The Disappearances: A Story of Exploration, Murder, and Mystery in the American West
In 1935, during the wind-swept years of the Dust Bowl, three people went missing on separate occasions in the rugged canyon country of southeastern Utah, a place “wild, desolate, mysterious.” A thirteen-year old girl, Lucy Garrett, was tricked into heading west with the man who had murdered her father under the pretense of reuniting with him. At the same time, a search was underway for Dan Thrapp, a young scientist on leave from the American Museum of Natural History. Others were scouring the same region for an artist, Everett Ruess, who had disappeared into “the perfect labyrinth.” 

Intrigued by this unusual string of coincidental disappearances, Scott Thybony set out to learn what happened. His investigations took him from Island in the Sky to Skeleton Mesa, from Texas to Tucson, and from the Green River to the Red. He traced the journey of Lucy Garrett from the murder of her father to her dramatic courtroom testimony. Using the pages of an old journal he followed the route of Dan Thrapp as he crossed an expanse of wildly rugged country with a pair of outlaws. Thrapp’s story of survival in an unforgiving land is a poignant counterpoint to the fate of the artist Everett Ruess, which the New York Times has called “one of the most enduring mysteries of the modern West.” Thybony draws on extensive research and a lifetime of exploration to create a riveting story of these three lives.
1123512272
The Disappearances: A Story of Exploration, Murder, and Mystery in the American West
In 1935, during the wind-swept years of the Dust Bowl, three people went missing on separate occasions in the rugged canyon country of southeastern Utah, a place “wild, desolate, mysterious.” A thirteen-year old girl, Lucy Garrett, was tricked into heading west with the man who had murdered her father under the pretense of reuniting with him. At the same time, a search was underway for Dan Thrapp, a young scientist on leave from the American Museum of Natural History. Others were scouring the same region for an artist, Everett Ruess, who had disappeared into “the perfect labyrinth.” 

Intrigued by this unusual string of coincidental disappearances, Scott Thybony set out to learn what happened. His investigations took him from Island in the Sky to Skeleton Mesa, from Texas to Tucson, and from the Green River to the Red. He traced the journey of Lucy Garrett from the murder of her father to her dramatic courtroom testimony. Using the pages of an old journal he followed the route of Dan Thrapp as he crossed an expanse of wildly rugged country with a pair of outlaws. Thrapp’s story of survival in an unforgiving land is a poignant counterpoint to the fate of the artist Everett Ruess, which the New York Times has called “one of the most enduring mysteries of the modern West.” Thybony draws on extensive research and a lifetime of exploration to create a riveting story of these three lives.
24.95 In Stock
The Disappearances: A Story of Exploration, Murder, and Mystery in the American West

The Disappearances: A Story of Exploration, Murder, and Mystery in the American West

by Scott Thybony
The Disappearances: A Story of Exploration, Murder, and Mystery in the American West

The Disappearances: A Story of Exploration, Murder, and Mystery in the American West

by Scott Thybony

Paperback

$24.95 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    In stock. Ships in 6-10 days.
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Your local store may have stock of this item.

Related collections and offers


Overview

In 1935, during the wind-swept years of the Dust Bowl, three people went missing on separate occasions in the rugged canyon country of southeastern Utah, a place “wild, desolate, mysterious.” A thirteen-year old girl, Lucy Garrett, was tricked into heading west with the man who had murdered her father under the pretense of reuniting with him. At the same time, a search was underway for Dan Thrapp, a young scientist on leave from the American Museum of Natural History. Others were scouring the same region for an artist, Everett Ruess, who had disappeared into “the perfect labyrinth.” 

Intrigued by this unusual string of coincidental disappearances, Scott Thybony set out to learn what happened. His investigations took him from Island in the Sky to Skeleton Mesa, from Texas to Tucson, and from the Green River to the Red. He traced the journey of Lucy Garrett from the murder of her father to her dramatic courtroom testimony. Using the pages of an old journal he followed the route of Dan Thrapp as he crossed an expanse of wildly rugged country with a pair of outlaws. Thrapp’s story of survival in an unforgiving land is a poignant counterpoint to the fate of the artist Everett Ruess, which the New York Times has called “one of the most enduring mysteries of the modern West.” Thybony draws on extensive research and a lifetime of exploration to create a riveting story of these three lives.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781607814832
Publisher: University of Utah Press
Publication date: 06/03/2016
Pages: 288
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Scott Thybony’s explorations of the American West have resulted in award-winning articles in magazines such as National Geographic, Smithsonian, and Outside. His books include Burntwater, chosen as a PEN Center West finalist for creative nonfiction, and the bestseller Canyon Country, from the National Geographic Society. 

Author Website

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations vii

Acknowledgments ix

A Note to Readers xi

Prologue: Missing, Feared Lost 1

Part I The Bone Hunter Dan Thrapp

The Expedition 9

Below the Bighorns 13

West of Solitude 19

Horsethief Ranch: Fieldnotes 25

Labyrinth, A Way In 30

Desolation Camp 35

Waiting for Daylight 40

Winter Crossing 44

The Needles: Fieldnotes 47

Circling the Blues 53

Far Reaches 61

The Backbone: Fieldnotes 67

Back Trail 75

Below the Comb 82

Trackings 85

Part 2 The woodcutter's daughter Lucy Garrett

The Roadside 99

Across the Red River 106

On the Run 110

A Gun within Reach: Fieldnotes 115

Empty Quarter 121

Skeleton Murder Case 127

The Shoot-Out 129

Haunted Canyon: Fieldnotes 138

The Manhunt 146

To the Sulphur River 154

Part 3 The Solitary Artist Everett Ruess

Tracks Blown Over 163

Into the Dream 171

Skeleton Mesa 176

The Cave: Fieldnotes 184

Lost Mesas, Blue Mountains 189

Unknown. Return to Sender 199

The Gulch 203

The Search 209

Forbidding Canyon: Fieldnotes 214

Among the Ghosts 223

The Inscription: Fieldnotes 232

A Crack in the Rim: Fieldnotes 240

Epilogue: Two Lives and a Legend 247

Notes 253

Selected Bibliography 265

Index 269

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews