Candy Moulton
Candy Moulton has written 17 Western history books; co-edited a collection of short fiction and a two-volume encyclopedia; and written and produced several documentary films. She has four Spur Awards, plus many other awards from historical societies, museum associations, and press associations.
During her career of more than 50 years she has edited a weekly newspaper, two magazines, and is a past executive director of Western Writers of America.
Her passions are history, travel, and writing…all of which will be subjects for future articles for Cowboy State Daily
Candy's roots are deep in the Encampment area where she was reared on a ranch. She still lives in that same neighborhood with her husband Steve.
Latest from Candy Moulton
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Sam Hampton Spent A Lifetime On Horses
Sam Hampton is a legacy Wyoming rancher who lives by his own cowboy Golden Rule, which says, “To have good neighbors, first you have to be one.” This Washakie County pioneer will be inducted into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame in October.
Candy MoultonSeptember 07, 2024
The American West: The Ohio Cavalry Protected Wyoming Trails
Split Rock Station, constructed in 1859 near the landmark of the same name, was garrisoned by about 50 soldiers of the 6th Ohio in 1862 when traditionally friendly Shoshone Indians and their Bannock allies attacked stage stations along the Sweetwater River...
Candy MoultonAugust 26, 2024
The American West: Chinese Miners Helped Build Idaho And Montana
Before they found work building the Central Pacific Railroad, Chinese laborers were already working in gold mining operations across the Intermountain West.
Candy MoultonAugust 18, 2024
Candy Moulton: Famed John Brown Family Camped Here
Columnist Candy Moulton writes, "When Janelle Malony takes to the stage to talk about her historical research, visitors are in for a true history lesson. Her pioneer family survived the Platte River Raid of 1864 with the families of Wyatt Earp and pre-Civil War abolitionist John Brown."
Candy MoultonAugust 13, 2024
The American West: Documenting the Wagonhound
A Frenchwoman from New York came to the Wagonhound, a large ranch outside of Douglas in a snowstorm. Wyoming’s open spaces, the seeming emptiness of the landscape, was the inspiration she sought.
Candy MoultonAugust 12, 2024
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame – Steven C. James: Chasing Cattle for over 65 years
Steve James of Daniel has been riding and checking cattle in the Hoback Basin since he was seven years old – a span of 65 years, even though he’s been riding for almost all his 73 years. In October he will be inducted into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame.
Candy MoultonAugust 02, 2024
The American West: John C. Fremont - The Pathfinder Fights Indians, Encounters Grizzly Bear In Carbon County
John C. Fremont first came into Carbon County in August of 1843, traveling west and camping on the principal fork of the Medicine Bow River near “an isolated mountain called the Medicine Butte.” This of course, was Elk Mountain.
Candy MoultonJuly 27, 2024
The American West: Steamboat Embodies Wyoming’s Cowboy Legacy
Wyoming’s most enduring symbol is our cowboy license plate. It's an old argument across Wyoming as to the rider depicted on the license plate. In Pinedale, old timers may tell you it’s Guy Holt. In Lander, sentiment leans toward Stub Farlow. In Laramie, the name most often mentioned is Jake Maring.
Candy MoultonJuly 20, 2024
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Matilda ‘Tillie’ Bock Sewell Spent Years In The Saddle
In Wyoming ranch country, gender is irrelevant. Anyone who can do the job is a cowboy. Tillie Bock Sewell grew up riding horses in Weston County, and was one of the toughest cowboys in the region. She'll be inducted into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame in October.
Candy MoultonJuly 20, 2024
Candy Moulton: Let the Wagons Roll
Columnist Candy Moulton writes, "Anyone who has been around horse drawn vehicles knows that one of the best builders today is Doug Hansen of Letcher, South Dakota, who readily admits he had a hobby – repairing wagon wheels – that turned into a business."
Candy MoultonJuly 16, 2024
The American West: How Calamity Jane Earned Her Stripes As An Army Scout
Sporting buckskin and a rifle, Calamity Jane looked every bit the part of a Western frontierswoman. She didn’t take kindly to the word “no" and quickly proved herself as an invaluable Army scout for troops in the Black Hills region.
Candy MoultonJuly 07, 2024
The American West: Fr. Pierre De Smet, The Jesuit Priest Who Baptized The West
Jesuit priest Fr. Pierre-Jean De Smet was born in Belgium, but found his life’s calling establishing Catholic missions throughout the early settlement of the West, including holding the first Catholic mass in Wyoming.
Candy MoultonJune 30, 2024
The American West: First Missionary Women At Rendezvous Were True Trailblazers
Eliza Spalding and Narcissa Whitman were the first white women to come west in 1836. Although riding in a wagon across the Kansas and Nebraska was not a smooth journey, they found it to be a great mode of transportation.
Candy MoultonJune 16, 2024
Wyoming Cowboy Hall Of Fame Announces Class of 2024 Inductees
The men and women who will be inducted into the Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame as members of the Class of 2024 have worked the open range, remote grazing allotments, and they have herded thousands of head of livestock.
Candy MoultonMay 03, 2024
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Joseph Rex Wardell Ran Cattle For 53 Years
Joseph Rex Wardell was the seventh of nine children and earned his first saddle working as a horse wrangler at age 9. He spent 53 in the saddle for the Upper Green River Cattle Association.
Candy MoultonFebruary 17, 2024
Candy Moulton: Exploring The Sub-Arctic Tundra With 700 Polar Bears
Our guide told us the polar bears were opening their mouths wide because that is how they smell. Their eyesight isn’t great, but they can smell a seal through feet of pack ice … or the aroma of a couple of Wyoming tourists standing on the back platform of the tundra buggy.
Candy MoultonDecember 23, 2023
Sand Creek Massacre: The Most Dastardly Episode In American History Of Broken Promises
The Sand Creek massacre, which happened Nov. 29, 1864, was "really the most dastardly episode in American history of broken promises, followed by a massacre,” Indian Wars historian John Monnett told Cowboy State Daily.
Candy MoultonNovember 29, 2023
Wyoming History: Yellowstone’s Place In The Last Stand Of The Nez Perce Almost Lost To History
As the Nez Perce Tribe was making its way to a U.S. government-established reservation, they moved through Yellowstone as they made their last stand as a free people.
Candy MoultonNovember 25, 2023
Wyoming History: Sacajawea, A Culture Broker For America
For a long period of time there is no record of where Sacajawea was, but eventually, she made her way to Fort Lupton on the South Platte River and then continued north to join Chief Washakie’s people in Wyoming, where she lived the remainder of her life.
Candy MoultonNovember 12, 2023
Wyoming Cowboy Hall of Fame: Frank E. Miller Rode The Range In Carbon County
Frank Miller began riding for his father in 1924 when he was five years old. He only rode for one brand in his life, the I Lazy D, and in 55 years he rode a lot of horses to move cattle and sheep all across the 160,000 acres of ranch northeast of Rawlins.
Candy MoultonNovember 11, 2023
Wyoming Cowboy Hall Of Fame: Kent Snidecor’s Not A Rancher, He’s A Cowboy
Kent Snidecor of Cora, Wyoming, earned his spurs as a working cowboy the honest way, as a self-described “half-assed bronc rider” who “always felt better about myself when I was horseback.”
Candy MoultonNovember 05, 2023