My copy of the Feb. 5 issue of
The New Yorker arrived in today's mail. There is a fascinating article on the effect of a natural gas boom on Sublette County, Wyoming, southwest of and on the other side of the Wind Rivers from Lander and Riverton.
(The author mentions that there was an oil boom in the county in the 1980s. Maybe that was where Kurt worked.)
The article begins with a description of the Rendezvous Rodeo, held the second weekend of July every year, that could come right out of Jack's rodeo scenes in
Brokeback Mountain. It goes on to discuss the effect of the boom on the environment in the county, and on the traditional ranching culture.
Apparently the boom has led to a skyrocketing crime rate in the county, and crystal meth is an enormous problem among the roughnecks, as a result of combination of the demands of the work and sheer boredom from nothing to do when the roughnecks aren't on the job.
(One roughneck who was interviewed said that one way to combat the meth problem would be for somebody to open up a Hooters in the county, to give the guys someplace to go.
).
For anyone who has access to the magazine, the article is a fascinating read, and not very long.