Wyoming My 307

Happy Holidays!  I’ve been collecting stories and anecdotes about Christmas in Wyoming - these stories highlight the uniqueness of celebrating the holidays during our harsh winters. From Portugee Phillips’ Christmas Eve ride to secure reinforcements for Fort Fetterman, to ordinary citizens and their determination to celebrate despite winter’s hardships, Christmas in Wyoming is not for the faint of heart!  

See the shownotes for links and more details!

Go to any Wyomingite’s home, especially if they have been here for generations, and you will find references to American Indian culture, or even native artifacts. On this episode I interviewed Jordan Dresser, Chairman of the Northern Arapaho Business Council on the Wind River Indian Reservation. He helped me understand what the repatriation of native artifacts means. His hometown of Ethete is our dot on the map, and you’ll be blown away by the Wyoming Wildlife segment. 

See the shownotes for links and more details!

Starting in 2018, Wyoming’s legislature passed a host of laws favorable to the blockchain industry, becoming the lead state in the field. This effort was shepherded by Wall Street veteran, Wyoming native and UW graduate Caitlin Long, who I interviewed on this episode. Prepare to learn about blockchain, beefchain, crypto-currency, Decentralized Autonomous Organizations and how all of this relates to Wyoming. Plus you’ll learn about a cryptic snake native to our state, and our Dot on the Map which has about 5000 citizens, none of which actually live there. 

See the shownotes for all the links and details!

When it comes to outdoor recreation, Wyoming has an embarrassment of riches! Whether you’re a resident or visitor, it’s impossible to get to all of it. In this episode I explored Hikes by Highways with Wyoming Outdoor Recreation Pathfinder Bruce Scigliano. We explored two routes to Yellowstone, and hikes right off the highways that would take us there. Bruce brings us hikes along the route from the Black Hills to Yellowstone. I brought us up from Colorado to Yellowstone. We picked hikes that were as close as possible to the highway so you can stop and stretch your legs along that classic road-trip to Wyoming’s wonder - Yellowstone National Park! This episode’s Wyoming Wildlilfe is guaranteed to be seen along both of those routes.

See the shownotes for all the links and details!

Wyoming has surprising connections to America’s history of flight - including heroic early mail flights, and the founding of America’s air stewards. This episode features an interview of Mike Kassel, co-author of Wyoming Airmail Pioneers, and Wyoming's Friendly Skies. A tiny Wyoming town, whose streets are former runways is explored, and we also learn about one of Wyoming’s biggest, and most distinctive sounding birds. 

See the shownotes for links and reference information presented in this episode.

Over 55% of Wyoming is public land, with 31 million acres open to hunting. Enter the Game Warden. One third of their job is enforcement of hunting, fishing, trapping and boating laws. This episode features an interview of Bill Robertson about his experience as a game warden, then delves into Otto Wyoming. Plus, Mountain Goats! 

See the shownotes for links and reference information presented in this episode.

Wyoming is a geologist's paradise, but you don’t have to be one to enjoy the geologic wonders that Wyoming offers. Just driving through the state gives us spectacular views of badlands, layered rock formations, faults and canyons. In this episode, geologist and Wyoming native Erik Kvale imagines a Jurassic era road trip through the Bighorn Basin. We also learn about the history and geologic importance of Medicine Bow WY, and are introduced to the Black Footed Ferrets once thought to be extinct, who are now being repopulated in the nearby Shirley Basin. 

See the shownotes for links and reference information presented in this episode.

When you fall in love with Wyoming, it's often because of the wide open spaces we're known for. This episode highlights outdoor recreation in our state; the effects we have on the natural world, and how it affects us. I interview Dr. Abigail Sisneros-Kidd and we learn about the town of Wapiti. Then I talk about an animal of which Scott Weidensaul said, "Before the East was logged, tamed and farmed...it, too, was the home of a creature the color of wheat that the Shawnee called wapiti." Join me to learn more!

See the shownotes for links and reference information presented in this episode.

Ranching in Wyoming - it's an industry, a vocation, and an important part of Wyoming's history and culture. This episode takes you behind the scenes, with an interview of Mary Flitner, life-long rancher and Wyoming author. We also explore the little town of Byron, and learn about bald eagles, and why my mom thought we ate horsemeat here in Wyoming. See the shownotes for links and reference information presented in this episode.

Crick or Creek? Join me in exploring words and phrases of Wyoming. Lexicographer and linguist Grant Barrett of the NPR podcast A Way With Words is my guest. Learn new words, pronunciations and have a good chuckle at my using the word agriculture as a noun. See the shownotes for links and reference information presented in this episode.