Name: Colorado and the Silver Crash
Brand: John F. Steinle
SKU: 9781467147576
Price: 21.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Colorado and the Silver Crash

9781467147576

$21.99

A catastrophic depression engulfed Colorado in 1893. The government's decision to adopt the gold standard and stop buying silver hit the mining industry like a cave-in. Unemployment reached 90 percent in Leadville, a city built on silver. Strikes by union miners in Cripple Creek and Leadville led to destruction and death. Political parties split along battle lines of gold versus silver. By 1898, the country had begun to recover, but silver mining was never the same. Using firsthand commentary and more than one hundred historic photographs, John Steinle skillfully commemorates the story of Coloradans trapped in the unprecedented social, economic and political conflict of America's first great depression.

Boulder

9780738558905

$24.99

Born out of the 1859 Pikes Peak gold rush, Boulder sits along the Front Range where the Rocky Mountains meet the plains. Discoveries of gold, silver, telluride, and coal nearby put the little supply town on the map, and early miners, farmers, and businessmen prospered there. The railroad's arrival in 1873 brought more newcomers who cultivated a diverse community full of new businesses, social organizations, and schools, and the town flourished despite the social problems and economic fluctuations that were typical of early mining towns. By the 1890s, education, health, and tourism had become significant to Boulder's economic development, a pattern that continues to this day. Great change came about during the early 1900s in the form of a citywide alcohol prohibition, the influenza epidemic, and the closure of the "Switzerland Trail" railroad in 1919, but Boulder weathered these difficult times even as it witnessed the end of the great railroading era.

Durango

9780738569758

$24.99

The storied town of Durango is situated on the farmlands of the Ancestral Puebloans, which later became the hunting grounds for the Southern Utes, in the Animas River Valley of southwestern Colorado. Founded in 1880 as the headquarters of the Silverton branch of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad, Durango became the supply depot for gold and silver mines up and down the Western Slope. One of the few old-time cowboy towns in Colorado that retains the vibrancy of a self-supporting downtown of hotels, restaurants, and retail businesses, Durango has worked actively to restore and remodel historic buildings. Enhanced by stories of Spanish explorers, miners, settlers, early entrepreneurs, and the desperadoes of Western lore as well as Hollywood myth, Durango has earned a reputation as one of the Rocky Mountains' favorite travel destinations.

Rails around Durango

9780738548593

$24.99

In the 1880s, the Denver & Rio Grande began building its three-foot railroad toward the San Juan Mountains alongside the Animas River and the budding community of Durango. The D&RG quickly established itself in Durango, constructing a depot as well as a 45-mile connection to the regional mining hub of Silverton. Over 60 years, the towns, the railroad, and the mines it served would weather plummeting silver values and a turbulent economy. By the end of World War II, declining freight volumes left the future of the railroad in doubt, but by the late 1940s, a growing number of train enthusiasts were journeying to Durango for one last ride. The new popularity of the Silverton Branch brought rail fans to the area in increasing numbers through the 1950s. Today the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad continues to preserve the region's railroading past and has become a unique aspect of the history of Southwestern Colorado.

Rollins Pass

9781467127714

$24.99

The ribbon of dusty road on Rollins Pass has a timeless and beloved history. First known as Boulder Pass, this comparatively low saddle on the Continental Divide in Colorado has been in continuous use for millennia. First utilized as an expansive Native American game drive complex, the pass subsequently functioned as a toll wagon road in the 1860s. At the turn of the 20th century, Rollins Pass became the highest standard-gauge adhesion railroad grade in North America--an achievement still standing today. However, this overmountain route, known as Corona Pass, was inefficient and dangerous: resolute men tasked with the impossible faced high elevations with even higher risks of injury or death. A safer, permanent route came in 1928 by way of the Moffat Tunnel. The rails of Rollins Pass were then removed, freeing the automobile to tour the historic road. No matter the epoch, the legacy of Rollins Pass abides: a preeminently scenic route to the top of the world.

Northglenn

9781467160520

$24.99

In June 1959, fifteen thousand people arrived at Perl-Mack Enterprises show homes in North Glenn. What Life magazine termed the "most perfectly planned community in America" incorporated in 1969 to become the city of Northglenn. The neighborhoods built around schools, parks, churches, and businesses developed into a city that is continuing to change while embracing its history.

Ghosts and Legends of Lafayette and Louisville

9781467152730

$21.99

Explore ghastly history and lasting lore! The legend of local miner Teodor Glava, the Lafayette Vampire, has reached near cult status, with people from all over the country visiting his gravesite. Buried bootleggers lost to an underground tunnel explosion purportedly haunt Louisville's Main Street. Local teenagers explore the outskirts of Old Town Lafayette to confront the legendary La Llorona, who preyed on curious children and adults. And, an infamous Headless Horseman stalks Spruce Lane, a dirt road in old town Louisville. Sorting out fact from fiction with some tantalizing first-hand accounts, author Doug Conarroe takes a critical look at these and other myths, legends and ghost tales.

Ghosts and Legends of Lafayette and Louisville

Denver's Early Architecture

9780738580463

$24.99

In spite of its relentless reputation as a "cow town," Denver has grown from a dusty prairie burg into a thriving metropolis nestled against the foothills of the great Rocky Mountains. Gold brought the area's first settlers in the 1850s, and mining camps sprouted up along the confluence of Cherry Creek and the South Platte River. The first rudimentary structures of canvas, mud, and logs were soon replaced with sturdy buildings made of brick, stone, and wood, in what is now affectionately referred to as "Lodo" or the lower downtown district. City growth worked its way uptown and to the east from this neighborhood of houses, hotels, shops, and commercial buildings, eventually encompassing Capitol Hill. Many well-known people worked and lived in downtown Denver and Capitol Hill, including the infamous Margaret "Molly" Brown of Titanic fame, railroad man David Moffat, merchant prince Charles Boettcher, druggist-turned-entrepreneur Walter Scott Cheesman, and Denver's notorious lovers, Horace Tabor and his wife "Baby Doe."

Historic Adventures on the Colorado Plateau

9781467138109

$21.99

The Colorado Plateau is home to nearly thirty national parks, monuments and recreational areas. The unique geology, stunning rock formations, powerful rivers and numerous scenic canyons that compose such a striking region also made navigation difficult. Yet daring explorers braved the journey. Rock art and other artifacts are evidence of occupation thousands of years ago. Spanish explorers once trekked across this rugged terrain, seeking information on the native populace, religious converts and trade routes. In the frontier era, a trio of bandits discovered the value of good horses while fleeing for three hundred miles. Nearly a century after the gold rush, uranium fever brought another boom to the rugged reaches of the area in the 1940s. Supported by years of research, Bob Silbernagel traces the Colorado Plateau's intrepid inhabitants throughout history.

Historic Adventures on the Colorado Plateau

Jewish Denver

9780738548296

$24.99

In 1859, during the Pike's Peak gold rush, at least 12 Jews joined the great migration to Colorado in search of gold and a brighter future. The unpredictability of mining and a growing demand for supplies encouraged many of these Jewish settlers to establish small businesses in Denver and in towns and mining camps across the state. By the early 1870s, Jewish benevolent societies and a congregation were established. Denver's dry, mild climate attracted patients with tuberculosis, and two Jewish sanatoriums were opened in the city around the beginning of the 20th century. Many of the predominantly Eastern European Jews who came in search of better health made Denver their home, thus augmenting the early Jewish population significantly. Today Jewish life flourishes in Colorado, and Jewish citizens continue to play a vital role in its culture and development.

Five Points Neighborhood of Denver

9780738518701

$24.99

By the 1870s, the word was out about Colorado. East coast and Midwest prospectors, European immigrants, and African Americans newly freed from slavery, rushed to Denver to find work and their fortune in silver and gold. Captured here in almost 200 vintage images is the story of the African Americans who escaped the oppression and racism of the post Civil War South, and created a city within a city: the Five Points neighborhood of Denver. Named in 1881 for a bustling five-way intersection, the Five Points area became the commercial and social sector for African American churches, businesses, clubs, and homes, and the heart of Denver's black community. Showcased here are the photographs of once thriving Five Points businesses in the Welton Street business district, such as Otha Rice's Tap Room and Oven and the Rossonian Hotel, as well as the familiar faces of the Cosmopolitan Club, Madame CJ Walker, and Dr. Justina Ford, Denver's first African-American female doctor.

Cover image for Five Points Neighborhood of Denver, isbn: 9780738518701

Salida

9780738520674

$24.99

Modern-day Salida is admired and sought out for its natural beauty. Surrounded by numerous 14,000-foot, snow-covered mountains that feed the Arkansas River's rushing whitewater, the quiet and hospitable town is situated in a picturesque valley that draws tens of thousands of visitors for summer and winter activities. But nearly 130 years ago, most of the people were coming to the area known as South Arkansas for new opportunities and the fortunes they hoped to find. The images in this book offer a glimpse of some of those individuals and times-the early settlers, miners, railroaders, forestry pioneers, and families who spawned commerce and businesses that held the community together when hard times hit. The photographs reveal the rich variety of people, how they worked, how they played, and how they made Colorado their home.

Mines Around Silverton

9781467132862

$24.99

Silverton is located in the heart of the San Juan Mountains, which have been described by H.H. Bancroft as "the wildest and most inaccessible region of Colorado, if not North America." The region has a long and colorful mining history, dating back to the Spanish exploration of the area in the 18th century. For the past 250 years, men have sought gold and silver in these mountains. However, full-scale mining did not begin until the 1870s, and for more than a century, mining was the lifeblood of Silverton and the surrounding area. The San Juan Mountains have been called one of the four great mining areas of Colorado, in a state known for its mining heritage. This is not only the story of the mines but also of the men and women who worked and lived in these rugged mountains.

Lake City

9781467102742

$24.99

Located 8,671 feet in the clouds, Lake City sits on the edge of the beautiful San Juan Mountains on Colorado's Western Slope. Between Lake City and Silverton, 28 miles away, are towering 14,000-foot mountains with three nearly 13,000-foot-high passes and scenery that takes one's breath away. Lake City began as a booming gold and silver camp, complete with a narrow-gauge railroad, 4,000 residents, a smelter, and rich investors looking for their "El Dorado." Today, the beautiful little town, tucked away in the Rocky Mountains, is a haven for the many tourists who come to hike, ski, fish, climb, and relax in the quaint "Shangri-La of Colorado."

Haunted Manitou Springs

9781609493479

$21.99

Manitou Springs has long been known as a spiritual hot spot. From the healing waters of the local springs to the town's patron spirit, the benevolent Emma Crawford, whose life and afterlife is celebrated annually at Halloween, Manitou Springs takes pride in its legends and legendary residents. Join haunted tour guide Stephanie Waters as she uncovers the stories behind some of Manitou's most famous ghostly tales: the historic spirit lights on Pikes Peak, the specters of Red Stone Castle where poor Emma's sister went mad and the phantoms of the stately Cliff House and Briarhurst Manor.

Lost Lafayette, Colorado

9781467148238

$21.99

The gold rush of the 1850s turned Colorado's treeless prairie into platted towns with thriving centers of commerce. Lafayette's early "Main Street'? on East Simpson Street was once bustling with blacksmiths, jewelers, retailers and grocers. It included the Lafayette Bank, the Goodhue Building and a movie theater. The epicenter of organized labor's struggle for fair wages and a safe workplace, Lafayette expanded to include Japanese and Latino laborers in the 1920s. For fifteen years, the Ku Klux Klan dominated local politics, spreading fear and hate. From 1888 until 1956, the coal mining industry sustained the town. But dangerous work conditions in the fourteen coal mines took a toll. Flour mills, brick factories and electrical generating stations faded quickly. Author Doug Conarroe recounts inspiring tales of a diverse, austere and doggedly self-sufficient townspeople who challenged the status quo and survived trying and tumultuous times.

Fort Carson

9781467103213

$24.99

Army scout Kit Carson rode the Southwest in many capacities. He served and retired in Colorado, and so Fort Carson is appropriately named. On land once traversed by Lt. Zebulon Pike, Camp Carson was constructed almost overnight under the watchful eye of Pres. Franklin Roosevelt and with the approval of the neighbors in Colorado Springs. Since its creation, the post has been the home and training grounds for thousands of soldiers who have fought in all wars from World War II to the current war on terror. Fort Carson continues to be a valuable asset to the community economically and in its generosity with resources when a local need arises.

Union Station in Denver

9781626199644

$21.99

On June 1, 1881, Denver's Union Station opened as the largest structure west of the Mississippi. The station welcomed people from all walks of life, from pioneers and miners to U.S. presidents and Buffalo Bill Cody--and even royalty from abroad. It served as the center point for transporting cargo to Denver before the rise in popularity of air travel. Due to revitalization efforts, Union Station is the centerpiece of the nation's largest transportation hub and the pride of the city. Author Rhonda Beck explores the history and stories behind one of the Mile High City's most iconic historic landmarks.

Meeker

9781467132022

$24.99

The free-roaming Ute Indians were the first modern-day people to live in the White River valley. After mounting tensions erupted into violence and the Indian agency near present-day Meeker was attacked, the Ute were soon evicted from northwestern Colorado in 1881. By that time, adventurous people were pressing in at all sides to settle the area. Settlers drawn by land speculation and ranching populated this rural area. Ranching, hunting, guiding, and coal, oil shale, oil, and gas extraction were the ways people made their livings, or hoped to, in this region. Meeker had it all with a touch of Wild West and a promise of the American dream--and all in a setting that would lure Teddy Roosevelt himself. Inside this book are glimpses of the people, traditions, celebrations, and ways of life of those who lived here before us.

Fort Logan

9780738575827

$24.99

For most Colorado citizens, Fort Logan usually brings to mind the large national cemetery of the same name. Often unrealized is that nearby, there are fine, substantial brick buildings that mark the remains of a once-bustling military post. Fort Logan began in 1887 and became a part of the US Army's new network of urban-type forts with strategic rail links. Located in the beginning about eight miles southwest of Denver, it variously housed important infantry, cavalry, and engineer units and later served as a key recruit and discharge center. It also once attracted Denverites to elaborate parade ceremonies, stirring band concerts, and competitive athletic events. After World War II, it became property of the State of Colorado and today is the site of the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Fort Logan.

Denver's Park Hill Neighborhood

9780738580449

$24.99

The stately yet welcoming Park Hill neighborhood, located just east of downtown Denver, was platted from prairie lands in 1871 by energetic real estate speculators. A horse-drawn rail car began transportation service in later years to and from Denver as homes in Park Hill became popular. Eventually, Denverites invested in Park Hill lots and wealthy citizens built architecturally sophisticated homes, creating an enclave of Denver society. When automobiles became popular in the 1910s, Park Hill became a popular place to raise a family and has continued as an attractive residential area for more than a century. The home of Denver's elite for decades, including mayors and other leading politicians, Park Hill has embraced diversity in the 21st century, encompassing blue-collar workers along with the physicians, attorneys, and professional athletes.

Around Granby

9781467130455

$24.99

The area around Granby was developed in the late 1800s and today remains true to the "Spirit of the West." It once was the Utes' summer hunting ground and was shared by fur trappers and mountain men in the winters. Later, prospectors came to Lulu City and mined for gold while loggers and homesteaders built schools and churches, forming the towns of Monarch, Selak, and Coulter. In 1905, the Moffat Railroad created a new town, putting Granby on the map. Dependable railroad access allowed ranches and businesses to thrive. The Victory Highway offered motorcars a route through the Arapaho National Forest and Rocky Mountain National Park, bringing tourism to dude ranches, where guests wanted to be cowboys. After World War II, the completion of the massive Colorado-Big Thompson Water Project changed the landscape when Lake Granby buried ranches and the Lindbergh airstrip. Soon, locals discovered "white gold" when skiing and winter sports expanded the four-season, mountain-resort community.

Pikes Peak

9780738520629

$24.99

Before being "discovered" by U.S. explorer Zebulon Pike in 1806, the Pikes Peak region was home to a variety of different cultures, including Native Americans, Mexicans, and French and Spanish explorers. Captured here in almost 200 vintage images are the lives, trials, adventures, and leisures of some of the Peak's early pioneers and visitors, covering a span of almost 60 years. Along with rare images of the Pikes Peak area from the late 1800s, this collection contains a number of previously unpublished photographs. These include pictures of female pioneers traversing mountains in Cheyenne canons and other vicinities in the 1920s; Colorado Mountain Club members on their hiking trips in the area; pre-World War I memoirs and poems from local residents; and pictures of local prospectors, like Frank Nelson, who remained long after the large gold deposits were discovered. Also featured is the development of the surrounding communities and attractions of the Peak, including Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Cripple Creek, Cheyenne Mountain and Canons, Garden of the Gods, Canon City, Royal Gorge, the Broadmoor Hotel, and the Cliff House.

Haunted Hotels of Southern Colorado

9781467141970

$21.99

Ghastly Hospitality

The footsteps of silver kings, grizzled miners and sleek saloon girls faded, but their dark shadows still whisper in the halls and glide silently down the stairs. Heartbroken Dr. Luigi ended his life with a .45 at Silverton’s Grand Imperial but still makes his nightly rounds, checking on guests’ health. Furious Liz, abandoned by her lover, breaks dishes and throws pots around the Forest Queen’s kitchen. The laughter of the Tarabino children echoes through the halls of their home, now the Tarabino Inn. In the silence of the night, pretty Ellar Day screams bloody murder at the Beaumont.

Author Nancy Williams revisits the unbridled revelry, scandalous romps and grand gala affairs that characterized the unique hotels where the paranormal persists.

Cover image for Haunted Hotels of Southern Colorado, isbn: 9781467141970

Colorado Excursions with History, Hikes and Hops

9781467119801

$24.99

Colorado is replete with natural beauty, award-winning breweries and a history that reflects its wild and rugged character. Author Ed Sealover offers this detailed guide to ten three-day excursions full of nature, history and unique watering holes. Discover sprawling parks and celebrated landmarks throughout the state. Visit oddball destinations like the trail of America's favorite cannibal and the renowned ghost town of Saint Elmo. Work up a thirst on the hiking trails of Rocky Mountain National Park and unwind on the single block in the state that is home to a brewery, a winery and a distillery. Uncover the craft, creative and cultural gems that make the Centennial State a curious wanderer's dream.

Colorado Excursions with History, Hikes and Hops

Rails around Denver

9780738548029

$24.99

At the height of America's post-Civil War expansion, Colorado Territory was a land of great hope and opportunity. Forged at the confluence of commerce and geography, Colorado became a state in 1876, and Denver, the Queen City of the Plains. To address the growing need for efficient transportation throughout the state, early railroads such as the Kansas Pacific and the Denver and Rio Grande were built in
the 1870s. Serving all of these routes was the Denver Union Depot with its commodious dual-gauged tracks. These "steel roads" would become the region's economic lifeblood, hauling freight and passengers to the booming mountain mining towns, returning with ores for processing, and serving as the direct link for passengers and freight between the Rocky Mountains and the industrialized East.

Colorado's Mrs. Captain Ellen Jack

9781467153638

$23.99

"You get off this property." - Capt. Ellen Jack, 1887
Ellen E. Jack backed up her orders with a shotgun as she stood at the entrance to her Black Queen Mine. To profit from the mine, located near Aspen, Colorado, she engaged in many other battles with lawyers and capitalists who tried to wrest her ore away. Mrs. Captain Jack contributed to the myth of the West by crowning herself as the "Mining Queen of the Rockies" as she entertained tourists at her roadhouse near Colorado Springs. Author Jane Bardal offers a captivating biography of a pioneering woman who fashioned a legacy through true tenacity and maybe even a few tall tales.

Colorado Frontiersmen

9781467153652

$23.99

Early Icons and Landmarks As western migration came to the Colorado frontier, forts were established to protect the settlers. These forts were intertwined with the lives of the frontiersmen. Scout Thomas Tate Tobin oversaw the workers who built the adobe fortress known as Fort Garland. Here, Tobin delivered the heads of the murderous Espinosas gang to Colonel Sam Tappan. Fort Sedgwick, originally known as Camp Rankin, was attacked by the Cheyenne Dog soldiers, including George Bent. Fort Lyon, an expanded fortress of William Bent's third fort, became the staging point for Colonel John M. Chivington's march to Sand Creek where peaceful Cheyenne were murdered. Later, Christopher "Kit" Carson died in the fort's chapel. Legendary Jim Beckwourth was associated with both Fort Vasquez and Fort Pueblo. Author Linda Wommack revisits the glory and the mistakes of the frontiersmen who defined Colorado and the forts that dotted the wild landscape.

A Wild West History of Frontier Colorado: Pioneers, Gunslingers & Cattle Kings on the Eastern Plains

9781609491956

$23.99

Jolie Anderson's collection of wild west tales focuses on the early frontier history of Colorado's plains and includes a look at some of the state's early pioneers like the "59ers" who promoted the state through travel guides and newspapers, exaggerating tales of gold discovery and even providing inaccurate maps to promote settlement in the plains; the perils of living and traveling the major gold routes the town of Julesburg relocated four times in a decade; feuds; Indian fights; outlaws, and even early rodeo history. These stories and events shaped the Colorado territory and are a rich glimpse into the early history of the state.

A Wild West History of Frontier Colorado: Pioneers, Gunslingers & Cattle Kings on the Eastern Plains

History Lover's Guide to Denver, A

9781467142120

$23.99

Historic Sites Not to Miss!

Founded in an unlikely spot where dry prairies meet formidable mountains, Denver overcame its doubtful beginning to become the largest and most important city within a thousand miles. This tour of the Queen City of the Plains goes beyond travel guidebooks to explore its fascinating historical sites in detail. Tour the grand Victorian home where the unsinkable Molly Brown lived prior to her Titanic voyage. Visit the Brown Palace Hotel suite that President Dwight and First Lady Mamie Eisenhower used as the "Summer White House.'? Pay respects at the mountaintop grave of the greatest showman of the nineteenth century, Colonel William F. "Buffalo Bill'? Cody.

From the jazzy Rossonian lounge where Ella scatted and Basie swung to gleaming twenty-first-century art museums, author Mark A. Barnhouse traces the Mile High City's story through its historical legacy.

Buffalo Soldiers on the Colorado Frontier

9781467145442

$21.99

The legendary Buffalo Soldiers, four army regiments of former slaves, were vital in taming the American frontier. The Tenth Cavalry of African American troopers rode across the Colorado plains to battle the Cheyennes and rescue wounded, starving soldiers at Beecher Island on the Arikaree River. Under the cover of darkness, the Ninth Cavalry aided besieged troops pinned down by Ute sharpshooters at Milk Creek. They drove off Cheyenne Dog Soldiers attacking a stagecoach of nervous travelers on the Smokey Hill Trail to Denver. And they braved howling blizzards and deep snowdrifts to protect lonely homesteads and wandering prospectors. Author Nancy K. Williams details the bravery and valor of these historic servicemen who served proudly defending America’s Wild West.

Cover image for Buffalo Soldiers on the Colorado Frontier, isbn: 9781467145442

Denver's Sixteenth Street

9780738581026

$24.99

The beloved thoroughfare at the heart of Denver, Sixteenth Street has always been the Mile-High City's "Main Street." Sixteenth Street got its jump start in 1879 when Leadville's Silver King and Colorado's richest man, Horace Austin Warner Tabor, came to town and built the city's first five-story skyscraper at the corner of Sixteenth and Larimer Streets. In coming years, Sixteenth Street became Denver's main retail center as shopkeepers and department store owners constructed ever-more impressive palaces, culminating in the Daniels and Fisher Tower--the city's tallest building for five decades and the symbol of the city. In the second half of the 20th century, Sixteenth Street saw major changes, including the creation of one of the most successful pedestrian malls in the country, an archetype of the power of great urban places and an inspiration to other cities, large and small.

Magic Mountain

9781467134750

$24.99

Nestled in the foothills of Golden, Colorado, construction began on Magic Mountain just two years after Disneyland's opening season. Through never-before-seen photographs, Magic Mountain tells the exciting story of the first attempt in America to spread the Disneyland model. The dream of a theme park in Colorado was conceived by Walter F. Cobb and designed by Marco Engineering of Los Angeles. The park saw tens of thousands of visitors, even during the construction period. They witnessed live gunfights and playhouse melodramas and took a ride on the Magic Mountain railroad. Unfortunately, the park closed at the end of its premier season in 1960, but it would eventually evolve into Heritage Square. For over 40 years, this venue brought fun and entertainment to the young and young at heart, following Cobb's vision of a clean, entertaining, and educational park for the whole family.

Crested Butte

9780738574431

$24.99

Crested Butte rises 8,885 feet above sea level on the edge of the beautiful Elk Mountains in the Gunnison Country of Colorado's Western Slope. Between Crested Butte and Aspen, 25 miles to the north, are six 14,000-foot-high peaks with 12,000-foot-high passes and scenery that takes the breath away. Crested Butte began as a silver camp but soon turned into one of the great coal towns of the West, with a rich ethnic heritage evolved from the mining camps. In the 21st century, Crested Butte is a tourist town of 1,500 residents highlighted by the Mount Crested Butte Ski Area, the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, and its wonderful wildflower and music festivals. The town today is what it always has been, "the queen jewel of the Elk Mountains."

Cortez

9780738574745

$24.99

Colorado's southwesternmost city has perpetually verged on all that is desirable in the American Southwest for tourism, recreation, and high-desert living. Cortez is surrounded by scenic mountains and red-rock canyons, Anasazi archaeological sites and a varied Native American heritage, and a sunny climate. Yet for centuries, rugged landscapes and lack of water made communication, transportation, and commerce difficult. Residents developed a fierce self-reliance. Area farmers received a boost when the Dolores River was diverted in 1889 by the nearly unimaginable man-and-mule-hewn Great Cut and a 5,400-foot-long irrigation tunnel. Cortez's hardscrabble growth found additional relief in the 1950s due to the Four Corners gas and oil boom. Congressman Wayne Aspinall helped establish the Dolores Water Conservancy District in 1961, construction of McPhee Dam on the Dolores River began in 1978, and finally in 1986, Montezuma Valley obtained a reliable water supply. Lake McPhee provides water for farms, families, and enterprises and adds to local beauty and recreation.