It is a high valley edged by serrated peaks, a remote expanse the size of Connecticut lying, as if forgotten, between two mountain ranges. Here, North AmericaÕs tallest sand dunes blow against glacier-gouged summits, the Rio Grande begins its long journey from snowflake to saltwater, and vast reaches of desert scrub hide verdant pocket wetlands. ColoradoÕs San Luis Valley is not a place for the timid. Sizzling hot in summer, frigid cold in winter, this huge landscape is humbling in its openness, a place defined by the rhythms of natureÑand by the thrust and parry of male courting female in the ritual dance of sandhill cranes. These majestic birds arrive by the thousands twice a year to feed, rest, and socialize in the valleyÕs wetlandsÑinvisible except from the airÑand their cries temper the constant wind. Susan Tweit lives in the high desert of southern Colorado not far from the valleyÕs dunes and wetlands. With the precision of a scientist and the passion of a poet, she guides readers through this land of sand dunes and sandhill cranes, describing its natural features and tracing its human history from buffalo hunters and conquistadors to Hispanic farming communities and UFO observatories. And in stunning images, photographer Glenn Oakley brings his intimate feel for light and landscape to portraying not only the subtle beauty of this high-desert sanctuary but also the grandeur of the cranes in flight. As an intimate look at Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve and the San Luis Valley, this book reveals a desert place as seductive and sobering as existence itself.

The year environmentalist Sam Bingham spent in Colorado's San Luis Valley showed him that environmental disasters of global consequence are happening in our own backyard. THE LAST RANCH tells of the desperate efforts of one community to stop the encroaching desert. "A rare and beautifully written account of hard lives in hard times, and must reading for those interested in the future of the American West".--KIRKUS REVIEWS.

Renowned UFOlogist Christopher O'Brien blew the lid off the San Luis Valley--now he takes you even deeper into the world's most mysterious locale. The picturesque patch of land that stretches from Southern Colorado into Northern New Mexico, known as the San Luis Valley, has been home to some of the most astounding occurrences in North American history. More strange sightings have been reported within the SLV's radius than in any other part of the country. Shrouded in mystery, a brave few have dared to explore the vast territory--Christopher O'Brien is one of those people. He first took us there in his classic work, The Mysterious Valley. Now he returns with even more astonishing stories, fascinating folklore, and probing insight than ever. Enter The Valley and you'll discover: -UFOs--an in-depth investigation of these SLV incidents -Cattle mutilations--numerous examples of this bizarre occurrence, and shocking theories about why it happens -Local folklore--the Colorado Cannibal, a race of "underground dwellers," America's first serial killers, gnomes, Bigfoot, and more -Covert military activity and underground bases--what is the government trying to hide? -And much, much more!

Who does this land belong to? How have cultures gained access to this land? Who gets to decide who is right? These are the questions that inspired Nash to write this book. Although in recent decades, there have been significant studies and reports on the history of San Luis Valley and, more generally, the southwestern United States, this intriguing story is largely unknown to many residents. More importantly, most of the history commonly known is told by those that won the valley from several previous inhabitants and cultures. This work gives a prominent place to the stories as told by indigenous people and Spanish-speaking people before the arrival of northern European descendants. Nash draws from a wide variety of sources to bring a condensed version of this broader story.

Historic photographs of Chaco Canyon from the late nineteenth century to the 1970s are juxtaposed with contemporary "rephotographs."

No other region in North America features the variety and intensity of unusual phenomena found in the world’s largest alpine valley, the San Luis Valley of Colorado and New Mexico. Since 1989, Christopher O’Brien has documented thousands of high-strange accounts that report UFOs, ghosts, crypto-creatures, cattle mutilations, skinwalkers and sorcerers, along with portal areas, secret underground bases and covert military activity. This mysterious region at the top of North America has a higher incidence of UFO reports than any other area of the continent and is the publicized birthplace of the “cattle mutilation” mystery. Hundreds of animals have been found strangely slain during waves of anomalous aerial craft sightings. Is the government directly involved? Are there underground bases here? Does the military fly exotic aerial craft in this valley that are radar-invisible below 18,000 feet? These and many other questions are addressed in this all-new work by one of America’s top paranormal investigators. Take a fantastic journey through one of the world’s most enigmatic locales!

Presents the life and accomplishments of José Dario Gallegos who was born near Taos, N.M. in 1830 and who established the first store in the San Luis Valley in 1857.

An innovative portrait of a small Colorado town based on a decade’s worth of food-centered life histories from nineteen of its female residents. Located in the southern San Luis Valley of Colorado, the remote and relatively unknown town of Antonito is home to an overwhelmingly Hispanic population struggling not only to exist in an economically depressed and politically marginalized area, but also to preserve their culture and their lifeways. Between 1996 and 2006, anthropologist Carole Counihan collected food-centered life histories from nineteen Mexicanas―Hispanic American women―who had long-standing roots in the Upper Rio Grande region. The interviews in this groundbreaking study focused on southern Colorado Hispanic foodways―beliefs and behaviors surrounding food production, distribution, preparation, and consumption. In this book, Counihan features extensive excerpts from these interviews to give voice to the women of Antonito and highlight their perspectives. Three lines of inquiry are framed: feminist ethnography, Latino cultural citizenship, and Chicano environmentalism. Counihan documents how Antonito’s Mexicanas establish a sense of place and belonging through their knowledge of land and water and use this knowledge to sustain their families and communities. Women play an important role by gardening, canning, and drying vegetables; earning money to buy food; cooking; and feeding family, friends, and neighbors on ordinary and festive occasions. They use food to solder or break relationships and to express contrasting feelings of harmony and generosity, or enmity and envy. The interviews in this book reveal that these Mexicanas are resourceful providers whose food work contributes to cultural survival. “An important contribution to Mexican American culture.” ―Oral History Review “Counihan’s book is well written and will appeal to a wide spectrum of readers . . . I would recommend this book to those whose interests lie in foodways, gender studies, ethnography and folklore. A Tortilla is Like Life would be a good addition to any reading list, and a beneficial resource for those who desire to understand the complex associations of gender, food, culture and ethnicity.” —Digest: A Journal of Foodways and Culture