Campus Alert Archive
NWC

'WYOMING IS BEING TURNED TO DUST': Statewide Email Bomb Threat Forces NWC Evacuation and Multi-College Shutdown

WYbomb threatemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed HoaxDetermined to be a hoax. The institutional response is documented because it reveals how the alert system performed under a perceived real threat.

Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming was evacuated and closed on September 22, 2016 after the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security received an anonymous email threatening pipe bombs at government buildings and schools statewide. Community college presidents across Wyoming closed their campuses as a precaution; NWC activated its emergency notification system at 12:24 PM MT. Law enforcement determined the threat was not credible; the campus reopened the following morning.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Northwest College
Community College · WY
~2,000 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTUnknown
Approximate reconstruction200 chars
NWC campus is closed. All employees are asked to leave the campus immediately. Resident students should go to their residence halls. Campus and Cody Center will be closed for the remainder of the day.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from Powell Tribune reporting; NWC activated its emergency notification system at 12:24 PM MT
A residence hall lock-in was implemented initially for on-campus students, later lifted
NWC campus and Cody Center satellite campus were both closed
UPDATEUnknown+1h 1m
Approximate reconstruction182 chars
The lock-in of residence halls has been lifted. Dining facilities are open. Campus and Cody Center remain closed for the rest of the day. Normal campus activity will resume tomorrow.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed from Powell Tribune reporting; the residence hall lock-in was lifted at approximately 1:25 PM MT
Dining facilities reopened while campus buildings remained closed
Full campus reopening was deferred until the following morning
Context

Background

Northwest College is a community college in Powell, Wyoming, in the Big Horn Basin region. On September 22, 2016, the Wyoming Office of Homeland Security received an anonymous email threat around 9:30 AM MT through the state's enterprise technology system. The email, signed 'Archangel Michael' with the subject line 'WYOMING IS BEING TURNED TO DUST,' claimed that 50 thermite pipe bombs had been placed across official buildings in Cheyenne, 600 bombs hidden in multiple Wyoming cities and government buildings, 50 explosive sets at the Cheyenne Regional Airport, and 500 pounds of explosives in 40 Wyoming schools. NWC's Command Team activated the emergency notification system at 12:23-12:24 PM MT, announcing the campus closure and directing employees to leave and resident students to go to their halls. Community college presidents at Western Wyoming, Eastern Wyoming, and Northwest College all closed their campuses, while other Wyoming colleges remained open after assessing local threat levels. Law enforcement swept buildings including the DeWitt Student Center. The threat was later determined not credible and similar threatening emails had been sent to multiple states. Normal operations resumed the following day.
Analysis

Key Findings

A single mass-emailed hoax threat forced the simultaneous closure of multiple Wyoming community colleges within hours
NWC's emergency notification activated at 12:24 PM MT, approximately three hours after the threat was received by the state
The multi-campus response demonstrates how a non-credible statewide threat can disrupt rural college communities far removed from the purported targets
Residence hall students were briefly locked in before the restriction was lifted, reflecting a layered emergency response
Outcome
Threat was determined non-credible by law enforcement. No explosive devices were found. Campus reopened Friday morning after the all-clear was given.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Emailed bomb threat closes NWC, some facilities in state - Powell Tribune
    powelltribune.com
  2. News
    Bomb threat determined to be hoax - Cody Enterprise
    codyenterprise.com
  3. News
    Wyoming Statewide Bomb Threat Provokes Confusion, Caution, Closings - K2 Radio
    k2radio.com
Tags
bomb-threatstatewide-threathoaxcommunity-collegewyomingpowellmulti-campusrural-campusemail-threatHoax
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion