The Myth of the West with Betsy Gaines Quammen

The Extreme History Project: The Dirt on the Past

Join us as we talk with the author of True West: Myth and Mending on the Far Side of America, Betsy Gaines Quammen. We discuss her book and what she learned about America as she spent time in small towns and big cities throughout the West, talking with people about their beliefs on land, politics, liberty, and self-determination. Betsy tells us about some of her conversations, and what she learned about the West’s enduring myths and complex history from militia members, Montana ranchers, and grassroots organizers.

Dr. Betsy Gaines Quammen is a historian and writer. She received a PhD in environmental history from Montana State University where she studied religion, history and the philosophy of science. Her dissertation focused on Mormon history and the roots of armed public land conflicts occurring in the United States. She is fascinated with and examines the intersections of extremism, public lands, wildlife, and western communities. She is the author of American Zion: Cliven Bundy, God, and Public Lands in the West and True West: Myth and Mending on the Far Side of America. Betsy lives in Montana with her husband, writer David Quammen.