In his debut novel, “Eyes on the Horizon,” New Mexico State University alumnus Canyon Young pens a thrilling tale set in 19th-century New Mexico that follows a son who embarks on a dangerous journey to uncover the truth about his missing father.
Young, who graduated from NMSU in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in range science from the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, self-published the novel in 2025 to unexpected fanfare. The book was a finalist for the Western Writers of America’s 2026 Spur Awards, one of the highest honors in American literature.
Young started writing stories as a child growing up in Sandia Park, New Mexico. A fan of works by Gary Paulsen, Jim Kjellgaardf and Louis L’Amour, Young developed ideas for what would eventually become “Eyes on the Horizon” as a teenager. By the end of high school, he’d written a nearly completed manuscript but set it aside when he went off to college.
“I didn’t do anything with it,” he said, “but I also didn’t forget about it. When I was in my mid-20s, I reached a more restful place in my career and decided to pick it up again.”
He spent two and a half years finishing the book, working on his free time. The story draws influence from classic Western films as well as military, espionage and crime dramas. It centers around a fictional conspiracy involving the Santa Fe Ring and features a cast of characters loosely based on real-life figures who built shady empires by taking advantage of New Mexico territory citizens.
“I did a lot of historical research and read a lot of books,” he said. “Of course, I took some creative liberty with it. It is a story at the end of the day, but I did want to make it as true to history as reasonably possible.”
A seasoned trails manager for the U.S. Forest Service, Young said he wasn’t interested in changing careers by writing the novel – he was simply eager to produce a physical book for family and friends. But soon after its publication, “Eyes on the Horizon” gained a much wider readership. With help from his father, Jeff, a 1986 NMSU graduate, the book found its way to a member of the Western Writers of America, who read it and encouraged Young to submit it for a Spur Award.
With winners like Anne Hillerman, T. J. Stiles, Sandra Dallas, Taylor Sheridan and David Grann, Young assumed his book wouldn’t be taken seriously when he submitted it. But much to his surprise, the Western Writers of America reached out to him this spring.
“I was up in the mountains, standing next to my Forest Service truck, and I called this guy who told me I was a finalist in my category,” he said. “I couldn’t really believe it. I wasn’t expecting it to go anywhere.”
For Young, attending the June awards ceremony in St. Louis was an experience he won’t soon forget. Meeting writers working in the Western genre inspired him to delve deeper into his own writing, he said. It also reminded him somewhat of his time at NMSU and a lesson he learned from one of his favorite professors, Derek Bailey.
“He repeatedly said that one of his goals with his students at NMSU was to create people who are always thinking and never stop learning,” Young said. “That definitely stuck with me, not only just in my career and other endeavors in my life, but also in my writing.”
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Cutline: New Mexico State University alumnus Canyon Young published ‘Eyes on the Horizon’ in 2025. The novel was a finalist the Western Writers of America’s 2026 Spur Awards. (Courtesy)