CHAPTER 1
SHAPING THE LAND
G
arfield C o u n t y as presently constituted is the fifth-largest Utah county in terms of land area, with 5,158 square miles, a n d claims both the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau as part of its geological legacy. From the high country of Garfield's western lands tiny streams and springs give birth to the Sevier River, which gathers the interior waters of Utah's high plateaus into the Great Basin. The river's n a m e is based on the Spanish n a m e , Rio Severo, m e a n i n g severe and violent river—a suitable description for the sections of the river that tumble through rugged canyons on both ends of Garfield County. 1 The longest river completely contained within the boundaries of a single state, the Sevier's main fork begins as a spring above Long Valley Junction in Kane County. It winds its way n o r t h t h r o u g h Garfield, Piute, and Sevier counties before curving south around the upper reaches of the Pahvant Range in Millard C o u n t y to end in Sevier Lake. The lake is shallow, but it expands during occasional wet cycles; in drier years the river disappears into an alkaline flat. The
