The history of Utah’s largest, longest lasting brewery. The Mormon pioneers drank beer, and whiskey. Brigham Young had his own distillery that produced a hard, harsh liquid called Valley Tan which, according to Mark Twain was “their version of hellfire and brimstone.” It wasn’t until years after the Joseph Smith’s death that the Word of Wisdom— initially established not as … [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...]
Dugway Myteries Revealed — The New Area 51
You might call Dugway Proving Ground the ultimate gated community, home to 1,400 residents. There are an estimated 300 miles of roads around Dugway, but the residents have clearance to a fraction of the secret areas around this mysterious place. Conspiracy theorists claim that Dugway is the “New Area 51” and the U.S. Government secret programs are hiding extraterrestrial … [Read more...]
Karma Catching up to Westgate Owner David Siegel
Utah Stories began reporting on David Siegel and his timeshare ripoffs beginning before the housing bubble in 2008. At that point Siegal was at the top of the world, looking to post $1 billion in sales with his company Westgate Resorts. We learned from attending a Westgate Resorts timeshare presentation that his sales associates flat out lied to customers. After we initially … [Read more...]
Ancient Fremont Farming in Utah
The Fremont Indians of Utah adopted farming technology that would be wiped out by their conquerors, the Utes. One of the most mysterious discoveries found in ancient Utah is a technological and lifestyle regression that occurred around 1250 -1300 AD, when the Fremont Indians’ culture vanished in less than a century. The Fremonts were likely an offshoot of the Aztecs, but … [Read more...]
Trappist Monastery Eden, Utah
At first, one hears the silence.The distinguishing attribute of the monastery in Huntsville, Utah is the surrounding quiet. But unless blessed by a miraculous turn of events, Our Lady of the Holy Trinity Abbey and the soothing rhythm of the monks’ sacred chanting will soon become very silent. Founded in 1947 by the Roman Catholic Trappist order, this 1,800 acres of … [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...]
Suburban Sprawl in Utah– its effect on Utah Farmers
Freeway projects and growth along I-15 are gobbling up Utah's family farms For the past 15 years a mass migration has been underway from the Eastern to the Western United States. Detroit, Pittsburgh and Chicago have all had population declines while Tucson, Phoenix, Denver, Salt Lake City and Provo have seen significant population increases. A major reason for the western … [Read more...]