Colorado's Grand Valley has an extensive geological and human history going back millennia. Franciscan priests worked in tandem with the native Ute people to plot passage through the territory, opening the valley to unprecedented settlement. The region became the playground of enterprising visionaries, murderous outlaws, hooligans and harlots alike. From the gruesome Meeker massacre and its tragic consequences for the Ute nation to the mysterious murder of Sam McMullin and a showdown with the Ku Klux Klan in 1925, uncover the engrossing stories of an unyielding land. Author Kate Ruland-Thorne recounts many of the defining and damning moments throughout Grand Valley history.
A Southern Methodist University alumn, Kate Ruland-Thorne's thirty-year career in journalism has included roles at the Denver Post, Directions magazine, Sedona Red Rock News, Sedona magazine and Art-Talk (Arizona). She has served as president of the Sedona Historical Society, vice president of the Denver Women's Press Club, owner of Sedona Books and Music, local TV and radio show host in Sedona and feature writer for Grand Valley Magazine. This is her tenth book on regional history.