Pioneering Wyoming’s Past - 616: Mable Cheney Moudy Papers

Published July 28, 2026 at 6:00 AM MDT

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Photograph of South Pass City in 1870, taken by William Henry Jackson. Photo File: South Pass City, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Photograph of the Old Main building, which was the campus of the University of Wyoming at it would have appeared to Mable Cheney during her time as a student. Elmer F. Lovejoy papers, Box 2, folder 9, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

Mable Cheney Moudy was born in 1878 near South Pass, Wyoming. She was a diligent diarist and collector of Wyoming's history. As a young woman, she had a memorable experience while traveling between Laramie and Lander.

During the journey, a young Irish priest expressed amazement that Mable was traveling without a chaperone. She cleverly replied, "I am very well chaperoned." She cited her fellow male passengers, the driver, and even the priest himself as her protectors.

The other passengers playfully teased the priest with tales of storms and wild animals, but the stage reached Lander safely, despite a team of horses nearly overturning the coach.

Mable's collection at UW’s American Heritage Centerincludes her diaries from 1947 to 1972, as well as manuscripts and letters from other early Wyoming residents. These rare first-person accounts provide valuable insights into Wyoming life in the late 19th and early 20th century.