Observations of a fire lookout
The writers Edward Abbey, Gary Snyder and Norman McLean all staffed high-elevation fire lookouts in the West—their experiences rich fuel for their work. But Jack Kerouac’s reaction makes…
MoreIn small towns, bookstores are thriving
“I love to spend my day in a bookstore,” said Amy Sweet. She lives in Red Lodge, Montana, and was…
beartooth books, Red Lodge, Montana, John Clayton
MoreRosa Parks gives a talk in my small town
It was 2 p.m. on a recent Sunday in the western Colorado town of Paonia, population 1,500, not an ideal…
Rosa Parks, Unseen Histories, Unsplash
MoreRushing water closes a highway in Western Colorado
The small towns of Paonia and Hotchkiss in western Colorado are seeing fewer tourists this spring. Exceptionally high runoff blew…
Bear Creek digs a big ditch across Highway 133, Patti Kaech photo, May 15
MoreWant to farm? Get a cash register
In 1991, when Lee Bradley started farming near Paonia in the North Fork Valley of Colorado, he was hired to…
Image credit: P.j. Briscoe
MoreLooking back to when water was plentiful
During his 50 years in rural western Colorado, Jamie Jacobson has seen a lot of flooding. While caretaking a farm…
MoreIf the Water Goes, the Desert Moves in
“Without water, you’ve got nothing around here.”
Photograph by David Marston
MoreALMOST 70 WHEN THE VIRUS ENDED HIS JOB
Brezonick knows that the huge furnaces that burn coal are closing fast. “I don’t think coal will recover and society has turned against it,”
Photograph by Matt Brezonick
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