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The Twilight Zone In Chugwater, Wyoming

Caught 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 Outlaw Country. I am your host Jackie Dorothy and we are about to embark on a spooky journey across Wyoming. This is the most terrifying season yet as we explore the haunted history of the Equality State! 

On this journey, we welcome to the Twilight Zone Restaurant.

Debra D. Munn researched this tale for her book, “Wyoming Ghost Stories, Eerie True Tales.” It was one of the most baffling supernatural occurrences that took place in Wyoming on March 1959. 

I did further research and discovered newspaper stories from the 1920s that matched the strange story the three people had shared. Just a coincidence? I will let you be the judge!

This tale and my own research first appeared in Cowboy State Daily on October 13, 2024 and I am pleased to share it again with you! 

These episodes of Haunted Wyoming History are brought to you by Rooted in Legacy, my memoir coaching business. 

If you’ve been wanting to preserve those family stories but didn’t know where to start, I’d love to help. My website is legendrockmedia.com or just follow this link to schedule a free call with me, personally. 

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Be sure to subscribe to “Pioneers of Outlaw Country” so you don’t miss a single episode of this historic series.

Your hosts are Jackie Dorothy and Dean King and you can find us at (20+) Pioneers of Outlaw Country | Facebook

This is a production of Legend Rock Media Productions.

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Yellowstone’s Battle Against the Automobile

Getting 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 safe roads through the rugged Cowboy State and convincing the Park Service to even allow cars past the gates.

One determined driver crashed the gate going 25 mph and the mounted soldiers gave chase! The war to get automobile’s into Yellowstone had started!

Once permission was given, we have first hand accounts of what the Yellowstone National Park was like when it first allowed the contraptions legally beyond its gate.

This concludes our series along the Wind River Canyon Scenic By-Way, celebrating 100 years of this route to Yellowstone!  

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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 threat of falling into a roaring river. It took guts, grit, and more than a few prayers to carve tunnels and hang a highway from canyon walls that soared thousands of feet above the brave souls below!

It’s a story of blasting rock, battling floods, and threading a road through a canyon so tight and twisted, the river barely had room to run, let alone a Ford Model T! This is the story of building the Wind River Canyon Highway.

Before there was a road, there was only a dream. A dream of connecting the Big Horn Basin — a rich empire of agriculture, coal, and oil — with the rest of Wyoming. But standing in the way was the Owl Creek Range, a granite wall that had isolated northwestern Wyoming like an island in the sky.

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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 their new fancy cars. 

As autos became all the rage even in rural Wyoming, so did the increased need for good highways. 

Across the Cowboy State, Good Roads Clubs were formed and led the way to build better highways. 

In 1915, it was announced that the Yellowstone National Park would allow automobiles into the park and the Good Roads Club rallied, demanding that a smooth highway be built to the park. They were prepared to do whatever necessary to get their good roads!

A thank you to our sponsor, the Wyoming Department of Transportation, who was charged with building this road to Yellowstone as one of their very first projects!  Celebrating 100 years of the Yellowstone Highway through the Wind River Canyon and looking forward to many more to come along Wyoming’s scenic highway!

Please be sure to join the conversation on Facebook! We talk all things Wyoming history on our group page, Pioneers of Outlaw Country. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/237783835417157

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Be sure to subscribe to “Pioneers of Outlaw Country” so you don’t miss a single episode of this historic series.

Your hosts are Jackie Dorothy and Dean King and you can find us at (20+) Pioneers of Outlaw Country | Facebook

This is a production of Legend Rock Media Productions.

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Blasting Through The Wind River Canyon

Blazing 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 look tame. Those hardworking souls carved tunnels out of granite with picks, shovels, and sweat, all while exotic voices from Swedish, Italian, and Japanese laborers echoed between canyon walls.

Join us as we celebrate these hard working men - and donkeys - that laid track in one of Wyoming’s most remote and rugged canyon! 

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Be sure to subscribe to “Pioneers of Outlaw Country” so you don’t miss a single episode of this historic series.

Your hosts are Jackie Dorothy and Dean King and you can find us at (20+) Pioneers of Outlaw Country | Facebook

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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 success of Birdseye. 

But when the lead ran dry, the dreams turned to dust, and the camp faded into legend. 

 Join us as we explore the untold stories of the souls who worked and lost in this Wyoming frontier, where the echoes of the past still linger in every tumbleweed. Historian Jackie Dorothy uncovered stories of exploding cows, characters such as Deadwood Dick and more as businessmen and women tried to make their fortunes in this remote mining camp of Wyoming.

This episode continues the journey along the Wind River Canyon Scenic By-Way, a section of the Yellowstone Highway built in 1924. Years before the highway cut through the canyon, the route to Yellowstone National Park was to go over the canyon, through the mining camp of Birdseye. 

By 1909, the businesses and homes were abandoned and the mines closed. Only a dim memory lives on of this once vibrant mining town.

Brought to you in partnership with the Wyoming Department of Transportation. This is a production of Legend Rock Media with your hosts, Jackie Dorothy and Dean King.

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Be sure to subscribe to “Pioneers of Outlaw Country” so you don’t miss a single episode of this historic series.

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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 - but even these ferries were perilous and dangerous. 

 These stories and more are featured in this special podcast as part of the tales along the Yellowstone Highway explaining the dangers Wyoming pioneers faced just trying to travel along the old routes of the Cowboy State. 

Over time, these old ferries were replaced with bridges - but even that effort took time and effort. 

Join us as we cross these dangerous rivers - in partnership with the Wyoming Department of Transportation who remind you to buckle up during your own journeys along Wyoming's historic highways. 

 The Pioneers of Outlaw Country. 

Cowboys, Lawmen and Outlaws… to the businessmen and women who all helped shape Wyoming. 

Here are their stories

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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 directing me to the movie, Stagecoach. I admit I was a bit annoyed but then my curiosity got the best of me.  I finally listened to the radio dramatization of the movie - when I should have been researching, I admit!  Since I enjoyed it, I figured that many of you would, too. 

This is the radio adaptation of STAGECOACH, and was originally broadcast on January 9, 1949. The show stars John Wayne and Claire Trevor, reprising their film roles from the 1939 movie.

John Wayne as the Ringo Kid, Claire Trevor as Dallas and Ward Bond as Doc Boone. 

In 1885, the stagecoach was the only means of travel on the American frontier and in those days no name struck more dread into the hearts of travelers than Geronimo leader of the warlike Apache’s. Stagecoach is the story of a party of people who travelled from Tonto, Arizona to Lordsburgh, New Mexico by stagecoach. The passengers on the coach include the drunken Doc Boone, good-hearted prostitute Dallas, Lucy Mallory a pregnant woman, Hayward, a bank manager who has taken off with his client's money, and of course the famous Ringo Kid. 

Enjoy! - Jackie Dorothy 

With special thanks to the Wyoming Department of Transportation for sponsoring this special series that is celebrating 100 years of the Yellowstone Highway through the Wind River Canyon Scenic Byway! 

Remember to always buckle up on your adventures! 

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Be sure to subscribe to “Pioneers of Outlaw Country” so you don’t miss a single episode of this historic series.

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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 for a ride on this perilous route over the Wind River Canyon in Central Wyoming. There was no train or highway - only the rugged trail through Copper Mountain. 

This special edition of Pioneers of Outlaw Country celebrates the Yellowstone Highway through the Wind River Canyon by remembering why it was even built. It is a chance to experience the dangers the pioneers of Wyoming faced before the highway was built in 1924.

Brought to you by the Wyoming Department of Transportation and their Buckle Up Campaign! 

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Be sure to subscribe to “Pioneers of Outlaw Country” so you don’t miss a single episode of this historic series.

Your hosts are Jackie Dorothy and Dean King and you can find us at (20+) Pioneers of Outlaw Country | Facebook

This is a production of Legend Rock Media Productions.

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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 Yellowstone Highway through the Wind River Canyon, it would be a shame to overlook one of the hardest workers that helped bring in the modern age.

In between kicking up its heels and rolling in the mud, the mule helped build dams, railroads, highways and even brought electricity into the Wind River Canyon.

As a bonus, we share the story of one very mischievous mules named Gabriel who was saved from his antics by none other than Black Jack Pershing. His story was published in Wyoming papers in 1915. 

Special thanks to the Wyoming Department of Transportation who sponsored this series celebrating the Wind River Canyon Scenic By-Way and its rich history. Remember, Wyoming, to buckle up while enjoying your trip down this beautiful stretch of highway! 

Mule Train was sung by Frankie Laine in 1949. Johnny Curtis and the "Prairie Sons" was the muleskinner at the end. 

Support the show

Be sure to subscribe to “Pioneers of Outlaw Country” so you don’t miss a single episode of this historic series.

Your hosts are Jackie Dorothy and Dean King and you can find us at (20+) Pioneers of Outlaw Country | Facebook

This is a production of Legend Rock Media Productions.