In 1940, southeastern Utah prepared to get walloped once again. As if World War I (1917–1918) were not enough, with the Great Depression (1929–1939) being a second roundhouse punch, the people braced for yet another clout on the chin—World War II. Struggling to wrest a living from the difficult conditions of a high-country desert, inhabitants in isolated communities faced this third surge from world events destined to reshape their lives. The surprising part is how so few did so much with so little. In 1940 the federal census recorded San Juan County with a population of 4,712 (Blanding weighing in with 1,111 and Monticello at 667); all of Grand County had 2,070 people.1 Both counties, however, managed to contribute far beyond expectations outlined by the nation's capital. How could this be, given that in San Juan, for instance, the male workforce was composed of roughly 70 percent farmers, less...

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