The River Knows Everything: Desolation Canyon and the Green - Hardcover

Aton, James M

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0874216524 ISBN 13: 9780874216523

Publisher: Utah State University Press, 2009

Synopsis

Desolation Canyon is one of the West's wild treasures. Visitors come to study, explore, run the river, and hike a canyon that is deeper at its deepest than the Grand Canyon, better preserved than most of the Colorado River system, and full of eye-catching geology-castellated ridges, dramatic walls, slickrock formations, and lovely beaches. Rafting the river, one may see wild horses, blue herons, bighorn sheep, and possibly a black bear. Signs of previous people include the newsworthy, well-preserved Fremont Indian ruins along Range Creek and rock art panels of Nine Mile Canyon, both Desolation Canyon tributaries. Historic Utes also pecked rock art, including images of graceful horses and lively locomotives, in the upper canyon. Remote and difficult to access, Desolation has a surprisingly lively history. Cattle and sheep herding, moonshine, prospecting, and hideaways brought a surprising number of settlers--ranchers, outlaws, and recluses--to the canyon.

About this title

About the Author:

Dan Miller is president of 48 Days LLC, specializing in creative thinking for increased personal and business success. He holds a masterOs degree in psychology and draws from his business experience to help others develop more focused, balanced, truly successful lives. Dan and his wife live in Franklin, Tennessee.

Review:

Aton practices his trade at a masterful level. His writing is clear, even elegant. Scholars in various disciplines will consult the book as a summary of knowledge; the prose is equally accessible to the river guide or backpacker interested in deepening his understanding of Desolation Canyon. The scholarship is fine, the writing is superb, and the topic is unique.
—Gary Topping, author of Glen Canyon and the San Juan Country

In a word, The River Knows Everything is invaluable. Jim Aton has revealed the stories, the characters, and the long-forgotten history of the area. There are no books that even come close to the level of detail on the subject and depth of research that this one reveals. Dan Miller's beautiful color photographs make the book doubly attractive for river runners and everyone else.
--Roy Webb, author of Riverman: The Story of Bus Hatch

About this edition

• Publisher: Utah State University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0874216524
• ISBN 13: 9780874216523
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256