Table Of Content-
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THE WRITER'S GUIDE To t t·
Praise for THE WRITER'S GUIDE TO
EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE WILD WEST
"Candy Moulton has done every writer of the American West-fiction and
nonfiction alike-a great service in publishing The Writer's Guide to Everyday
Life in the Wild West. This book is an absolute must, not only for writers, but for
teachers, students and armchair historians.''
-James A. Crutchfield, author of Mountain Men of the American West
"A must for every (fiction) writer who uses a western setting."
-Carolyn Lampman, award-winning historical romance author of
A Window in Time
"It is every writer's task to be both accurate and interesting. Not only does
Moulton give us the facts, she gives us the examples. Dates, facts, timelines,
Moulton covers them all in what is more than a reference book-a writer's
delight.''
-Jerrie Hurd, president, vVomen Writing the West and author of The Lady
Pinkerton Gets Her Man
"Candy Moulton has pulled off the hat trick ·with The Writer's Guide to Everyday
Life in the Wild West. Rich in detail, and stuffed with information on the frontier
era, her finely-crafted book will serve as an invaluable research source for those
who write about the West of yesteryear. A blue-ribbon winner!"
-Matt Braun, author of Wyatt Earp, Rio Grande and The Gamblers
"Candy Moulton has crammed an amazing amount of material about the West
into this book. I am a stickler for accuracy, and hunted the text looking for
errors. I found none, and indeed, the text broadened and deepened my knowl
edge of the West. This splendid book is going on my reference shelf and it is
going to be used frequently."
-Richard S. Wheeler, author of The Buffalo Commons
"This guide is the jumping off' place for anyone interested in writing about
the historical American west. Well-organized and research-friendly, it also
proves just plain fun to read. Every western writer should keep this volume
within reach.''
-Mike Blakely, president, Western Writers of America
"Turn here before you dive into the piles of research books; you will rnost
likely find your answer. We consider The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in the
Wild West to be indispensable. It should be on every scholar's and enthusiast's
desk. Nothing like it is available on the market today."
-W. Michael Gear and Kathleen O'Neal Gear, authors of People of the Masks
t_,,
THE WRITER'SG UIDE TO
- -
.,
Moulton
Candy
WRITER'S DIGEST SOOKS
CINCINNATI OHIO
----------------------- -- ·-- --- -
DEDICATION
To THE STAFF OF ROUNDUP MAGAZINE
JIM CRUTCHFIELD, DON BIRCHFIELD, DORIS MEREDITH, BOBBY
DAi'\TIELS, RENEE THOMPSON-HEIDE, AND MILES SWARTHOUT.
The Writer's Guide to Everyday Life in the Wild West. Copyright© 1999 by Candy Moulton.
Printed and bound in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this
book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including
information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher,
except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Published by Writer's
Digest Books, an imprint of F&W Publications, Inc., 1507 Dana Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio
45207. (800) 289-0963. First edition.
This hardcover edition of The l-Vriter's Guide to Everyday Life in the l-Vild West features a "self
jacket" that eliminates the need for a separate dust jacket. It provides sturdy protection
for your book while it saves paper, trees and energy.
Other fine Writer's Digest Books are available from your local bookstore or direct from
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03 02 01 00 99 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Moulton, Candy Vyvey.
The writer's guide to everyday life in the V\rild west / Candy Moulton. 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-89879-870-1 (alk. paper)
1. West (U.S.)-Social life and customs-Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Frontier and
pioneer life-West (U.S.)-Handbooks, manuals, etc. 3. Historical fiction-Author
ship-Handbooks, manuals, etc. 4. Western stories-Authorship-Handbooks, manuals,
etc. I. Title.
F596.M694 1999
978-dc21 98-48127
CIP
Editor: David Borcherding
Production Editor: Christine K. Doyle
Production Coordinator: Kristen Dawn Heller
Designer: Sandy Kent
ACKN OWLED G MEN TS
It has been great fun researching and writing this book. Not many weeks after
I first discussed it with Roseann Biedennan at Writer's Digest, I started working
on the book, not heading to the library, as you might suspect, but rather climb
ing aboard a covered wagon to travel the Mormon Trail from Winter Quarters
to Salt Lake City. I spent the better part of four months on the trail, riding in
a chuck wagon owned by Ben Kern and driven by Donny Marincic, a couple
of my Wyoming pals. On portions of the trail I pulled a handcart with Jonathan
Dew, a new friend from Utah, and I walked with Englishwoman Sue Smith.
11any on that trek wore period clothing and cooked traditional foods using
nineteenth century implements. All rode wagons, walked or rode horses. I had
the opportunity not only to research everyday life in the West during the 1800s
but also to actually live it.
Writing this book has been quite a journey, made with encouragement and
assistance from many people. I have made every effort to provide the best
information about life in the Wild West from 1840 to 1900, but if I have misin
terpreted the writings of others, I hope you will overlook any unintentional
errors that are mine alone.
For reading the manuscript and making research suggestions I am deeply
indebted to a number of writers who have studied specific areas for years. First
and foremost is James A. Crutchfield, Western Writers of America Secretary
Treasurer, who vetted the entire manuscript, provided guidance and lent ine
research materials. I'm so fortunate to be traveling a parallel road with you,
rny friend. Closely behind in making a significant contribution is Glenda Riley,
past president of the Western History Association, who took the time from her
own work and a planned trip to Kenya to read the manuscript.
Others who read specific sections or provided details included Jacqueline
v\Tilliams, food; D.L. Birchfield, Native American issues; Paula Taylor, clothing
and Mexican-American War; Robert Vaughan, military; Tom Lindmier, cowboy
gear; Paul Andrew Hutton, military; and Sierra Adare, Native American issues.
Paula and Sierra gave me free access to their extensive personal libraries, in
cluding many rare books and documents. For providing research suggestions
I'm grateful to Lucia St. Clair Robson, Pat Patterson, Earl Murray, Marcus Huff,
Larry Jay Martin, James Work, John Duncklee and Rita Cleary.
In a less direct way I am indebted to the members of Western Writers of
America, Women Writing the West, and the Western History Association as I
have relied extensively upon their writings in preparing this book. And I could
never have done it without the assistance of the University of Wyoming Infor
mation Network, which loaned me microfilm to read in the convenience of
my office, and to UW-Coe Library with its liberal lending policies, which made
it possible to obtain research materials for extended time periods. I also must
recognize Travel Montana, the Grand Encampment Museum, Betty M. Vyvey,
and Penny vValters for access to photograph artifacts, and I'm tremendously
indebted to Bobby Daniels, who prepared the maps.
For encouragement and assistance through the years I thank my family,
Steve, Shawn and Erin Marie, and these additional professional friends,
R. Richard Perue, Gay Day Alcorn, Lori Van Pelt, Mike and Kathy Gear, Larry
Brown, Mike Blakely, W.C. Jameson, MJ. Van Deventer, Shelly Ritthaler, Dan
Neal, Nancy Curtis, Rob Hurless, Dan Greer, R. Eli Paul, Rick Ewig, Ann Nel
son, Jean Brainerd, Chuck Coon, Sheila Bricher-Wade and Chuck Bowlus.
I am tremendously indebted to my agent, Marcy Posner, for her unfailing
support, encouragement and help, and to Eric Zohn for dealing with contract
issues so I could concentrate on research and writing. I appreciate my editors
at Writer's Digest, Roseann Biederman and Dave Borcherding, as well as the
rest of the Writer's Digest staff for their efforts on my behalf.
And finally, for forcing me to take breaks from research and writing, and
being there when no one else was, I am grateful for my dearest friend, Bill
Romios. The bond we have grows tighter every year. I finished this manuscript
with a heavy heart as Bill and I dealt with the death of his son, Ben, taken from
us at age twenty-one by an avalanche.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Candy Moulton is a fourth-generation westerner,
who was reared on the vVyoming ranch her grand-·
parents ho1nesteaded. Moulton has a degree in
journalism fron1 the University of Wyo1ning. Since
1974 she has worked for various newspapers as an
editor, reporter and photographer. She is a staff
\\<Titer for Persimmon Hill, the official publication
of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame, is the editor
"O of Roundup, the magazine of Western Writers of
~
u
0 America, and writes regularly for American Cowboy,
0
=
a... Sunset, Wild West, the Casper Star-Tribune, the Fence
Post, and the Rawlins Dai~~· Times. Her work has also appeared in Time magazine,
the Denver Post, Adventure iVest, Travel and Leisure, True West, Western Horseman,
Southwest Art and other publications.
Her nonfiction books are Steamboat: Legendary Bucking Horse (High Plains
Press, 1992, coauthored vvith Flossie Moulton); Legacy of the Tetons: Homesteading
in Jackson Hole (Ta1narack Books, 1994); Roadside History a/Wyoming (Mountain
Press Publishing, 1995); lVagon VFheels: A Contemporary Journey on the Oregon Trail
(High Plains Press, 1996, coauthored with Ben Kern); Roadside History of Ne
braska (Mountain Press Publishing, 1997); Salt Lake City Uncovered (Seaside
Press, 1997, coauthored with Sierra S. Adare); and The Grand Encampment:
Settling the High Country (High Plains Press, 1997).
belongs to \\Testern \\Triters of America, v\Tomen Writing the West,
~foulton
v\Testern History A.ssociation, the Oregon-California Trails Association, Na
tional Trust for Historic Preservation, Wyoming Writers, Wyoming Media Pro
fessionals, and the National Federation of Press Women.
Moulton makes her home near Encampment, Wyoming, with her husband,
Steve, and two children, Shawn and Erin Marie.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODCCTION ... 1
PART ONE:
f
H~ 1AN~, ~~V~RNM~NT AN~ WAR
ONE THE LAND ITSELF ...••...........•...... 6
TWO LAND OWNERSHIP •..•...••.•..•.....••. 17
THREE NATIVE AMERICAN TERRITORIES,
LEADERSHIP AND LIFESTYLE ...... 28
FOCR UNITED STATES/
34
INDIAN TREATIES ..•......•..........•..
FIVE WESTERN WARS ..................•...... 44
PART TWO:
SIX CLOTHES AND ACCESSORIES ••..••. 78
SEVEN FooD AND DRINK .. . ..••.........•••...• 109
EIGHT ARCHITECTURE .......................... 135
NINE FURNISHING A HOME .......•......... 154
TEN MARRIAGE AND FAMILY ....•.•...... 165
ELEVEN DOCTORS, DENTISTS
175
AND MEDICINE .................••.......•
PART THREE:
TWELVE ··············••••4'••··········192
EDUCATION
THIRTEE"\' EMPLOYMENT .......................•....• 197
219
FOCRTEE~ ENTERTAINMENT .•••.......•.•••....•.••
235
FIFTEE~ LANGUAGE ..........................•.•.•.
SIXTEE"\' TRAVEL AND COMMUNICATIONS .. 239
SEVE"\'TEE"\' CRIME AND PUNISHMENT ••..•••..•• 267
EIGHTEE:'\ Co1Ns/MoNEY AND
How MucH THINGS CosT ...•..•••. 284
vVRITER'S RESOURCE Ge IDE ... 295
CHRONOLOGY ... 304
BIBLIOGRAPHY ... 31 7
INDEX ... 3 20
