About Us

The first issue of the Cheyenne Herald was published on January 30, 2002.

The front-page, feature story in that first issue was headlined: “DOWNTOWN GARAGE”. In the story, we challenged the need and wisdom of constructing a facility which we predicted would not be used and could not pay for itself. That forecast was prophetic.

There were sixteen issues published in 2002 and a publication day of Monday was established. In 2003 and 2004, twenty-five issues of the Cheyenne Herald were published each year. The present frequency is bi-weekly, with an occasional three week interval. The first six issues were printed in Fort Collins at a non-newpaper printer and all subsequent issues have been printed at the Torrington Telegram in Torrington, Wyoming. Most issues are twelve pages, with an occasional sixteen page publication. There has been one twenty page issue and in one political season, an extra eight page issue. A print quantity of 5,000 has been maintained and likely will be increased by 2006.

The Cheyenne Herald is unique in that it has no public office and no employees. Financial support comes in the form of advertising, subscriptions, and non-deductible contributions. It is said that this independent newspaper is Cheyenne’s longest running paper of its type. Public support, in readership, praise and financial, has been outstanding.

When the Cheyenne Herald was started, its long-term future was unknown. Few, including the publisher, were certain that the upstart publication would be around in 2005. But it is and the future is full of promise. Stories presented in the Cheyenne Herald are not typical newspaper fodder. Our stories are well-researched and presented from our perspectives. Readers may agree. Readers may disagree. Readers can decide how to pigeon-hole the stories. Stories are presented with humor and our source materials are generally public records and public utterances.

Some time back, an editor for the local daily newspaper in Cheyenne intended to slur the Cheyenne Herald by referring to it as “the local advocacy journal.” In spite of our trying to coin a line that we were comfortable in claiming, we had not been able to do it. Then, someone trying to insult us what we do came up with the perfect description. The Cheyenne Herald is the local advocacy journal. No one else comes close to the level of advocacy, frequency of advocacy, and success of advocacy that this paper does.

Our mission will continue to be first, to be best, to be accurate, to be truthful, and to be there. Individuals and groups in Cheyenne constantly contact the Herald with tales of inattention, disinterest, abuse and ignorance on the part of public employees and elected officials. The public also brings stories of wasteful spending and decisions by elected officials and public employees that often border on fraud. Our concentration is on city government in Cheyenne and county government in Laramie County. Occasionally, we will develop stories about state government. We leave coverage of national and international affairs to the media outlets with the resources to do a better job.