NOTE: Maxine Newell was a life long resident of the Colorado Plateau. She was born in Dove Creek, Colorado and lived in Monticello and then Moab until her death in 2015. Maxine and I worked together at Arches NP in…
DATELINE: MOAB, UTAH—APRIL 4, 1956 It seems like only yesterday when our little hamlet of Moab slumbered peacefully, like a throwback to the 19th Century. Quiet lazy mornings. Peaceful green evenings. My serenity was only disturbed by the rumble of…
The Uranium Boom. The big bang that was heard and felt around the globe. Although the Atomic Bomb was used with devastating effect to end World War II, it has not lost its popularity as a threat for further action.…
EDITOR’S NOTE: As this story suggests, we all thought Gene Schafer would live forever, or as he liked to say, “Long enough to piss on all of your graves.” He was like nobody else—outspoken and blunt beyond description, caring and…
NOTE: I’d like to offer a special ‘thanks’ to Lillie Keener of Salt Lake City for her contributions to this story. Lillie grew up in Moab and lived with her “Moab Mom and Dad,” Troy and Jaunita Anderson. The Andersons…
In the annals of southern Utah history, September 17, 1946 was a day to be remembered. With proper pomp and circumstance—even the San Juan County High School Band—the Hite Ferry was dedicated. With the completion of the ferry it was…
Among many Moabites who instinctively label themselves “progressive environmentalists,” the collective vision for a better future in Southeast Utah is frequently and inextricably linked to one word— it’s almost a rallying point: ‘Sustainability.’ I see the word enthusiastically bandied about…
At twenty-one years of age, in 1950, I went through a hellish year, as national and international events seemed to pull me into areas in which I had little control. Distractions were many. Continuous war talk left my mind immobilized,…
BEGINNINGS…1988-1996 Here’s how far we’ve come. Shortly after The Zephyr’s first issue appeared on newsstands, in mid-March 1989, I was at the old Main Street Broiler, eating one of Debbie Rappe’s wonderful cheeseburgers and overheard a spirited conversation at an…
Over the years, the Zephyr has published innumerable articles on Edward Abbey. Below, we’ve assembled links to as many as we could find… Quiet Times at Arches National Monument: Lloyd Pierson and Lyle Jameson remember Arches in the 1950s…by Jim…