| This thesis explores the history of the Deseret Land and Livestock Ranch and the corporations that owned and exploited the landscape. The thesis is a history of place and seeks to examine changes and continuities in the natural environment and in the way it was exploited by human inhabitants. The thesis investigates the long-term ecological and human history of the region. It discusses the land use patterns of Native Americans, fur trappers, overland emigrants, Mormon settlers, and ranchers. It seeks to place the history of the Deseret Ranch into a larger history of the West. The story of the West was largely one of careless resource exploitation. For this reason, the thesis pays particular attention to the corporations that emerged on this property beginning in 1891. It seeks to understand both business and environmental management. Ultimately this thesis attempts to offer profound insight into the current success of the Deseret Ranch by presenting a broad and thorough historical context. |
