“A comprehensive place-based history of a land and its peoples. . . . Delightful reading.”—Western Historical Quarterly

“Impressive. . . . Gulliford has described a region that rises above its ever-changing borders in a distant corner of the US West.”—Western American Literature

“Gulliford’s work makes crucial connections with the importance of landscape and deep history on local, regional, and national levels. Readers seeking a multifaceted introduction to Bears Ears will find [this book] invaluable.”—Utah Historical Quarterly

“Gulliford traces the successive, often simultaneous waves of resources, peoples, and events traversing the Bears Ears canyonland in the same way geologists might trace the striations of rock within the canyons themselves. Adding to a robust and growing literature on the American West, political studies of United States federal involvement and resource management in the canyonlands, and battles for Native sovereignty, Bears Ears offers a compelling addition for graduate-level courses on identity, place, and federal policy.”—The Public Historian

“A thoughtful consideration of the site’s cultural significance, particularly useful for anyone who wants to know more about public lands debates, Native history in the American Southwest, and the long-standing problem of looting at archaeological sites. It also provides a fine model for historians who might want to similarly blend personal narrative with in-depth, place-centered research.”—Journal of American History

“The saga of Bears Ears is quite a tale, well told by Gulliford. He is a scholar but also writes for a broad readership. His thorough documentation and citation of sources will satisfy his scholarly colleagues, and his telling of deeply human stories will captivate the rest of his readership.”—National Park Travel

“The definitive history of the region, one that is scrupulously researched, compellingly told, and that will stand as a reference for anyone interested in this spectacular and culturally rich corner of our region.”—Durango Herald

“This is a significant contribution to a current controversy. It presents multiple sides of questions fairly. In the ongoing arguments over Bears Ears, Gulliford’s book will be a resource and a reference. It presents an excellent history of Bears Ears and surrounding southeastern Utah.”—Steve Lekson, author of A Study of Southwestern Archaeology
 
“Andrew Gulliford’s long experience with the lands and people of Utah’s San Juan County is apparent in this fair-minded, richly informative historical account. He shows how the Bears Ears National Monument became such a charged public issue and what can be learned from the ongoing struggle to protect it.”—John D. Leshy, author of Our Common Ground: A New History of America’s Public Lands