Wayne Aspinall and the Shaping of the American West

by Steven C. Schulte

Colorado Congressman Wayne N. Aspinall was variously dubbed the "Ruler of the Land," a "bridge between the old and new Wests," and the environmental movement's "most durable foe." The late David Brower, the notable Sierra Club leader, remarked that the environmental movement had seen "dream after dream dashed on the stony continents of Wayne Aspinall." In Wayne Aspinall and the Shaping of the American West, Steven C. Schulte details a political career that encompassed some of the most crucial years in the development of the twentieth-century West. As chairman of the House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee from 1959 to 1973, Aspinall shaped the nation's reclamation, land, wilderness, and natural resource policies. His crusty and dtermined personality was at the enter of some of the key environmental battles of the twentieth century, including the Echo Park Dam fight, the struggle for the Wilderness Act, and the long controversy over the Central Arizona Project.

264 pages, Hardcover

First published June 15, 2002

Reviews

[Bernie Buescher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly researched, well written and balanced! Aspinall is, and will probably always be, a controversial figure. Professor Shulte write with nuance and compassion, yet is critical and incisive. I very much enjoyed reading this biography.

[Mary Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well researched story of Mr. Chairman, Western Colorado’s longtime congressman who left his mark on the Western Slope.

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed for High Country News, April 2004

https://www.hcn.org/issues/272/14692

[Cassie · Rating 1 out of 5]

BOOOO