Utah Stories

Every farmer is a gambler, every gardener is a believer

Utah Stories dedicates this issue to the gamblers and believers who each year bet and pray that their efforts will bring forth a harvest we all can share.

|


Utah Stories dedicates this issue to the gamblers and believers who each year bet and pray that their efforts will bring forth a harvest we all can share.

 

Thank a farmer

Every farmer is a gambler, every gardener is a believer—he or she is betting that tiny seeds buried in the ground will bring forth a bounty of crops.

To closely watch a plant grow strong throughout the months and then see flowers transformed into fruits and vegetables, is miraculous. It humbles one into realizing there is a provident power in the universe.

Utah publicly acknowledged these forces when in 1955 it named the seagull the state bird because of its role in saving the harvest of Mormon pioneers. Farmers in 1848 were besieged by insects, and legend has it that large flocks of gulls ate the crickets and saved the crops.

Whether the facts are exaggerated does not matter. The underlying truth remains powerful. We are all a weevil away from famine. Perhaps it is appropriate to offer a blessing before each meal to respect the miracles that put food on the table.

Utah Stories dedicates this issue to the gamblers and believers who each year bet and pray that their efforts will bring forth a harvest we all can share.

 



Join our newsletter.
Stay informed.


  • How I Lost 120 Pounds and Changed My Relationship With Food

    Throughout most of my life, I used food to cope with chaos, depression, and pain I did not yet understand. By my early twenties, I weighed over 320 pounds and felt trapped in a body that limited every part of my life. This is the story of how learning about food, mental health, and habit-building helped me lose 120 pounds and rebuild stability.


  • 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.


  • When Main Street Burned: The Aftermath of the Salt Lake City Fire That Hit Downtown Bars

    Fire doesn’t respect zoning, property lines, or even the most popular block on Main Street. On the evening of Monday, August 11, 2025, a blaze that began around 8:40 p.m. on Main Street. It moved quickly through a row of aging, interconnected buildings that had become the heart and soul of Salt Lake City’s fledgling bar district. By the time firefighters brought it under control, multiple businesses were damaged, dozens of workers were displaced, and one of the city’s most active stretches went dark.

    The fire started at London Bell and spread into neighboring structures, severely damaging Whiskey Street. White Horse never caught fire, but smoke, water, and a partial roof collapse caused extensive interior damage, forcing a full rebuild. Other nearby businesses were affected as well, including some that had helped turn this part of Main Street into one of its most active and economically stable stretches.


  • Utah Acquires US Magnesium Assets in $30M Deal to Protect the Great Salt Lake

    Utah leaders announced the state has successfully won the bid to acquire key assets of the defunct US Magnesium facility on the Great Salt Lake, including its associated water rights and property.