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Small Stream Dry Fly Nirvana

March 31, 2020

We welcome you to explore Dubois fly fishing in the recent film, Small Stream Nirvana by the folks at The New FlyfisherSelf-described as “one of the best videos we’ve ever made” Tom Rosenbauer, Mark Melnyk, and the folks at The New FlyFisher put together a film detailing their fly fishing adventures in the Dubois area with local guide, Jeramie Prine of Dunoir Fishing AdventuresIf you’re curious about what Dubois has to offer in terms of fishing, the great outdoors, and guiding services this video is a must watch. 


Wyoming Itinerary Contest Features Dubois Visit As First Prize

July 1, 2019

The Wyoming Office of Tourism is inviting people to submit their favorite Wyoming itineraries as entries in its 2019 “Fly Your WY” contest.  The prize: A Wyoming Winter Getaway” in Dubois, between January 18 and 20, 2020, including a bighorn sheep trek and a guided snowmobile tour. Airfare is included.

“What parts of Wyoming move you?” the announcement asks. “Which local gems would you tell your closest friends not to miss? Do you prefer Wyoming’s adventurous side, western charms or family-friendly events?”

A three-day itinerary must include 3 photos, with bonus points for “creativity and hidden gems.” The deadline for entries is midnight, September 2. Winners will be chosen on the basis of a public vote on social media between September 9 and September 23.

Local Cowgirl’s Tale of Resilience Becomes Amazon Best-Seller

June 8, 2019

We think of her as our favorite female country singer, but Jess O’Neal is now becoming a best-selling author on Amazon. Her new book She Wilds Ride Horses, its title taken from a popular country song, is a love song for the West and how embracing its landscape and culture have inspired this ranch girl’s recovery from a disabling accident at a young age. The reviews are great, and it’s a hot seller online.

“I truly enjoyed her use of language and was so drawn into the story I read it all in one sitting,” wrote one reviewer on goodreads.com. “One of the best memoirs I’ve ever read,” said another.

Mother Bear on Togwotee Pass Highway Raises Dilemma

June 1, 2019

When a Game & Fish wildlife biologist gently steered grizzly sow Felicia and her cubs off the Togwotee Pass highway in May and back into the woods, the incident raised hackles among tourists hoping to catch a view of the bear — and among some wildlife advocates. The tourists’ objections were obvious, but why the advocates? Because female bears often hike the highway with their cubs to protect them from aggressive males hiding in the trees (as has been discovered in Grand Teton National Park).

But sows and cubs have also been struck by cars on the highway. What’s the best solution?

Education, suggests one photographer. And electronic signs warning about bears on Togwotee Pass have been installed facing westbound traffic just west of Dubois.

Cross-Country Cyclist Lured Back to Explore Dubois

April 24, 2019

The article in the website eastidahonews.com is titled “Man Biking Across America Makes a Stop in Idaho Falls,” but the real story (in his Facebook post, copied at the bottom of the article) is all about Dubois. The Facebook post tells how, after passing through Dubois, he just had to return for a longer visit.

Cyclist Ron Storms “called Meghan [Schreiner, his girlfriend, who is documenting the trip] and suggested he just ride as far as he could today and come back since Dubois is a unique little town they should explore. “

Storms rode 25 miles yesterday and then returned. Afterwards he and Meghan had lunch in Dubois and went on to explore the petroglyphs outside town.

One of many cross-country cyclists who pass through Dubois every summer, Storms is riding from Oregon to Pennsylvania, with his dog Onyx following in a bicycle trailer, to raise funds for an organization that provides service dogs for people who need them.

Dubois Naturalist Warning of Human Recreation’s Impact on Wildlife

March 21, 2019

Like many who move to Dubois to retire, the former education director of the Teton Science School has found himself drawn irresistibly to a cause in support of the local natural environment that he loves. Bruce Thompson has been studying the effect of the outdoor activities we enjoy — particularly mountain biking and hiking in the wilderness — on the lifestyle of local wildlife. And he has reached a troubling conclusion.

Thompson has mapped the distance at which an animal will reverse course to avoid a human traversing its habitat. He finds that animals will flee at more than twice the distance most people think would bother them: 495 rather than 194 feet. When trails are heavily traveled by bikers or hikers (especially those with dogs), he says, the effect can be to disrupt migration paths and to disturb the daily routines of wildlife, much as you’d make some changes if you began to find strangers walking through your kitchen.

“[A]s you put the statistical information together, it really becomes compelling,” Thompson is quoted as saying. “I wasn’t planning on getting involved with this issue in my retirement, but the more I learn, it’s not something I can persuade myself to let go of.”

Wildlife Numbers Booming on Nearby Indian Reservation

March 14, 2019

A trip to Dubois from Denver includes a dramatic drive across the Wind River Indian Reservation east of Dubois, during which glimpses of grazing wildlife are almost certain, long before arriving at Yellowstone. An article on the website of the Wyoming State Historical Society details the dramatic recovery in populations of elk, deer, pronghorn antelope and other species on the reservation over the past century.

Residents in the Eastern Arapaho and Shoshone tribes have worked with Federal and Wyoming agencies to restore native animal populations including most recently bison. The article includes a detailed map showing migration patterns being studied in a current research project.

New Summer Camp Gives Kids a Week With Bighorns

February 15, 2019

Besides the usual summer camp fun — hiking, kayaking, and campfires — a new program from the National Bighorn Sheep Center will give kids a week of learning about these fabulous wild creatures and even conducting research with biologists from Wyoming Game & Fish. Held from July 7-11 for campers ages 9-12, Camp Bighorn costs $500 for full lodging, activities and meals. Scholarships are available. Contact sara@bighorn.org for more information.

WYO Music Video Captures Dubois as the Great Escape

February 15, 2019

Not only has Expedia named Dubois as the best place in Wyoming for a getaway, a new video by the Los Angeles-based music group WYO makes it the setting for an actual escape. “Moonlight” gives eye-popping views of the area as the scene for a couple  running toward a wilderness place of refuge. Filmed at 3 Spear Ranch, the video  features spectacular night skies and images of  badland vistas. “It’s part music video, part science fiction flick, part western thriller,” says the review in Variance magazine.

Wyoming Agencies Ask Community Help in Bighorn Lamb Dilemma

January 21, 2019

In a series of public workshops between February and June, 3 state agencies will collaborate with the National Interpretive Bighorn Sheep Center to ponder and try to solve a mystery: why so many bighorn lambs in the herd near Dubois appear to succumb to pneumonia. Experts from the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, the Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation and the University of Wyoming’s Ruckleshaus Institute will gather at the Bighorn Sheep Summit to search for solutions to the fact that the herd has never recovered from a die-off due to pneumonia in 1991, and is down to about 30% of its peak population of 2500.

New York Times Uses Dubois to Picture Wyoming as Top Travel Destination

January 9, 2019

The New York Times has chosen Wyoming as #40 on its list of the top 52 places in the world to visit in 2019, ranking just below Batumi in the Caucasus and the French town of Marseille, but above Los Angeles and Dakar, Senegal.

And the striking image it uses to depict the wonders of the state? A woman on horseback somewhere in the back and beyond, near Dubois. The text points out that 2019 is the 150th anniversary of women’s suffrage in Wyoming, the first state to grant women the right to vote. From the start and still today, it’s a great place for a woman to sense true freedom.

XC and Snowshoe Trails Groomed and Waiting!

December 12, 2018

No more heavy trudging to break trails! The hardy volunteers of Dubois Area Recreation and Trails (DART) have been out tamping the powder at Deception Pass and Falls Campground. The trails are “in great shape for skiing, snowshoeing and fat biking. Go out and enjoy!” wrote DART ‘s Shannon Chandler on Facebook. Watch a video of the grooming under way!

Lodge Owner Acts to Clean Up Water at Brooks Lake

November 29, 2018

Yes, you can catch fish in a replica of heaven at Brooks Lake. But according to this article, they are skinnier than they should be, due to algal blooms that make Brooks Lake itself less than healthy–and interfere with the ability of the fish to feed.

The current owners of nearby Brooks Lake Lodge are taking strides to correct the problem, introducing an expensive new waste-treatment system to assure that it is not contributing to poor water quality in the legendary lake.

Growth of micro-organisms in the summer and icing over in the winter have interfered with the function of previous technology intended to keep the lake’s waters clear as crystal. The Lodge anticipates completing the new system and obtaining full clearance from the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality sometime next summer.

Local Antler Business Donates Proceeds to Veterans

November 19, 2018

An Associated Press article features Horns for Heroes, a Dubois-based organization that benefits veterans’ groups through proceeds from the sale of high-quality knives, jewelry, and ornaments made from deer and elk antlers. The project is the venture of local resident Ben Barto, who began hand-crafting antler items as a teenager.

One of Barto’s motivations for creating the volunteer organization was the fact that Marine Chance Phelps, who had worked for him as a high school student, died in action in Iraq. Phelps’ story was later featured in the film Taking Chance starring Kevin Bacon.

Dubois Highway Named Top Priority to Reduce Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions

October 18, 2018

A multi-agency group in Wyoming has named a 26-mile stretch of Federal highway that passes through Dubois as its most critical region for reducing collisions between vehicles and wildlife. The Wyoming Game and Fish Department and the Wyoming Department of Transportation as well as  four private agencies want to save lives and maintain or re-establish wildlife migration routes.

The highway between Stoney Point west of Dubois and Dinwoody to the east is visited by countless mule deer, pronghorn antelope, and rare bighorn sheep–and many thousands of passing motorists who hope to see them. The Wyoming Wildlife and Roadways Initiative intends to raise funds for overpasses, underpasses, fencing improvements, and new signage.

Locally Made Video About Wind River Range to Appear on National PBS

October 17, 2018

The documentary “Glaciers of the Winds” has been accepted for distribution on national public television, Wyoming PBS announced this week.

Produced at Central Wyoming College, the documentary describes research into the Wind River Range whose mountains “slash across 120 miles, have more than 40 named peaks over 13,000 feet, and contain seven of the largest glaciers in the American Rockies.” The film also describes the retreat of these glaciers with global warming.

Dubois Featured in New Video by Western Singer Mary Kaye

October 8, 2018

When singer-songwriter Mary Kaye appeared in Dubois last August for Art Walk Weekend, she took time to capture the experience on video.

There wasn’t much she missed about this small town, from the Friday night rodeo to the Opportunity Shop to Welty’s where Butch Cassidy once shopped, with stops to visit nearly all of our diverse artists and artisans.

“Pablo Picasso said the purpose of art is washing the dust of our daily life off our souls,” says Mary. “This was very true of the art I experienced.”

The video is now posted on Facebook.

Newsday Names Brooks Lake Lodge Top Place to Escape Cabin Fever

October 3, 2018

Brooks Lake Lodge west of Dubois has scored again as a destination for winter sports. The family travel section of New York City-area newspaper “Newsday” has named it as one of five top places to “connect with your clan” this winter.

Tractor Becomes a Robot on Dubois Ranch

September 13, 2018

Filming at two local ranches during the annual Susan K. Black Foundation art workshop, painter James Gurney found two tractors from the 1940s, which inspired in him visions of a future in which android cowboys do the roundups and drones work the rodeos. Here, he creates an image of a robot resting after being put out to pasture because newer models are more efficient. The video features interviews with Dubois artists Tom Lucas and John Finley, owners of the antique tractors in question. (Lucas still uses one of them for light work. Finley can’t get the other one going again.)

Elk Populations Strong Ahead of Hunting Season

September 11, 2018

The Wyoming Game & Fish Department reports “booming” elk populations this year, numbering about 31% above its objectives for the season, according to a report in WyoFiles. However, the picture is complicated, especially in the northwest of the state, where protected predators in the Greater Yellowstone Region are forcing many elk to abandon traditional feeding grounds for safer areas, many of which are inaccessible to hunters. “Some Gros Ventre elk are known to have shifted drainages and moved to the Dubois area” or to Green River, says the article.

National Geographic Names Brooks Lake Lodge One of Best Lake Resorts

September 5, 2018

Brooks Lake Lodge west of Dubois has been designated one of the top lake resorts in the world, joining luxury hotels in Patagonia, Italy, Scotland, and several others in the United States. The lodge, which offers a luxury version of a dude ranch holiday in the Shoshone National Forest, was built in 1922 to serve tourists en route to Yellowstone.

Dubois Pioneers Rural Telehealth With Jackson Hospital

August 22, 2018

A patient at Mountain Sage Family Clinic in Dubois, one of the most remote towns in the United States, has been the first to benefit from the use of health care from Wyoming’s best hospital in an example of remote care that is “remote” in two senses. The new telemedicine system at St. John’s Medical Center in Jackson, about 90 miles away from Dubois, allows patients seen by family practitioner Tracy Baum to have video visits with specialists over the Internet. St. John’s, which is about 90 miles away from Dubois, has won a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid and was designated the safest hospital in Wyoming by the medical risk-management firm Quantros.

Fashion and Travel Bloggers’ Video Calls Dubois “The Coolest Ever”

July 24, 2018

Kelsey and Jake Bang, well known to the style-conscious for Kelsey’s blog and their presence on Instagram, feature Dubois in their latest video, showing their visit to town one rainy Sunday last May.

Even though it was “just dumping rain” for much of their stay during a slow Sunday in the off-season, they found plenty to enjoy.

After spending some time figuring out how to pronounce the name of our town, the duo go on to show their visits to the Scenic Overlook, the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center, the Jackalope exhibit at a gas station in town, and a Olson’s Western store.

“Downtown’s super-cute,” says Kelsey.

Dubois History Featured on Wyoming PBS

July 19, 2018

Local historian Steve Banks is featured on the Wyoming PBS program “Main Street” this month, in an interview about the history and future of our town.

A Wyoming native, Banks edited and re-issued a definitive oral history of Dubois (Recollections of the Upper Wind River Valley by Esther Mockler). Drawing on this knowledge, he talks about how Dubois got its name, which is the focus of the program.

But along the way he also describes the earliest history of the area, from the migrations of the native Shoshone and the first European settlers, based on his extensive research into the history of mountain men. He ends by describing what Dubois is like today.

“I have never been in a community that has the … brotherly love that this community has,” he says. The interview with Banks, enhanced with many historic and scenic images, begins at 17 minutes and 23 seconds into the 28-minute video.

New Partnership Aims to Find What is Threatening Local Bighorns

July 13, 2018

Why has the unique herd of bighorn sheep in the mountains above Dubois dropped in size from above 2,500 before 1990 to barely 750 now?

In collaboration with Dubois’ National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center, three other organizations — Wyoming Game and Fish, the Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation, and the University of Wyoming’s Ruckelshaus Institute — have launched a study to determine why the sheep do not gain as much weight as expected in the warm summer months, and why so many young are dying by autumn.

Researchers will implant vaginal sensors into ewes that will alert them when lambs are born, allowing them to study the young. One of the suspects is a strain of bacteria that can cause pneumonia, which may be passed on during pregnancy or at birth.

“Mass Grave” of Pre-Dinosaur Creatures Under Study in Dubois

July 6, 2018

In rocks from the late Triassic, more than 200 million years old and formed before the age of the dinosaurs, paleontologist David Lovelace of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his team have unearthed remains of metoposaurids, ancient amphibians that died during a lengthy drought.

Student Aaron Kufner described the Dubois dig on Twitter as “excavating a mass grave site of metoposaurids.”

“It’s not much to look at, but it’s the right side of a #metoposaurid skull,” he tweeted on June 22.  “I wasn’t able to uncover more before the storm rolled in, but the field season is looking promising!”

In a presentation at the Dubois Museum, Lovelace said that the late Triassic is an under-studied era in prehistory. The new dig new Dubois promises, like the discoveries of ancient Native American villages in our nearby mountains, to help add a new chapter to the science of the past.

Roadworks North of Dubois to Help Clear the Way for Cutthroat Trout

July 2, 2018

The pavement in some spots of East Fork Road north of town will shrink to one lane this summer, and the going may be tough for wide trailers, but it’s all in a good cause: Making passage easier for Dubois’ treasured, genetically pure cutthroat trout.

Workers for Fremont County Transportation are teaming with three environmental agencies to reconnect about five miles of spawning habitat. The construction involves installing a culvert and weir to widen the road crossing, which should prevent flooding during spring high water.

Pete’s Pond, Former Toxic Waste Site, About to Welcome Young Anglers

May 25, 2018

In a partnership between many different agencies and the Dubois Anglers and Wildlife Group (DAWGS), a new fishing pond for children is about to open on the former sawmill site just east of the Dubois Medical Clinic.

The site is a great example of environmental renewal. It was cleaned of toxic waste beginning in 2012, after the dubious distinction of earning a “brownfield” designation from the Environmental Protection Agency due to the presence of chemicals such as benzene. Now, it is being used for purposes that promote good health: a clinic, a fitness center, a new assisted living facility, and soon, a park .

The new pond is adjacent to the Wind River, which is so deep and turbulent much of the year that it is not an ideal fishing site for children. With added landscaping between the quiet new pond and the highway, DAWGS is essentially creating a second town park on the east side of Dubois.

Pete’s Pond will open unofficially on June 9, with an educational “kids’ fishing day” sponsored by the Dubois Museum, which is calling the event “New Life at Pete’s Pond.” The program is free, and families are encouraged to join their children.


New Article Tells All About Wind River Country’s Earliest Residents

May 10, 2018

They weren’t permanent residents, but the Mountain Shoshone migrated through the Dubois area for many centuries before Europeans arrived, moving between a widely dispersed network of established settlements as the seasons changed. Some of the earliest discoveries about these natives of the area are housed in the Dubois Museum, and much of the (literally) ground-breaking archaeology that informs our knowledge about this lost civilization took place in the nearby mountains.

It’s also thought that these elusive people carved the mysterious petroglyphs in Whiskey Basin east of town.

Learn all about the Mountain Shoshone in a new article in wyohistory.org, and stop by the Museum when you’re in town to learn even more.


Game & Fish Changing Wolf Hunt Areas to Protect Dubois Bighorn Sheep

May 9, 2018

The Wyoming Department of Game & Fish has created a more tightly focused area for wolf hunting east of Dubois, hoping to reduce pressure on the local herd of bighorn sheep which are “already stressed” by other unknown factors. Officials at the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center in Dubois are concerned about signs from its regular sheep counts that may signal reduced numbers of lambs over the past several years, although the reasons for this are not clear.

The new wolf-hunting area will focus on the Wind River mountain range around Whiskey Basin, rather than including areas of the neighboring Absaroka range which is not part of the bighorns’ habitat.


View from Dubois Overlook Worth “Swooning”

March 18, 2018

Of course the Dubois area has countless locations for a breathtaking view — or photo.

This week the Wyoming Office of Tourism features an image taken from the Scenic Overlook as one of 10 “photos that have us swooning for Wyoming.”

One great thing about taking photos from the top of Scenic Overlook is that it requires almost no effort to get there–unless you decide to hike up, which some locals do. But it’s an easy drive up, and the Overlook is located right in the middle of town.

From there, visitors can branch out in almost any direction for a limitless number of spectacular “photo ops.”

Lonely Planet Features Dubois for Dude Ranch Vacations

March 2, 2018

“With towns like Dubois,” says a new article in the tourist guide Lonely Planet, Wyoming “wears a hard-earned belt buckle when it comes to saddling up in the wild west.”

“Sharing hard rides and meals in a remote and humbling landscape,” it adds, “segues smoothly to sharing stories and companionship.

The article appears in a section about family adventure vacations.

True West Recognizes Dubois Authentic Old-West Architecture

February 3, 2018

In its February issue, the magazine True West has designated Dubois as the town with the most authentic Western architecture.

This is not the first time the magazine has drawn attention to Dubois. It was included in True West recommendations in 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2012.

“Butch Cassidy once ranched in the area, and legend has it he visited the town regularly and shopped at the historic Welty’s General Store, built in downtown in 1899,” True West says in its 2018 Best of the West section. “Visitors to Dubois will enjoy walking, shopping, dining and touring the city’s center, much of which was built over a century ago.”

Expedia Designates Dubois as Best Place in Wyoming for an Escape

January 5, 2018
Expedia has chosen the best place in every state of the Union for a reprieve from the stresses of everyday life and the hustle and bustle of civilization. Its choice for Wyoming? Dubois

“An Old West town where you may feel like you’ve stepped out of the real world and into Westworld,” says Expedia, “Dubois will cure your frontier fever and fulfill your Wild West daydreams.” The listing features pack trips, yoga retreats, and visits to guest ranches, as well as hiking, Nordic skiing, and snowshoeing as means for a real getaway into the wilderness that surrounds the town

First Wyoming PBS Digital Show Features Bison’s Return to Reservation

November 7, 2017
Although bison were central to the life of the original Shoshone, they have been missing from Shoshone land since 1885. A new documentary by Wyoming PBS details the years of effort by the Eastern Shoshone tribe, in cooperation with the National Wildlife Federation, to return bison to the Wind River Reservation east of Dubois. This is the last of the 7 ungulate species that disappeared after the arrival of Lewis and Clark to be restored to the Reservation.

The documentary is the first in a new series to be released by Wyoming PBS on YouTube only.

Early Snowfall Brings a Foot of Snow to Dubois

November 2, 2017
Elk hunters rejoiced as 12 inches of snow fell on the Dubois area today, promising easier access to game that have been enjoying a mild Indian summer in recent weeks. Further snow is forecast for the entire weekend, assuring a good start to the coming winter sports season on Togwotee Pass and elsewhere in the vicinity.


Wyoming Writers to Hold Annual Meeting in Dubois in June

October 20, 2017
The members of Wyoming Writers Inc. are already on alert that their next meeting will be in an unusually note(taking)worthy location. “Early morning tea in a large sunroom, a westward view of the Pinnacles above Brooks Lake, hikes along Long Creek where we found grizzly tracks, and visits with dear friends nourished my soul,” wrote WWI President Cindy Jackelen, as she announced that the Headwaters Center in Dubois has been chosen for the location of its next annual meeting on June 1-3.

Calling Dubois “one of the most welcoming communities I know,” she urged attendees to bring their families and stay a few extra days to enjoy the hiking, fishing, historic sites, and other pleasures that so many visitors enjoy.

Downtown Dubois has charming restaurants, shops, and the newly rebuilt mercantile building that burned a few years back,” she added. “The city park is very attractive and has hiking trails along the river. The history museum and the Sheep Center are some of the finest facilities in the state.”

We couldn’t have said it better.

New Museum Will Feature Largest Collection of Military Vehicles in US

October 17, 2017
Residents have already seen some of them in recent parades on July 4, as well as a few howitzers that seem to aim over the distant highway to target the slope opposite. From Memorial Day 2019, the World War II vehicles owned by Dan Starks of Dubois will have a permanent home, in a museum planned to showcase his huge collection of military trucks, tanks, ambulances, and assorted other wheeled military machinery. You can learn more about the project in a documentary to be aired on Wyoming PBS at 7:30 PM on November 17.

Dubois Bluebird Project A Year Later

October 9, 2017
Those feathered pieces of sky are gone to warmer climates, but now is a good time to assess the results of Dubois’ new effort to keep them coming back in the spring.

Starting last April, “bird boxes” were installed all over the Dubois area, as part of a collaborative effort with the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation.

Organizers will review the outcome, and prospects for next summer, in a free program at the Museum on October 26 from 7-8 PM.

Dubois Was Top Star in Google’s Eclipse Megamovie Project

September 14, 2017
We knew they were coming to Dubois. But not until we saw the footage on YouTube did we realize that Dubois was the national center of the action for the team behind the Eclipse Megamovie project.

A partnership of Google and the University of California-Berkeley, the project captured thousands of photos of the August eclipse at the moment of totality, contributed by people from across the US. Studying the images will reveal new information about the corona, the region immediately around the sun.

The YouTube video about the project offers fabulous vistas and intimate moments from the Dubois area, as well as interviews with local notables. Portraying Dubois in all its small-town Western charm, it shows the team playing horseshoes and lounging around a campfire at the Chinook Winds Motel before for the great moment, and then reveling in the long-awaited experience.

The video also wonderfully captures the view from the Scenic Overlook, magically darkened at midday when the moon blocked the sun.

Image from Absaroka Ranch Wins Washington Post Travel Photo Prize

September 11, 2017
This stunning photo of wranglers at work won retired lobbyist Gary Kohn third prize in this year’s Washington Post travel photo contest. (The Post referred to the men as “cowhands,” but did recognize that the animals being herded were horses.)

Kohn, who was in Dubois for a photo workshop, spoke about the challenge of trying to capture an image of horses running at full gallop, and the joy of catching the lasso in the air. The moment was “magical,” he said.

Thanks to our guide to last month’s total eclipse, Craig Tupper of NASA, for sharing this news from his hometown newspaper.

Google Team Using Dubois As Base for Eclipse Megamovie

August 15, 2017
At least 20 people from Google and University of California-Berkeley have booked their stay in Dubois this week, preparing for Eclipse Megamovie, which a Google representative called “a citizen science project to study the sun’s corona by recruiting over 1,000 volunteers from across the country to photograph the total eclipse as it passes overhead.

The general public is invited to take part in capturing a continuous image of the total eclipse as it crosses the entire United States from west to east.

Some Google staffers will also be taking 360-degree videos in the Dubois area for Google Expeditions, an app that allows teachers to take their students almost anywhere with virtual travel.

New Program Gives Dubois Kids a True Sense of Their Hometown

August 4, 2017
Young people in Dubois know that the town is special, by why? A new week-long program, a partnership between the Susan K. Black Foundation and the Boys & Girls Club of Dubois, offered them the reasons why they have such a strong sense of place.

Appropriately named PLACE (for People, Land, and Community Education), the program gave kids “the full story on the town’s roots, its past and present” using the skills and knowledge of local artists, scientists, and historians (including Mountain Man expert Steve Banks,  left).

Artworks created by the students during the program were on display during a reception at the Headwaters afterwards.

World-Renowned Horsemanship Expert Reopens Triangle C Ranch

July 14, 2017
Not the first or the last to flee heat and humidity in the refuge of the Wind River Valley, equestrian Chris Cox has relocated his summer horsemanship programs from Texas to the newly renovated Triangle C Ranch west of Dubois.

He will also be filming episodes of his weekly RFD-TV show Chris Cox Horsemanship from the Wyoming location.

For visitors who come to the Triangle C to learn how to communicate with horses, “it’s the best vacation in the West you can possible have,” says Cox.

Six-Ton Spud Stops in Dubois

June 29, 2017
It was supposed to barrel straight east on Interstate 80, but the current run of the five-year-old Famous Idaho Potato Tour detoured through Dubois this week, just so that Kaylee Wells (left in photo) could visit her grandparents, who live in town.

The huge tractor-trailer with its massive load of potato sculpture hung out in the Town Park overnight, while Kaylee and her fellow travelers and coworkers enjoyed the pleasures of the area. Then it went along its way to Crossville, Tennessee.

Wells works in marketing for the Idaho Potato Commission.

Local Artists to Feature in Show at Jackson Museum

June 14, 2017
Artists Gary Keimig (left) and Les LeFevre of Dubois will be among those exhibiting this Saturday, June 17, at the sixth annual Plein Air Fest at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, overlooking the National Elk Refuge in Jackson Hole.

Admission is free to this event, which draws the largest crowds of any event sponsored by the Museum. Both Keimig and LeFevre are masters of the art of painting from nature in the wilderness setting. Their full collections can be seen at the Keimig Gallery of Western Art on Ramshorn Street in Dubois.

Small Town, Big Valley, Warm Heart

May 31, 2017
Dubois may be one of the most welcoming places on earth, once we get to meet someone new. But we’re so spread out across the valley that it can take a long time to make contact.

The solution? A get-together! The Dubois Community Fund has announced the (can we hope for first annual?) Neighbors Meet and Greet reception. Appetizers and drinks will be served.

Bring yourselves if you’re new to town, newcomers if you’re not one (but know someone who is), or yourself alone if you’re a long-time resident who just wants to be as friendly as usual. The Neighbors Meet and Greet will take place on Friday, June 9, from 5-7 PM at the Dennison Lodge.

Vote Now! Dubois Again in Running for Top State Artifact

May 23, 2017
After winning second place last year in a University of Wyoming contest for best archaeological artifact, with its authentic Shoshone soapstone bowl, Dubois Museum has entered this year with its remarkable bighorn sheep skull embedded in a tree trunk. Found on the side of Whiskey Mountain, the unusual skull may have been placed within the growing tree as part of a ritual after a hunt. Please cast your vote by clicking on the headline.

Dubois to Feature in HGTV Tiny House Series

May 22, 2017
The lucky winner of a casting call, to be chosen late this month, will visit Dubois in late July as part of HGTV’s series on tiny houses. Part of a promotion by the Wyoming Office of Tourism, the series will feature a six-week tour of the state, including footage of the spectacular Wind River Valley landscape, a visit to the Dubois rodeo, and other sites such as South Pass City and the Wind River Indian Reservation.

Western Singer Mary Kaye To Perform Here July 1

May 20, 2017
The Ramshorn Gallery is featuring singer Mary Kaye at its gala and fundraiser in the Headwaters on Saturday, July 1, at 7:30 PM. In 2013 she was recognized as Female Performer and Songwriter of the Year by the Western Music Association, and as Best Solo Musician by True West Magazine. She received a Spur Award from the Western Writers of America for her Butch Cassidy tune, “Any Name Will Do.”

Dennison Lodge Reopens for Season

May 1, 2017
The historic lodge building that once entertained notables such as Clark Gable is now available for your special event. Relocated to the center of Dubois adjacent to the Town Park, it is wonderfully appropriate for weddings, other celebrations, family reunions, and seminars. The lodge includes a stunning open space as well as a convenient smaller side room, a fully functional kitchen and a wonderful outdoor deck. For further information or to schedule your summer event, call 307-455-2414.

Dubois Teachers Kick It at Donkey Tourney

April 26, 2017
The local charity Needs of Dubois awarded its 2017 trophy to the “Donkey Kongs” (Dubois schoolteachers), after a highly entertaining fun(d)-raising event in the school gym.

In a hotly contested–and often clumsy– basketball playoff, the contestants were mounted on donkeys (some of which decidedly lacked team spirit). The Kongs defeated the “DTE Assets” from the local phone and Internet company by a score of 14-8. Announcer Joe “You’re No Mule Whisperer!” Brandl provided prods, barbs, and occasional interference from the sidelines.

Local Artist Breaks Rocks for Fun

April 19, 2017
It reportedly took historian-artist Tom Lucas about an hour to create a useful stone tool from a hunk of rock, in his flint-knapping presentation at the annual meeting of the Fremont County Archaeological Society in Hudson. Besides creating sought-after paintings of Native American craft work and local landscapes, Lucas is known for researching and demonstrating historical Native American weapons, including hunting bows made from sheep horn.

DAWGS Seeks Donations for Kids’ Fishing Pond

April 15, 2017
Pete Petera, the late head of Wyoming Game & Fish, had a vision that kids in Dubois should have a great place to fish. This is nearing reality, thanks to approval of grant funding from the Wyoming Wildlife Natural Resources Trust.

Dubois Anglers and Wildlife Group is seeking $150,000 in additional donations to complete the project. Click on the headline for further information.

Bluebird Trail Being Installed in Dubois

April 7, 2017
Just as the bluebirds begin house-hunting around our prairies, the Dubois Museum is beginning a project to offer them new homes. In collaboration with the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation, it is preparing to install 32 custom-designed “bird boxes” between Crowheart and Dubois. For further information, or to join the effort, call the Museum at 307-455-2284.

Cowboy Cafe Featured on Food Network

March 30, 2017
Our go-to restaurant for local game, soon to open an outpost in Riverton, features deliciously in Food Network’s new page called “Cowboy Cravings: The Most Iconic Dishes in Wyoming.” This entry focuses on the elk and bison in the Wild Game Platter.

Wonder if they even tried the pie. Next year, maybe.

What Does a Donkey Have to Do With Basketball?

March 10, 2017
It will cost you only $10 to find out (or less, if you’re a child) when Needs of Dubois will sponsor a Donkey Basketball competition on Tuesday, April 25.

Participants need to be at least 13 years old and weigh less than 200 pounds. Teams need a captain and 8-10 players, one of whom plays on foot. All proceeds (as with every other amusement NOD dreams up) will go to local charitable causes.

The mind boggles. Don’t miss it!

Click on the headline above, or contact NOD at 307-455-3173 for more information.

Winter Snowfall in Dubois Sets All-Time Record

February 25, 2017
People here have been saying they haven’t seen so much snow in 30 or 40 years. But National Weather Service readings show that it’s the most snow on record: an amazing 90.6 inches of snowfall in Dubois since October 2016.

Wonderful news for our snowmobilers!

(Not so much for locals who don’t own a plow.)

Sarah Darling Chooses Dubois for Music Video Released Today

February 10, 2017
Country music singer-songwriter Sarah Darling, like so many others, fell in love with Dubois. Like few others, she has had the means to make that love go global. The music video entitled “Where Cowboys Ride,” filmed for the lead single on her new album Dream Country, features typically heart-stopping images of our countryside. Here’s what she had to say about the experience:

“We started in Dubois, Wyoming.  It was like something out of movie, and it’s hard to describe in words how beautiful it was.  The landscapes are majestic everywhere you turn, like being in a postcard. The greatest part of the entire shoot was the beautiful people I met. …  It’s a memory I will keep in my mind forever.”

To see the images, click on the headline.

From Rescue to Reassurance, Dubois Pastor Leaves Comfort Zone

February 9, 2017
Before being asked to serve as rector of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, among the other calls that Rev. Melinda Bobo answered was the invitation to head Dubois Search and Rescue. Now she has been appointed to another side job: Rev. Bobo was sworn in today as chaplain for the Fremont County district of the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

Besides offering counseling to highway patrol officers and their families under an employee assistance program, she may be called to provide spiritual help at road accidents.

Dubois Fire Rangers Win Best-in-Region Award

February 8, 2017
The US Forest Service announced today that our local forest rangers have won the Regional Forester award for District of the Year for the Rocky Mountain Region, which includes all of Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Nebraska.

Wind River Ranger district staff were commended for partnering with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation to restore nearly 80,000 acres of forest land to reduce vulnerability to climate change, as well as making improvements to the Simpson Lake Lodge and helping to create an interpretive program for a WWII POW camp located on Forest Service land. They were also praised for actions during last summer’s Lava Mountain fire, including collaboration with other agencies across district lines and fuel management policies that both reduced risk to firefighters and to structures.

The Forest Service announcement also points out that our rangers are active as volunteers in several local nonprofits, including the volunteer fire department, the snowmobile club, the charity Needs of Dubois, and the Bighorn Sheep Center.

From Impossible to Ingenious: The History of Our Flumes

tie hack flume

February 7, 2017
It was 113 years ago this month that our legendary lumbermen, the tie hacks, set up their base camp in the mountains above Dubois and began hewing ties for the railroads that were rapidly expanding westward. But how to get all those logs off those rocky, almost impassable mountains? Read the entire remarkable story, rich with fascinating detail, on the website of the Wyoming State Historical Society.

Bid Now for Glamorous Camping During the Eclipse

January 23, 2017
Glamping on the River, which offers accommodation in an Airstream trailer, wall tent or rustic cabin in Dubois, has taken the clever approach of auctioning off spaces for your choice of 7 days surrounding the total eclipse of the sun. Dubois is right in the “path of totality” of the eclipse, which has been cosmically scheduled for August 21. Our altitude, remoteness, and clear skies will offer some of the best viewing anywhere. Bidding ends on February 15. For more information, click on the headline or call 307-455-3988.

Dubois Badlands Star as Backdrop in Ford Pickup Ads

January 19, 2017
Better known for training the great Clydesdales in Budweiser ads, Turtle Ranch west of Dubois now features in the latest ads for pickups on the Ford website. Click on the link above and scroll around the website for plenty of great shots of the ridges behind the ranch, and a few glimpses of beautiful women on equally beautiful horses. There you have it: The dreamscape for any would-be owner of a shiny new Ford truck.

Drag Racing, Dubois Style

Dubois chariot races

January 18, 2017
A Wyoming style of drag racing, using real horsepower: That’s what one participant told a reporter from KCWY News who attended last weekend’s chariot races on the Scenic Overlook. “You know it’s a rush coming out of the gates,” added racer Darrel Graff. “That’s why you do it.” Dubois has been hosting old-fashioned chariot races for half a century. There’s likely to be another one, sometime next summer.

Dubois: Relief for Yellowstone’s Headaches

January 17, 2017
For the third straight year, visits to National Parks including Yellowstone have broken all previous records. This is creating serious problems for both the public and park managers, the Associated Press reports.

Yellowstone had 4.3 million visitors in 2016, after hosting 4 million for the first time the previous year. To address the problem of hour-long waits at the entrance, shortages of parking spaces and crowding on trails, the Park is now considering a reservation system and a daily limit for visitors (not just for those staying in campgrounds and lodges).

It has also urged visitors not to stop at the roadside to look at bears or to approach wild animals to take “selfies.”

The article describes “a crowded, Disneyland-like situation when people were expecting peaceful serenity.” More than ever, Dubois offers a wonderful sanctuary for those who want to limit this kind of stress, enjoying Yellowstone-like wonders without Yellowstone-like crowds.

Now’s Your Chance! Learn How to Bike in the Snow

January 9, 2017
Join members of the Dubois Association for Rails and Trails next Sunday, January 15, for Fat Tire Bike Demo Day at Deception Creek. DART has been grooming the trail so you can learn the joy of sailing down a snowy slope on two wheels. The Bike Mill of Lander and Teton Mountain Bike Tours from Jackson will provide a bike for you to try out.

Dubois Deer Population Healthiest in a Decade

January 5, 2017
It may seem to locals driving into town that the deer population is exploding, but according to Wyoming’s Game & Fish Department, it is merely healthy and growing slowly. Mule deer outnumber permanent residents of Dubois by 50%, at 1,532 mule deer. Game & Fish observers report this year’s count as the highest in nearly a decade, with enough fawns maturing to more than replace the herd.

Dubois Christmas Trees Feed Nearby Lake Fish

January 3, 2017
The Wind River Valley is legendary for its great fishing, thanks in part to seeding from the Dubois Fish Hatchery, but also in part to a decades-old recycling program. Continuing a 28-year-old tradition, out-of-season Christmas trees from Dubois help to maintain the ecological health of nearby Ocean Lake. The program was started to honor an avid local fisherman.

Snowmobile Season Resumes at Lava Mountain Lodge

December 21, 2016
After days of generous snowfall in the Dubois area and points west, the meadows and hills of Togwotee Pass are already latticed with snowmobile tracks. Snowmobile season now begins in earnest for the Dubois area, as the Lava Mountain Lodge west of town reopens for visitors. A look at their webcam shows what snowmobilers can expect, and there’s much more farther uphill.

Good news for townies as well: This also brings the return of prime rib to the Lodge’s Wilderness Boundary Restaurant every Wednesday night, including tonight. Book early!

Stalking Dubois Deer, Wyoming Migration Initiative Braves Winter Cold

December 15, 2016
Sure, winters can be cold and sometimes windy in Dubois, a wildlife biologist wrote this week on Facebook, “but deer handle that with their heavy winter coats.”

“Plus, the wind sometimes comes as a chinook sweeping down from the mountains. As the air descends, it increases in barometric pressure, heating up at a rate of 5.5°F per 1000 feet drop in elevation. The warm, dry air — also known as adiabatic wind —melts off the snow. A strong chinook can melt a foot of snow in a single day, though Dubois rarely has that much snow. Thousands of deer and elk take advantage of this local climate, populating the hills around Dubois and in many cases right in town itself.”

He remarked about seeing deer right on the main street, wandering off toward the cemetery.

We knew they were there already, but this year some observers not native to Dubois are keeping closer track of the deer, documenting one of the longest land-based migrations on earth. In a collaboration between Wyoming Migration Initiative, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and The Nature Conservancy, scientists are working to understand and help preserve the migration routes that assure healthy lives for local mule deer.

PBS to Feature Film on Search for Lost Wind River Native Artifacts

December 8, 2016
When Jordan Dresser returned to the Wind River Reservation near Dubois after graduating from college, he began working at the local casino. He was excited when they expressed interest in establishing a museum on the premises to tell the stories of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho, but learned that the tribes no longer had possession of many artifacts. Most were located in museum collections around the country. How, he wondered, could Wind River get them back?

Learn the answer on Monday, January 16, when What Was Ours,directed by Mat Hames, premieres on Independent Lens from 10:00-11:00 PM ET (check local listings) on PBS.

Dubois Gearing Up for Eclipse Adventure

December 7, 2016
With some of the clearest skies in the nation in mid-August, as well as clean air, huge open vistas, high altitude, and a location right in the “path of totality,” Dubois may be the best place in the country to view the total eclipse on August 21, 2017. The town is busy preparing to make this adventure the best possible experience for those who have planned to be here for those important few moments. There’s so much else to enjoy in the upper Wind River Valley when the sun is shining at full brilliance — which it usually does, most of the year — and the town is planning how to help visitors discover all they can do with the rest of their time here.

New Wind River Horse Sanctuary Featured in Toronto Star

November 25, 2016
The first wild horse sanctuary on a Native American reservation has opened near Lander, and the Toronto Star has featured it in its travel section. Government funds pay to feed the horses, and public tours are part of the arrangement. The sanctuary includes a small visitor center and a vehicle that takes visitors into the fields to see the horses up close.

Dubois Helps Its Neediest to Give Thanks

November 23, 2016
Members of St. Thomas Episcopal Church were busy last week packing Thanksgiving meal basics for those in town who find it a challenge to buy the turkey and stuffings for themselves. Dinner boxes went out from the church to the High County Senior Center and also through the town’s food bank, which has been operating out of the church each Saturday morning since the 1980s, with help from volunteers from the school, the Boys & Girls Club, and more.

The Truth About the Neversweat Legend

November 19, 2016
One of the most charming myths about Dubois is that the earliest residents wanted to name the town “Neversweat,” but were not allowed to do so. Relying on information from a recently re-issued oral history of the area, a local resident reveals the real deal about Neversweat in her latest blog, and goes on to ponder a totally new reason why the town might deserve that name.

Dubois Residents Bash Heads to Honor Sheep Center

November 8, 2016
Again this year, supporters of the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center competed to out-bid each other for “sheepish” collectables at the town’s go-to gala, the Bighorn Bash, on November 5. All in good fun, this was the town’s way to support its most distinctive institution, which commemorates and educates about the large herds of bighorn sheep that roam the mountains nearby. Among the items that went for thousands: a box with a ram’s head carved on the lid, made from ram’s horn. This was the biggest Bighorn Bash yet, and all tickets were sold out days in advance.

Why Dubois Is a Fly-Fishing Dream

October 28, 2016
“Many fly fishermen around the world would like once in their lives to have the chance to catch indigenous cutthroat trout, which is nowhere in the U.S. better protected than in Wyoming,” writes Eva Geigl of the Royal Flyfishing Shop in Bavaria. “These native trout live in Wind River Country in dream-like, unspoiled rivers and streams.” Read her fascinating account in full, translated by the head of Bitterroot Ranch east of Dubois.

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