Sagebrush Empire

By Jonathan P. Thompson,

Book cover of Sagebrush Empire: How a Remote Utah County Became the Battlefront of American Public Lands

Book description

"Thompson's investigative chops are impressive."

—SIERRA MAGAZINE

San Juan County, Utah, contains some of the most spectacular landscapes in the world, rich in natural wonders and Indigenous culture and history. But it's also long been plagued with racism, bitterness, and politics as twisted as the beckoning canyons. In 2017, en…

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1 author picked Sagebrush Empire as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Former president Trump’s evisceration of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments kept all of us canyon country activists busy for years with protests and op-eds. The backstory leading to President Biden’s restoration of both monuments pretty much outlines the history of conservation in America. Bears Ears and Grand Staircase, as well as Capitol Reef, were part of an enormous Escalante National Monument proposed in the 1930s that likely would have prevented the tragic flooding of Glen Canyon by Lake Powell. Jonathan Thompson recounts these historic fights over public lands by focusing on San Juan County, home to Canyonlands National…

From Stephen's list on Utah Canyon Country.

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