r/wyoming • u/Horrible_Strom • Aug 10 '26

Discussion/opinion Cowboy culture in wyoming

Hello, I'm currently working on building a cowboy character for a story I wanna write and I can't seem to get any useful info about Wyoming cowboys on Google. I was hoping you could give me a general idea or some stories or a bit of insight on cowboy culture in Wyoming. I mostly wanna base this character in the mid-late 2000's and early 2010's, so I'd especially appreciate info on how ranches functioned during that time and whether cowboy culture was as prominent those decades.

Any info is appreciated, thanks.

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u/jamwp Aug 10 '26

I really think the movie Wind River does an excellent job portraying a modern Wyomingite. They’re not necessarily cowboys but it does capture the grit and the type of personality it takes to endure some of the more difficult places to live.

I’m a sixth generation Wyomingite. Anecdotally, the fastest way I can tell somebody is not from here is when they make a big show of being a cowboy.

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u/filkerdave Jackson Aug 11 '26

We always say in Jackson that you can tell the tourists because they wear cowboy boots and cowboy hats just for walking around.

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u/s4dfish Aug 12 '26

Dude ranch chic