The Payson Chronicle Newspaper
The 250th anniversary of our nation is not only a time to look back, but also to look forward. Many see 2026 as an opportunity to confront the country’s imperfections while honoring its resilience. Conversations about democracy, equality, and freedom are as vital today as they were in 1776.
Join the conversation.
We want to know what being an American means to you. What are your hopes for our nation’s future?
Send us your American story in essay form, as an original poem, or composed in lyrics to a song—all for consideration of publication in The Payson Chronicle in the weeks leading up to America’s 250th birthday celebration.
Send your submission to paysonchronicle@gmail.com, or submit in person or by mail at 145 East Utah Avenue #5, Payson, Utah 84651.
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PINE RIDGE, S.D. — Few figures in the history of the American West loom as large, or as complex, as Red Cloud, the Oglala Lakota leader whose life spanned the violent collision between Indigenous nations and a rapidly expanding United States. Warrior, diplomat, strategist, and elder, Red Cloud’s story is not merely one of resistance, but of adaptation—and of a legacy that continues to shape Native communities into the 21st century.
Red Cloud—born Maȟpíya Lúta around 1822 near present-day North Platte, Nebraska—came of age in a world defined by mobility, kinship, and conflict. Raised within the Lakota’s matrilineal traditions after the death of his parents, he was mentored by his uncle, Chief Old Smoke, and quickly gained a reputation as a skilled warrior in conflicts with rival tribes such as the Pawnee and Crow.
But it was not intertribal warfare that would define his legacy. By the 1860s, the encroachment of American settlers—driven by gold discoveries and the construction of the Bozeman Trail—brought the United States Army into the heart of Lakota territory. Red Cloud emerged as a unifying leader among the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho in resisting that intrusion.
From 1866 to 1868, Red Cloud orchestrated what became known as Red Cloud’s War, a sustained campaign against U.S. military forts established along the Bozeman Trail. Through coordinated raids and strategic pressure, Native forces effectively cut off supply lines and isolated garrisons in the Powder River country.
The most infamous episode—the Fetterman Fight of 1866—resulted in the deaths of 81 U.S. soldiers, marking one of the Army’s worst defeats on the Great Plains.
The war ended not in defeat for the Lakota, but in negotiation. The 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie required the United States to abandon its forts along the Bozeman Trail and recognize Lakota control over the Powder River region. Red Cloud thus became the only Native American leader to force the U.S. government into a treaty following a successful war on American soil.
Yet victory proved fragile.
Red Cloud understood what many of his contemporaries did not: the overwhelming scale of American expansion. After traveling to Washington, D.C., he concluded that continued war would ultimately devastate his people. He turned instead toward diplomacy, advocating for peace—even as treaties were broken and lands were steadily taken.
He opposed policies such as the Dawes Act, which fragmented tribal lands, and he spoke out against corruption in the reservation system, where promised supplies often failed to materialize.
By the time of his death in 1909 on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Red Cloud had witnessed the near-total transformation of Lakota life—from free-roaming buffalo hunters to a people confined by federal policy. He was buried at what is now Red Cloud Cemetery, a site that remains sacred to his descendants.
Unlike many historical figures, Red Cloud’s leadership did not end with his passing. His descendants have continued to play prominent roles within the Oglala Lakota Nation, carrying forward both his name and his responsibilities.
Leadership passed through successive generations—from Jack Red Cloud to James Henry Red Cloud, then to Charles and Oliver Red Cloud—each serving as respected figures within their community.
Today, that lineage continues in figures such as Chief Henry Red Cloud and his son John Red Cloud, who see their work not as a departure from tradition, but as its continuation.
For many Lakota families, Red Cloud is remembered not only as a war leader, but as a protector of sovereignty and a symbol of resilience. Oral histories emphasize his intelligence and pragmatism—his ability to shift from battlefield tactics to political negotiation in order to preserve his people.
His descendants often frame his life not in terms of defeat or victory alone, but as a lesson in survival: a man who fought when necessary, and who sought peace when survival demanded it.
On the windswept plains of Pine Ridge, Red Cloud’s legacy has taken an unexpected but deeply fitting form—renewable energy.
The Red Cloud Renewable Energy Initiative, led by Chief Henry Red Cloud, represents a modern extension of the Lakota commitment to self-sufficiency and stewardship of the land. Founded formally as a nonprofit in 2017, the effort grew from earlier work in the early 2000s, when Henry Red Cloud began building solar air furnaces to help families cope with extreme winter heating costs.
Energy poverty on reservations like Pine Ridge remains severe, with many households facing high utility costs and limited infrastructure. The initiative addresses this challenge through practical solutions rooted in both technology and tradition.
At its core is Red Cloud Renewable, an organization that trains Native Americans in solar installation, sustainable building, and energy-efficient design. Since its founding, the program has trained more than 1,100 Indigenous participants from over 70 tribes, equipping them with skills for employment in the growing clean energy sector.
The organization’s campus—the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Center—serves as a hub for education, innovation, and community building. There, students learn to install solar panels, build heating systems, and design energy solutions tailored to reservation conditions.
But the initiative is about more than technology.
“This is a new way to honor the old ways,” Henry Red Cloud has said, linking renewable energy to Lakota values of environmental stewardship and communal responsibility.
The philosophy behind the Red Cloud Renewable Energy Initiative echoes the worldview of its namesake. Just as the 19th-century chief sought to protect Lakota land and autonomy, today’s efforts aim to secure energy independence and economic resilience.
Programs such as the “Native to Native Energy Sovereignty” initiative extend this mission across tribal communities, promoting renewable infrastructure and reducing reliance on external systems.
In this sense, the work is both practical and symbolic. Solar panels and training programs become tools of sovereignty—modern equivalents of the strategies Red Cloud once employed to defend his people’s future.
More than a century after his death, Red Cloud remains one of the most photographed and widely recognized Native American leaders of the 19th century.
Yet among the Lakota, his legacy is not confined to portraits or history books. It lives in stories told by elders, in ceremonies held on ancestral lands, and in the continued leadership of his descendants.
He is remembered as a man of contradictions—both warrior and peacemaker, both defiant and pragmatic. But above all, he is remembered as a leader who understood the stakes of his time and acted decisively to protect his people.
In Pine Ridge today, where wind sweeps across the plains much as it did in Red Cloud’s youth, that legacy endures—not only in memory, but in motion. Solar panels glint in the sunlight. Young trainees climb rooftops, learning skills that promise a different future.
And in those efforts, the spirit of Red Cloud—adaptable, determined, and rooted in the land—continues to rise.
Earlier this month, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson mailed letters to more than 300,000 voters notifying them that their voter registration privacy status is about to change, as required by a new Utah law. Earlier this year, the Utah Legislature passed S.B. 153 which makes modifications to the privacy classification of voter registration records. As the state’s chief election officer, it is Henderson’s obligation to inform voters of this change.
“We don’t want anyone to worry when they see a letter from our office in their mailbox,” Henderson said. “The individuals receiving notices have previously opted-in to voter registration privacy protections and we want to make sure they understand how this new law may affect them.”
On May 25, 2026, the records of most of the voters who are currently classified as “private” or “withheld” will become public and viewable on the voter registration list, which is available upon request for a fee. Public voting records include the voter’s full legal name, voter identification number, residential and mailing address, voting precinct and districts, party affiliation, status as an active or inactive voter, the last date the voter’s registration record was updated, and a list of elections in which the voter cast a ballot.
Personal identifying information such as full date of birth, driver license number, state identification number, and social security number will remain protected for all voters and available only to authorized government entities.
Voters may request to become designated as an “at-risk voter” and protect their record if they are, or reside with, a victim or threatened victim of domestic or intimate partner violence, a law enforcement officer, a member of the armed forces, a public figure who has received threats, or an individual protected by a court order.
Those who wish to apply for an at-risk classification must meet the qualifications and submit an at-risk designation request form to their county clerk by May 6, 2026. The forms are available at county clerk offices or online at vote.utah.gov/voter-privacy-information.
The 250th anniversary of our nation is not only a time to look back, but also to look forward. Many see 2026 as an opportunity to confront the country’s imperfections while honoring its resilience. Conversations about democracy, equality, and freedom are as vital today as they were in 1776.
Join the conversation.
We want to know what being an American means to you. What are your hopes for our nation’s future?
Send us your American story in essay form, as an original poem, or composed in lyrics to a song—all for consideration of publication in The Payson Chronicle in the weeks leading up to America's 250th birthday celebration.
Send your submission to paysonchronicle@gmail.com, or submit in person or by mail at 145 East Utah Avenue #5, Payson, Utah 84651.
#ouramericanstory
Logan, UT-- The Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art’s (NEHMA) exhibition Jim Mangan: The Crick is a series of photographs documenting the real and imagined lives of a group of young men from the FLDS town of Short Creek, also known as “The Crick,” located on the Utah-Arizona border. Originally drawn to the unorthodox architecture of the community, Jim Mangan traveled to Short Creek to document the homes with unusual additions and missing exterior siding. While there, he discovered a new subject: a hidden community of young men he refers to as “The Boys” who live an adventurous lifestyle of riding horses, wearing hand stitched buckskin clothes, living communally, and uniting in their distrust of the outside world.
Mangan’s dramatic images capture the ambiance of the American West. This exhibition features “The Boys” on horseback cascading down steep hills, climbing rocky mountain sides, and exploring the open landscapes. Mangan conveys a sense of humanity in his portraits and depicts the playfulness of youth against the capricious landscape of the American West. The photographs explore themes of community, nature, abandonment, solitude, imagination, and how humans grapple with their changing world. This exhibition is a must-see.
On April 9, 2026, NEHMA will host a panel discussion from 5:30-6:30 PM at the Russell/Wanlass Performance Hall on the USU Logan campus with a reception to follow at the Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art. Artist Jim Mangan will be joined by writer Judith Freeman and Short Creek community member Roman Bateman.
Panelists will discuss how Mangan’s photography and Freeman’s written storytelling illuminate both realities and imagined stories of this marginalized part of the contemporary American West, while Roman Bateman provides a first-hand perspective of life in Short Creek.
The event is free and open to all.
By Paul Johnson
"Well, we start with writing the songs, and we give ourselves crazy-short deadlines to finish everything," playwright Steve Gashler told my second-oldest child, as he listened eagerly. My kids and I were standing in line to greet the cast in the lobby of the Angelus Theatre in Spanish Fork after a show. The smell of theater popcorn hung in the air as we waited for our turn, while up and down the line, family, friends, significant others, and strangers congratulated their cast members.
My son wanted to know how to write musicals like the Gashlers -- epic stories and catchy scores -- and was excited to meet a professional playwright in person. Steve, still in costume as the show's villainous knight, warmly listened to my son describe his artistic ambitions, and encouraged him to start writing scripts. My respect for Steve and his wife Theresa has grown since, as I've come to know them as local artists and entrepreneurs and continued taking my family to see their shows. As a husband-and-wife playwright duo, the Gashlers continue to create musicals that run annually or semi-annually. Among others, this includes a few locally famous ones like their Christmastime comedy "A Krampus Karol," their Halloween show "Take My Death Away," and "Valhalla: A Viking Rock Opera." Combining electric guitar music with impressive operatic vocals, Valhalla has quickly become a cult classic, and my personal favorite, with audience members frequently showing up dressed in garb. Valhalla made an appearance at the Scandinavian Festival in Ephraim last year and was performed by Salem Junior High as well for their annual musical. One of their musicals, "Lady of Sherwood," is currently running at the Angelus through the rest of this week, in its fourth showing since it was written.
For Steve and Theresa, lighthearted musicals are a serious family business. Attendees to their shows see that aspect at work as they are charmingly greeted from the concession stand by the Gashlers' two teenage daughters and one preteen son. (The kids don't get paid -- I asked -- but yet they still smile as they welcome you to their mom and dad's show.) As a couple, they write the shows and musical scores together, teach a childen's acting class, and help run the theater generally. When she is not in an acting role, visitors usually see Theresa with a headset on, running from the sound booth to backstage and back to ensure the technical side is running smoothly. Not surprisingly, Theresa studied drama in college. She spearheads the children's classes at the Angelus and tutors young vocalists and child actors in her home. After majoring in film at BYU and before they started their business together, Steve worked as a web developer, so naturally his contributions also include running the website, online ticket sales, and post-performance audience email surveys. With young children in 2019, the couple discussed how much fun it would be to bring their common interest in drama to life by going into business for themselves. They launched Great Hall Theatrics just before the pandemic. Word quickly spread during mid-to-late 2020 about their shows as a great source of family-friendly entertainment, as stir-crazy residents of southern Utah Valley emerged from quarantine and needed to find local fun.
Next, a word about the Angelus Theatre as a venue. Over the last few years, I've come to deeply appreciate the incubation-center role that this theater plays for local art. It is no exaggeration to call it the artistic equivalent of Payson-Santaquin's "Garage to Great" business-support community and innovation center. Unlike most community theater groups nearby, which generally stick to tried-and-true Broadway shows, the annual lineup at the Angelus is comprised nearly exclusively of new and original work by local artists. Besides almost a dozen Gashler plays to date, the last several years at the Angelus have witnessed a number of new shows by theater company Cobb & Co ("The Thief and the Lady," a musical version of "Treasure Island," and "Lancelot"). It also hosts first-time work by individual budding playwrights like Elizabeth Adams ("Sincerely, Antonio Marcus") who need a venue and cast for test-driving their first and second shows. The technical name for this test-driving is "experimental theater." Year two or three of any Angelus show will inevitably look at least a little different from its debut as the playwright and cast continue to experiment and take post-attendance feedback from the audience to refine the show. Besides supporting the arts and encouraging local actors and artists, the other main benefit of attending performances at the Angelus is the chance to see plays eventually bound for bigger venues like the Eccles or Ruth before tickets become Eccles- or Ruth-level cost.
Since Lady of Sherwood has not yet wrapped up its 2026 run, I will include a short teaser for the show, which runs with two separate casts on alternating nights. The story takes place a generation after the legendary Robin Hood saga. Robin and Marian's daughter Aspen (played by Jenna Snow and Grace Clark) and, ironically, the son of the sheriff of Nottingham (Michael Mehner and Landon Christensen) are both caught up in a swirl of intrigue as shadowy forces combine to dethrone the king and return England to oppression. After the Merry Men all died and their sons were conscripted to fight in the king's foreign wars, their daughters banded together in the Sherwood and took up arms. For a follow-on to a traditional legend, the show's plot is surprisingly deep, rather than coming across as fan-fiction as may have been expected. The "merry women" fall out and splinter over the means to rolling back tyranny. Their victorious faction, led by the daughter of Will Scarlett (Aubrey Pixton and Elizabeth Williams), finds that revolution is messy, and ruling after deposing a king even messier. Constitution nerds like myself will also get a huge kick out of the emergence of the Magna Carta as a central part of the plot -- the play could almost be renamed the "legend of the Magna Carta." Like all Gashler plays, the show is entertaining for both kids and adults, with songs reminiscent of Rogers and Hammerstein plays combined with a fascinating, surprising plot, and laced with powerful messaging. As a parent myself of multiple kids with ADHD, I particularly enjoyed the role that the Gashlers crafted for the heroine -- a little flighty but also brilliant, and mighty of character -- as Aspen stands up to both her enemies and her sisters in arms when necessary. Aspen leads others to take up "the mantle of the Robin Hood" first by fighting for freedom and then by reconciling with former enemies on all sides. Similar to Valhalla (and most other Gashler shows), the messaging in Lady of Sherwood is powerful specifically because it conveys true principles naturally through epic story and Broadway-worthy music rather than through a moralistic approach. I also appreciated the message to young people that real heroes are simply the ones who are willing to step up to do what needs to be done despite their awareness of their own shortcomings, and the accompanying message to parents to support and trust your kids in accomplishing great things themselves.
Lady of Sherwood runs through Saturday, April 4th. For tickets, see www.LadyOfSherwood.com. Besides attending and enjoying, those interested in other ways to support local, original art hosted at the Angelus can reach out to Steve Gashler directly using the phone number at the top-right of that webpage or his company's website www.GreatHall.live.
Angelus Theatre is located at 165 North Main Street in Spanish Fork.
The 250th anniversary of our nation is not only a time to look back, but also to look forward. Many see 2026 as an opportunity to confront the country’s imperfections while honoring its resilience. Conversations about democracy, equality, and freedom are as vital today as they were in 1776.
Join the conversation.
We want to know what being an American means to you. What are your hopes for our nation’s future?
Send us your American story in essay form, as an original poem, or composed in lyrics to a song—all for consideration of publication in The Payson Chronicle in the weeks leading up to America's 250th birthday celebration.
Send your submission to paysonchronicle@gmail.com, or submit in person or by mail at 145 East Utah Avenue #5, Payson, Utah 84651.
#buffalobill
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