Among the most iconic landscapes in America is the Western Range, a stretch of millions of acres of land, much of it remote and undeveloped. Deep traditions tie people to this land. But in the 21st century, it is also contested ground. Development pressures threaten open space as the Sun Belt becomes an economic powerhouse. Border issues mean life in some of these rural places has been transformed by violence and politics. But new ways are being forged on these fronts, ways that involve collaboration, innovation, and the rediscovery and reimagining of history on the new Southwestern Range. VIEW PHOTOS AND MORE