Battles between man and beast have raged since the dawn of humanity. Sometimes the human loses, but more often than not, the beast loses. It is the way of nature that species must compete for space and resources, but humans are the dominant force on the planet, and that often spells disaster for the animals. What animals need is a human ambassador to advocate on their … [Read more...]
The Power of Orchids
Orchids … exotic, beautiful, mesmerizing … and thriving in Salt Lake City. Although far removed from the tropics where they bloom in thousands of varieties, orchids are abundant here in the high desert of Utah. Both the flowers and those who fancy them were at the recent spring showing of the Orchid Club of Utah held at Red Butte Gardens. "Orchids are so varied no matter … [Read more...]
San Rafael Secrets: What Did Madame Marie Curie Do in the Middle of a Utah Desert?
High-quality uranium brought Madame Curie to Emery County Deep in the San Rafael Swell lie the lonely stone remnants of the Temple Mountain townsite, a remote cluster of stone cabins where Marie Curie, aka Madame Curie, once lived for a short time. Long before Charlie Steen struck it rich with his discovery of uranium in Moab during WWII, ushering in the age of the atomic … [Read more...]
Utah Volcanoes & Massacres: A Tour of Southern Utah’s Violent Past
Will Bagley’s Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows sat on my shelf for about 20 years before I picked it up last fall. I was halfway through the book when Bagley passed away in October. It was a strange shock to know that this wise and curmudgeonly historian’s voice I had been hearing in my head would now reside only in those black … [Read more...]
The Monster Rabbits of Washington County
In the summer of 2002, I collected one of the most fun and interesting stories I have ever stumbled upon. A gentleman by the name of Darrell contacted me to say that he had an “interesting story” to share. He insisted on meeting in person so he could “size me up first.” I was fine with that so I agreed to go to his home in Draper the following day. The next morning I … [Read more...]
Haunted Museum in Fairview, Utah: Utah Ghost Hunter Registers Voices From the Other Side
There is something to be said about big old buildings, especially ones that have lived more than one life, and as in the case of the Fairview Museum of Art & History, are now filled with relics of a different era. However, being old does not automatically mean that a building is haunted. While I don’t spend every weekend running around the state investigating haunted … [Read more...]
100-Year-Old Wasatch Mountain Lodge Hidden in Dense Forest of Big Cottonwood Canyon
If you’ve ever skied Brighton Resort, chances are you’ve glided right past the two-story, almost 100-year-old Wasatch Mountain Lodge without even knowing it. Located on the hillside above Brighton Inn, just a few hundred yards from the Milly Express lift, this large, log structure is hidden in dense forest. “I first became acquainted with the Lodge three years ago same day … [Read more...]
Dancing Moose Farm: Ogden Valley’s Premier Agritourism Destination
Quietly and steadily since the mid-1990s, a barren field has been cultivated for sustainability and converted into a farm along the South Fork of the Ogden River. Four yurts, a straw bale home, beehives, grazing cows and ducks, and an Earthship-style chicken coop now sit on the seventeen-and-a-half-acre agricultural cooperative, Dancing Moose Farm. It’s a dream unfolding … [Read more...]
Living Without Cars in Moab, Utah
Moab's Millcreek Parkway: A Story for Locals Only While vacationing in Moab last month, we found another example of how Grand County residents take ownership of their community. Moabites pride themselves on thinking differently and living deliberately with the notion that closer contact with nature should not entail driving to a destination, but that nature should be … [Read more...]
Exploring Ghost Towns Royal & Cisco near Moab, Utah
In the frontier days of the American West, industries rose and fell in arcs spanning just a few decades, sometimes launching communities that endured, and sometimes sprouting small towns and settlements that faded quickly away, leaving only scattered remnants. Many lonely corners of Utah harbor sites of these former communities. Royal and Cisco are two such decrepit and … [Read more...]