The year in review

January

The year began with a life-threatening cold snap that saw weather warnings across most of the lower 48 as Arctic air migrated down from Canada. The lowest wind chills were recorded east of Pine Haven at -57 degrees F and Hulett at -56 degrees F.

The cold led to issues for the Sundance Volunteer Fire Department during a blaze in the attic of a home. One of the trucks gelled up in the -44 degree temperatures, and a second did the same when volunteers returned the next morning in response to reports that a little smoke was still visible.

The county completed a series of input sessions on zoning, aiming to gauge the community's opinions in the light of more-than-usual development taking place around the county.

The community was warned to watch out for counterfeit hundred-dollar bills that were believed to be in circulation after an incident in Billings in which thousands of dollars in $100 bills were found on the street and passers-by were scrambling to collect them.

Wyoming State Parks announced that its annual First Day Hikes had attracted a record number of participants – a 206% increase from the year before. Locally, 48 of those hikers headed to Keyhole State Park.

February

Unseasonal weather pushed the area back into drought conditions, with most of Crook County listed as abnormally dry due to the lack of precipitation over the winter. The lack of snow led to the cancellation of the popular Sundance Winter Festival.

The first snowfall of the year held itself back until February 14, when a three-day fall saw 5.1 inches settle in Sundance and just under 11 inches in Beulah.

The first significant fire of the year burned 42 acres west of Aladdin when a three-week-old burn pile reignited. Later in the month, a pair of wildfires burned a combined total of 1600 acres in New Haven and near Moorcroft and a semi caught fire on I-90 near Beulah, sending a black plume of smoke into the sky.

Residents of Beulah expressed strong concerns to the Public Service Commission (PSC) as the water company that serves 32 customers in the area applied for a significant increase to its monthly rates. The change would have increased the amount each customer of Beulah Land Water LLC pays by just under $200 per month – a 380% hike on the previous rate.

Later in the month, the PSC determined that the company would be permitted an increase of half the requested amount. Meanwhile, Beulah residents were granted permission from the county to start the process of forming a district to take control of their water system.

After hearing that there were mixed reactions to the idea of zoning during its input sessions, the county commission decided to move ahead with updating its land use plan but table the idea of zoning for now.

The county called for the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to rethink its plans to amend every national forest land management in the nation to create one overall strategy for managing old-growth forests. The county commissioners criticized the one-size-fits-all approach and the USFS's failure to include local governments in the process.

March

After six dormant years, American Legion Post #45 brought the Easter egg hunt back to Sundance.

Check stations opened back up for the boating season as Wyoming Game & Fish continued its efforts to protect local waters from invasive zebra and quagga mussels.

The county was placed under a burn ban as the early fire season continued, with a structure fire claiming a single family residence northwest of Sundance and a wildfire near Barlow Canyon spreading to over 200 acres.

Thanks to a grant from the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, Crook County Medical Services District announced it would benefit from a statewide initiative to increase access to ultrasound technology. The grant provided $415,000 for equipment in the hospital and all three clinics.

April

Neiman Enterprises announced layoffs and production reductions at Spearfish Forest Products, its last remaining facility in South Dakota. The company said the decision was due to a decrease in the timber sale program on the Black Hills National Forest (BHNF).

A structure fire near Carlile Junction spread to the surrounding vegetation and eventually claimed 60 acres of land thanks to the strong winds.

The Sundance Chamber of Commerce implemented a monthly sponsorship program that allowed local businesses to fund the cross on the summit of Sundance Mountain.

The Crook County Facilities Department introduced an annual fundraiser to support its ongoing goal to make the fairground an enticing destination for events both familiar and new.

The USFS began a tree-planting project at the site of 2022's Fish Fire, with 45,000 seedlings placed in the ground over a 150-acre area in just three days.

May

A Hazmat team was called to the Crook County Courthouse after it became the third Wyoming courthouse in a week to receive suspicious mail. As with the previous two cases, the letter tested negative for hazardous substances.

Two separate four-wheeler accidents took place over the Memorial Day weekend, both leading to injuries. All four individuals involved in the accidents were believed to be Campbell County residents and both incidents involved two passengers on one four-wheeler that was thought to have been going too fast for the roads.

The late John "Jack" Schelldorf, well-known local rancher, was selected for induction into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame.

Powder River Energy (PRECorp) announced it was gearing up to construct a new substation and replace a power line in the Inyan Kara area. The work, along with a second project that was in the beginning stages, is intended to support Oneok Pipelines as they increase capacity on the two pipelines that run through the county.

June

Bear sightings near populated parts of the county were more common than usual this year, according to Game Warden Nate Holst. A few sightings took place near Sundance, as well as one in Moorcroft that Holst said was hanging around for a while near the D Road.

A sizeable fire northwest of Hulett was fully contained thanks to the combined efforts of local, state and federal firefighters. Located northwest of Hulett, the Creek Fire was believed to have been caused by lightning and reached an estimated 1470 acres on a mixture of private, state and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands.

A structure fire meanwhile engulfed a family home near Oshoto before firefighters even arrived on scene.

The Sixth Judicial District officially announced its fourth judge. Governor Mark appointed Mike McGrady to fill the newly created role for the district that covers Crook, Campbell and Weston counties.

A bill passed by the Wyoming Legislature earlier this year increased the number of judges in the district from three to four and appropriated $1.24 million to fund the additional judge for the first two years.

July

Fair week began to the theme of "Country Freedom", bringing the traditional animal shows, entertainment and parade day.

A lawsuit was filed against CCMSD by the company responsible for the electronic medical records system that had recently been replaced throughout the district. TruBridge Inc claimed the district broke its contract and owes the company just under $1 million in damages.

CCMSD filed a counterclaim that TruBridge's system did not function as required and the company failed to "satisfactorily perform its obligations", which caused "significant damages" and threatened the district's ability to remain viable and provide healthcare to its patients.

A missing child who disappeared from his home near Hulett, leaving only a footprint behind, was reunited with his family after an overnight search. The boy was found asleep along a fence line and, though cold and covered in ticks, was in good condition.

In a second search and rescue effort, a young man was reunited with his father and brother at Reuter Campground after he failed to return from a mountain bike excursion. The man said he had crashed at some point the evening before while it was still daylight and woke with his bike on top of him after dark; he was able to see lights from a Crook County Sheriff's Office vehicle, which enabled him to walk out to a road.

The Ridge Fire southwest of Sundance grew to 200 acres, while a fire on Beaver Creek Road caused the loss of a family residence. Fire Warden Charlie Harrison warned that five recent fires had been caused by the same culprit: hay swathers hitting rocks and causing sparks.

August

Northeast Wyoming's residents were far outnumbered by visitors this August as rallygoers from the east collide with an estimated 60,000 guests at Gillette's Camplex.

Wyoming Wednesday once again brought a crowd to town for the annual burnouts, walking tacos and motorcycle appreciation. Visitor numbers were again more modest than they have been in the past and it was a relatively peaceful experience for all.

High winds and sizeable hail during a storm caused severe damage at Devils Tower National Monument, leading to a temporary closure of the site. The National Weather Service later confirmed that the storm contained a "rain-wrapped tornado".

Crook County's local mining concerns both announced growth and development. While Rare Element Resources prepared to open its pilot plant in Upton and make moves towards establishing a mine in the Bearlodge, Strata Energy said it was is expanding its production.

Old Stoney celebrated its 101st birthday with a party that included cake, live music and a farmers market.

The Sundance City Council agreed to a cost-share deal with Josh Kammerer for a subdivision of "starter homes" on the south end of 21st Street. In exchange for the 240 feet of new sewer infrastructure that Kammerer will install for the nine lots, the city agreed to waive the tap fee on those lots.

A fire more than 500 acres in size near Oshoto destroyed the old one-room Svalina school house, which had already been severely damaged in a 2023 wind storm.

September

The Wyoming Business Council approved a grant of just under $3 million that will be used to finish the top floor of Old Stoney and restore its original purpose as an auditorium.

A portion of Crook County descended into extreme drought for the first time in more than two years. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the southwest corner of the county was part of a patch of extreme drought that covers half of Campbell and the majority of Weston counties.

With 629,682 acres burned from 632 fires across the state, Governor Mark Gordon requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture declare a statewide disaster designation.

Lightning caused a 50-acre fire east of Aladdin.

A climber was killed after falling from Devils Tower. 21-year-old Stewart Phillip Porter of Eau Claire, WI, sustained major injuries after falling from the second pitch of El Cracko Diablo.

October

The littlest spooks in Sundance came out to play for Halloween, touring the candy-based offerings from a parade of Halloween-themed offerings at Trunk or Treat. Halloween also brought Night at the Museum at Old Stoney and various other seasonal treats.

Crook County School District announced that its schools performed better than the state average this year in 17 of 19 tested areas, which include English Language Arts, math and science across grades three through ten.

Rare Element Resources (RER) said it had the final confirmation needed from the U.S. Department of Energy to begin operations at its demo plant in Upton. The only thing left before the production phase could begin was an operations approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

November

The official tallies showed a record-breaking turnout for Crook County at the general election, with a total of 4368 ballots cast. 91% of registered voters exercised their right to cast a ballot, with 1236 absentee ballots cast absentee, which was a 98% return on the ballots sent out.

American Legion Crook County Post #45 and VFW Devils Tower Post #3411 invited the public to a ceremony at the war memorial to commemorate Veterans' Day.

At the end of the month, shoppers enjoyed their annual opportunity to get Christmas shopping underway while supporting local businesses at Ladies' Night.

Representative Chip Neiman was named next year's Speaker of the House.

Local officials became concerned that a state land lease had created a dangerous situation in Moskee, where two ranchers now find themselves at loggerheads over grazing rights. The state allowed a grazing lease on land it had purchased there to pass into new hands; the parcel forms the filling in a sandwich of properties that were previously all owned or leased by the same rancher, with no fences to separate them.

The Bureau of Land Management released the draft of its plans to manage public lands in northeast Wyoming. The new resource management plan would replace the current, 23-year-old version now used by the Newcastle Field Office.

December

Sundance celebrated the holidays in style with the annual Parade of Lights to the theme of "Ritz, Glitz and Rednecks", followed by the EMS chili feed fundraiser, the library's Festival of Wreaths and Santa at the museum.

The City of Sundance and Crook County began to feel the bite of losing the Special Purpose Options Tax (SPOT), which was voted down during the election. While the city was left searching for a way to complete funding of its 3rd Street waterline project, the county expected a delay on its courthouse remodel.

The county bid farewell to Kelly Dennis, the longest-running commissioner in Crook County history with 16 years of service.