Rafting the Yampa: A Libertarian Publisher is Exposed to the Beliefs, History and Ideology of Environmental Protectionists

“Okay,” I thought, “I’m going to be going down a river with people whose primary ideology I disagree with.” But then I reasoned, “maybe my point of view could provide an interesting story.

Richard Markosian

July 29, 2018

Why should every story be about everyone being agreeable? I’ll go, I decided, be nice yet disagreeable, and completely honest.”

So I went on a trip down the Yampa River with a group of people who I knew would very likely espouse many things with which I would disagree since they were hard-core environmentalist liberals. As for me, I’m a small-government libertarian.

Read the rest of the story on MoabStories.

Moab, Utah Development, Utah History

river rafting

Richard Markosian

I am a story teller and journalist. I have a passion for farmers, local craftspeople, and folks who aspire to create, build and grow their business in the local marketplace. Why local? By supporting locally-owned businesses we create more opportunity for entrepreneurs, and we claim our sovereignty to shape our communities how we want to see them. I aspire to build Utah Stories Magazine into a household Utah name, and assist Utah businesses and makers with marketing. On the journalism side of things my passion is investigative journalism that offers true insight into issues. I believe strongly in the forth estate: strong, meaningful, insightful journalism is essential to a free market Democracy.

Park City

From Immigrant Miner to U.S. Senator: The Rise of Thomas Kearns in Park City

In June of 1883, 21-year-old Thomas Kearns arrived in Park City with little to his name and no guarantee of success. Like many young men drawn to the mining camps of the West, he was poor, ambitious, and willing to take whatever work he could find. After months of grueling labor underground as a mucker in the Ontario Mine, Kearns distinguished himself through persistence and curiosity, spending his evenings studying manuscripts on mining and land rights long after his shifts ended.

That quiet discipline soon changed his fortunes. A chance observation while tunneling led Kearns and a small group of partners to lease nearby claims, uncovering one of the most productive silver deposits in Utah history. In less than a decade, the immigrant laborer had become a millionaire and a central figure in Park City’s economy, setting in motion a rise that would carry him far beyond the mines.

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Go Local

Why Price, Utah, Needed a Rock and Fossil Shop

After years in Salt Lake City and an interlude in Oregon, Kathie Chadbourne settled on Price as the location for her new rock shop. The town appealed to her because of its strong ties to geology and archeology, and its place within the Dinosaur Diamond. At first, she wondered whether a shop like hers might already exist there.
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Highway 6 and the Midland Trail: Utah’s Transcontinental Highway History

From Price Canyon to Delta’s desert stretch, Utah played a central role in building the Midland Trail, one of America’s earliest transcontinental highways and the foundation of today’s Highway 6.
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Where to Go in Utah This February

A change of scenery that doesn’t require a plane ticket or a complicated itinerary. Sometimes the best reset is just a few miles from home.