Casey Murph is a consummate Westerner, a man out of his time but here to remind us about the old ways and the things that still matter. For many years, he led the mule string at the Grand Canyon and now runs cattle on his family’s historic ranch in Navajo County, Arizona. He’s a regular writer for Range Magazine.

In our interview today, we talk about how the National Park Service effectively ended the iconic Grand Canyon mule rides, and what that program meant for American tourists and the culture and history of the Grand Canyon. We talk about how various government agencies have evolved to oppose ranching and the Western way of life, and just why that might be. We talk about the adventures still to be had in the American West, and why it’s worth fighting for. We also talk about Casey’s latest fight; facing off threats to his grazing leases in the form of giant, sprawling solar energy projects backed by powerful and deep-pocketed interests.

As always with Casey, I learn so much from our conversation. Be sure to follow Casey on X where he is a wealth of information, and see more of his writing at Range Magazine.

Show Notes:

* Read the UNWON interview with Casey Murph on wilderness designations

* Listen to “The Dude String Trail” by Dave Stamey

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