WLM | people By Kati Hime • Images courtesy Bill Sniffin
WLM | people By Kati Hime • Images courtesy Bill Sniffin
The Work of a Wyoming
I have greatly enjoyed the work of Bill Sniffin . While he may technically be a long-time Lander resident , I think it is more appropriate to say he is a resident of Wyoming as a whole . Read on for a history of this mogul of Wyoming publishing , whose book trilogy – Wyoming ’ s 7 Greatest Natural Wonders , My Wyoming and Wyoming at 125 — makes a great keepsake for all Wyoming enthusiasts . ( And , incidentally , Happy 50th Anniversary this summer to Bill and his lovely wife , Nancy !)
WLM : What is your personal history ? What brought you to Wyoming ?
BS : I got to Wyoming as quickly as I could , when I was 24 as editor of the Wyoming State Journal , the local newspaper in Lander . Growing up in Iowa , our family consisted of 11 kids with me being the second oldest .
WLM : Can you tell us about your history in Wyoming newspapers ?
BS : Thanks to the late Bruce Kennedy of Greybull , a publisher who recruited me to Wyoming , I was one of the five founders of a newspaper ownership group called Sage Publishing . I was with that organization for 12 years and left in 1982 to go off on my own .
Montana , Hawaii , South Dakota and in Europe . I was president of the Wyoming Press Association in 1982 .
One of our proudest achievements is the fact that more than 20 men and women ended up being publishers after working at our newspapers .
Since selling all our newspapers I have been writing a statewide newspaper column called My Wyoming since 2002 . It has a very large readership around the state and I have thoroughly enjoyed the feedback from readers . People can access some 650 of my columns at billsniffin . com .
WLM : You ’ ve been a Lander resident for a long time . What changes have you seen over the years ?
BS : Lander is one of the nicest small towns in America and we have seen it go through booms and busts over our 46-year time there . Right now , its diversified economy is sustaining itself well during the current economic
My wife Nancy and I , over a 54-year career , have owned all or part of more than 20 newspapers , magazines , print shops , ad agencies , tourism promotion companies and internet companies in the states of Wyoming ,
18 Wyoming Lifestyle Magazine | Late Summer / Fall 2016