Old-timers say “for every ounce of mined gold, gallons of blood have been spilt.” The most sensational Utah tale concerns the lost Rhoades Mine. Thomas Rhoades was commissioned as Brigham Young’s representative to the Ute Chief Wakara. Chief Wakara allegedly accompanied Rhoades the location of a fabulously rich mine, the wealth of which was to be used only to benefit the … [Read more...]
Standing Their Ground
Cottonwood Heights Small Business Owners Fight New Police Department's Heavy-Handed Treatment Cottonwood Heights is indeed a “shining city upon a hill.” Located on the pathways that once led to the most productive silver mining claims in Utah, the same pathways now lead to the best skiing on earth. The drainage basin for the Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon Creeks flows down … [Read more...]
City Creek Center: The true cost of the Mormon mall
Five years ago Utah Stories produced its first documentary video asking why Crossroads Mall and the ZCMI Center were being torn down just thirty-five years after they were built to construct the City Creek Center. This was a question no other media outlet was asking. Instead, all they reported on was how wonderful the City Creek Center would be, and how great it was that the … [Read more...]
Lavender Fields of Deceit?
Driving into Mona, Utah on I-15 the fragrance of fresh lavender through an open car window is enchanting. Just fifteen minutes from all of the construction madness in and around Utah County, remnants of road-rage and stress fade away as the vast expanse of farms begins to unfold. From early spring through September breathtaking rows of majestic purple lavender extend like a … [Read more...]
Iosepa: Why Hawaiian Mormon Pioneers Were Evicted
Skull Valley, UT— Just the name portrays a Valley-of-the-Damned-image: desolate, remote. It is mostly accurate. Skull Valley is home to Dugway Proving Grounds, where biological and chemical weapons are tested for “mostly training purposes,” according to the military residents there. For most of Utah’s short history, a place beyond the Stansbury Range in Tooele County that has … [Read more...]
The Ups and Downs of Mormon Media
by Jacob Hodgen Amidst fierce competition, the Deseret News has a brave new plan to save their paper. But at what cost?. It has been one heck of a year for Utah’s longest-running newspaper. The Deseret News just announced it would soon be jettisoning 43% of its staff, including its entire design department. Spinning the move as a bold step and part of a plan to “lead … [Read more...]
In Defense of Polygamy
Polygamy gets a bad rap these days: It subjugates women; it creates a hostile environment for families; it is practiced by religious nut jobs; it is often associated with child marriages to older men. . . All of this is utter nonsense.by Jacob Hodgen The truth is that nothing could be more "traditional family values" than the practice of plural marriage. Polygamy, or more … [Read more...]