Green River and the Gunnison Valley (Images of America)

By Anne Chandler, Annalee Thayn, and the Green River Archives

Early Utah pioneers passed through the area that is now Green River and decided that the land would not support a farming community. The Farrer family did not agree with this assessment, however, and they opened one of the first stores in Green River around 1883. Always a diverse town, Green River has a long-standing tradition of religious tolerance and the coexistence of different faiths. John Wesley Powell passed through during his exploration of the Colorado and Green Rivers, and the local museum was named after him. The region's economy has seen booms and busts, having survived on uranium mining and the missile base as well as on agriculture. Friday night football and the old opera house have come and gone, and now tourism has become Green River's main industry as travelers from all over the country discover the incredible beauty of the eastern Utah landscape.

Published 2008