Conservation and Planning Book

Hardcover. This is one of the most interesting books I've read in a long time. Moving back to UT, I've had a keen interest in the local history and geography, and Farmer provided that in spades. I'd call him the Bill Bryson of Utah. The level of extralocal knowledge he spews is astonishing.

On Zion's Mount changed how I think about Mormon-Native American relations, the hydrological oasis that is (or was) the Wasatch Front, place-names, and the collective forgetfulness of Utahns.

4 stars because (a) the last few chapters digress in a long-winded, unnecessary manner (curse of Farmer's encyclopedic knowledge about Indian toponyms and folklore), (b) Farmer's occasional one-sided treatment of non-environmentalists + euro settlers, and (c) the content can be repetitious and, rarely, border on conjecture. Still, highly recommend for those intrigued by the settlement of UT, native relations, and perceptions of the natural landmarks.