Ode to the San Juan River

A short excerpt from Sagebrush Empire

The San Juan River near Bluff, Utah, on Aug. 28, 2021. It was somewhat swollen by summer rains in the high country as well as increased releases from Navajo Reservoir done to attempt to slow the decline of Lake Powell’s levels. Jonathan P. Thompson photo.

The following is excerpted from my new book, Sagebrush Empire: How a remote Utah county became the …