"A deep, fascinating dive into a uniquely American brand of religious zealotry that poses a grave threat to our national parks, wilderness areas, wildlife sanctuaries, and other public lands. It also happens to be a delight to read."
—JON KRAKAUER
American Zion is the story of the Bundy family, famous for their armed conflicts in the West. With an antagonism that goes back to the very first Mormons who fled the Midwest for the Great Basin, they hold a sense of entitlement that confronts both law and democracy. Today their cowboy confrontations threaten public lands, wild species, and American heritage.
BETSY GAINES QUAMMEN is a historian and conservationist. She received a doctorate in Environmental History from Montana State Universityin 2017, her dissertation focusing on Mormon settlement and public land conflicts. After college in Colorado, caretaking for a bed and breakfast in Mosier, Oregon, and serving breakfasts at a cafe in Kanab, Utah, Betsy has settled in Bozeman, Montana, where she now lives with her husband, writer David Quammen, three huge dogs, an overweight cat, and a pretty big python named Boots.
ISBN-13: 9781948814140
Media Type: Paperback
Publisher: Torrey House Press
Publication Date: 03-24-2020
Pages: 370
Product Dimensions: 5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.10(d)
BETSY GAINES QUAMMEN is a historian and conservationist. She received a doctorate in Environmental History from Montana State Universityin 2017, her dissertation focusing on Mormon settlement and public land conflicts. After college in Colorado, caretaking for a bed and breakfast in Mosier, Oregon, and serving breakfasts at a cafe in Kanab, Utah, Betsy has settled in Bozeman, Montana, where she now lives with her husband, writer David Quammen, three huge dogs, an overweight cat, and a pretty big python named Boots.
Table of Contents
American Zion: Cliven Bundy, God & Public Lands in the West
By Betsy Gaines Quammen
Table of Contents
Preface
Section 1: Convergence
Chapter 1: Magician and Prophet: Joseph Smith's New Church
Chapter 2: Nephi Johnson, John D. Lee, and Rockwell Porter: The Building of the Mormon Militia
Chapter 3: Silver, Cattle, and Conflict: Zion on Top of Sacred Paiute Land
Section 2: Conflict
Chapter 4: Charles Redd and Escalante: The American Romance with Utah's Canyonlands vs. the Mormon Cowboy
Chapter 5: Robert Redford's Effigy: Local Anger and the Rise of Retaliation
Chapter 6: Bloody Mary and Cliven Bundy: Taking on the Bureau of Land Management
Section 3: Confrontation
Chapter 7: The Mormon Militia and the American Patriots: Building Bundy's Army
Chapter 8: Standoff, Takeover, and Consequences: The Ritual of Rebellion and the Downfall of Dan Love
Chapter 9: Bundy's Roadshow: Spreading Anti–government Sentiment one Western Revival at a Time
Epilogue: Ryan Zinke, Gold Butte, and the Will of We the People
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