Hartt Wixom
Hartt Wixom was a journalist and writer and focused on topics of Latter-day Saint history, hunting, fishing, and wildlife.
After receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communications from Brigham Young University and pursuing post-graduate work in history at the University of Utah, Wixom worked as an outdoor sports writer for the Deseret News and was editor in chief of BYU’s The Daily Universe. He taught communications at BYU for 14 years.
He was the Rocky Mountain field editor for Field & Stream from 1970 to 1975. He was the founding editor of Utah Outdoors magazine and served as Wyoming editor for Western Outdoors magazine from 1981 to 1986. He contributed frequently to Outdoor Life and Sports Afield. He was chairman of the Fish committee with the Utah Wildlife Federation. Through his interest in hunting and fishing, he worked with wildlife conservationists to preserve or restore clean air and water in t'he American West. He became environmental editor with the Deseret News.
His books on hunting, fishing, wildlife, and conservation include Fishing: The Extra Edge; Elk and Elk Hunting; Utah’s Unique Uintas: Reflecting on a Lifetime of Back-Trail Memories. He spent much time in the Uinta Mountains. Wixom also guided deer and elk hunters into remote forests of Wyoming. He served in the Boy Scouts of America and received the Silver Beaver award and Wood Badge.
He is the author of Jacob Hamblin: A Modern Look at the Frontier Life and Legend of Jacob Hamblin; The Cokeville Miracle: When Angels Intervene (originally titled When Angels Intervene to Save the Children; Profiles in Mormon Courage; Anthony W. Ivins: Cowboy Apostle; and Critiquing the Critics of Joseph Smith. He also wrote Benjamin Lowery: An Intriguing, Historical Novel from the Heart of the Wyoming Frontier.
Wixom was born in Logan, Utah, on April 26, 1933, and passed away on March 8, 2017, in Ivins, Utah. His wife, Judene, co-wrote The Cokeville Miracle with him. They served a Church History mission from 2007 to 2009. They are the parents of seven children. As a young missionary, he served in the Northern States from 1955 to 1957.
