Book Notices

The Ice-Age History of Southwestern National Parks.

By SCOTT A ELIAS (Washington, D.C : Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997 xvi + 200 pp Paper, $16.95.)

This volume—the third by Scott A Elias covering the natural history of America's national parks—takes the reader on a journey through time and space with detailed discussions of ecosystems, extinct animals, archaeology, and modern biota of Canyonlands, Big Bend, and Grand Canyon national parks.

The first four chapters of the book serve as an explanation of why the study of ecosystems, fossils, climate change, archaeology, and paleoecology is important In Part Two, Elias discusses the ancient life and environments of th e national parks of the Southwest, presenting a picture of life among the Archaic hunters and gatherers, the Anasazi of the Mesa Verde country, the Chacoan Culture, and the pre-Spanish cultures of the Texas desert He uses up-to-date archaeological information to describe the lifeways of these past cultures in a way that is exciting and informative, while useful for scholarly research.

Blue Horses Rush In: Poems and Stories.

By Luci TAPAHONSO (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1997 xviii + 107 pp. Cloth, $22.95; Paper, $12.95.)

Personal introspection from a Navajo cultural point of view characterizes these stories and poems Sensitively written, each rendering speaks of different aspects of life—birth, courtship, divorce, death—that are par t of the universal human experience. The book is appropriate for readers concerned with Native American literature, Navajo studies, and general humanities.

A Century of Enterprise: The History of Enterprise, Utah, 1896-1996.

By W. PAUL (Enterprise: City of Enterprise, 1996 xii + 291 pp $30.00.)

Located in northwestern Washington County, Enterprise was founded in the year of Utah statehood, 1896 For its 100th birthday, the city treated itself to this full-scale history It is an extraordinarily nice present Talented writer-historian Paul Reeve, in partnership with an energetic research team led by Doris Truman, has produced an engaging narrative that is well illustrated and attractively packaged. Agriculture has bee n the basis for Enterprise's prosperity throug h the years, and that story—from construction of the initial reservoir and canal to modern alfalfa cubing operations—is the heart of this history Even the Idaho Russet, which owes much of its success to enterprise in Enterprise, merits a spot. Mining, community activities, schools, churches, businesses, city administration, and a look at lifestyles during the Great Depression are also detailed Anyone looking for a pleasant stroll through local history will be well rewarded by this fine book.