wyoming’s past on Pioneers of Outlaw Country. Today, we take a peek at another mysterious guide that saved the life of a lost hunter...
Ghostly Guides of Yellowstone
In 1870, 52 year old Truman Everts, an unskilled Easterner, was lost in Yellowstone with only two knives and a pair of opera glasses. He was slowly starving to death as winter set in, his only food the roots of thistles. Then ghostl...
The Missing Guests of Yellowstone
The Fountain Hotel was shrouded in mystery. It was the fanciest resort in Yellowstone, but not all their guests checked out. Newspapers across the nation carried the story about the millionaire’s missing heir. Park security in...
The Ghost Town of Kirwin: Haunted Wyoming History
High in the Absaroka Mountains lies the ghost town of Kirwin — a place built on promise, gold, and fear.Once the most modern mining town in Wyoming, Kirwin boasted electricity, telephones, and two-story homes in the wilderness. But after...
The White Devil: Wyoming Ghost Story
High in the Rattlesnake Range above Casper, Wyoming, a legend rides the wind. He is a ghostly white stallion known as The White Devil. In the 1800s, this spectral horse was said to protect his herds of wild mustangs fr...
Dead Man’s Trail: Wyoming Ghost Story
In 1866, danger haunted every mile of the Bozeman Trail. Red Cloud and his Sioux warriors were at war, defending their homeland against broken treaties and encroaching forts. Soldiers rode under constant threat, their lives hanging ...
The Haunting of Tom Horn: Wyoming Ghost Story
They say justice never rests—but neither does Tom Horn. After the infamous gunslinger swung from the gallows inside the Laramie County Jail on November 20, 1903, the prisoners left behind began to hear things: the creak of the...
The Ship of Death on the Platte River: Wyoming Ghost Story
Three times, early pioneers of Wyoming have been said to have seen an ancient ship of death. This fully crewed ship came like the mist, sailing down the Platte River near the present day city of Casper.This ship brought with it a horrify...
The Twilight Zone in Chugwater: Wyoming Ghost Story
The Twilight Zone In Chugwater, WyomingCaught in a blizzard, three people sought shelter and found much more than they bargained for as they entered the twilight zone in Chugwater, Wyoming.Welcome to Season 4 of the Pioneers of Ou...
Yellowstone’s Battle Against the Automobile
Yellowstone’s Battle Against the AutomobileGetting to Yellowstone National Park in the early days of the automobile was no simple task. Adventurous drivers believed it was possible, but first, two big hurdles stood in their way: building...
Dangerous Work: Building the Yellowstone Highway
Dangerous Work: Building the Yellowstone Highway Blasting a road through Wyoming’s Wind River Canyon in the 1920s was like chiseling a trail into the jaws of a granite beast—complete with dynamite, sheer cliffs, and the constant thr...
The Good Roads Club
The Good Roads Clubs in Wyoming were like the cheerleaders of the early highway system—rallying townsfolk, wrangling funds, and literally paving the way to Yellowstone National Park, turning bumpy wagon trails into smooth rides for motorists in...
Dynamite Adventures: Working on the Railroad
Blasting Through The Wind River CanyonBlazing a railroad through Wind River Canyon in the early 1900s was essentially hand-painting a snake’s skeleton—rugged crews, dynamite, burros, and sheer drops that would make a circus tightrope loo...
Ghost Town: Birdseye, Wyoming
A gold rush in the Copper Mountains of Wyoming brought 2,000 miners into the area in 1906. By 1909, nearly everyone was gone. For just a brief moment in time, hopes of a rich strike even excited Wyoming Governor Brooks who boasted of the future...
Bighorn River Ferry: Dangerous Crossings
The Bighorn River is a dangerous river in the Bighorn Basin and has claimed numerous lives in its depths. Lives were lost when high water would sweep away entire families. The ferries made crossing the dangerous Bighorn River safer ...
Stagecoach Radio Drama Starring John Wayne
Welcome to a special edition of Pioneers of Outlaw Country. Today you are in for a treat. Grab your popcorn as we dive into an old-time radio show. As I was researching the stage routes of Wyoming, my internet searches kept directin...
The Dangerous Birds Eye Stage Route
Wrecks, highway robbery and rockslides awaited the stage coaches that dared venture over Birds Eye Pass. This dangerous stage line route was full of peril but despite the risks, the stage coach ran every day, except Sunday. Join us ...
Mischievous Mules of Wyoming: Building the Wind River Canyon
When the mountain man brought the first mischievous mule into Wyoming he was unaware of the importance this stubborn, irritating critter would play in building the state. As we continue celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Yell...
Skeletons of Badwater Creek: A Wyoming Territory Mystery
16 skeletons, over an 80 year time span, were found along the banks of the Badwater Creek. Who were they and who murdered these people while Wyoming was still only a territory? Their stories were buried in old newspapers...
History Tour of the Yellowstone Highway
Journey with us through the rich and adventurous history of the Yellowstone Highway through the Wind River Canyon, now a scenic by-way. From its rugged landscapes to the tales etched into its cliffs, this byway has seen it all.We kick of...
