Colorado

Name: Grand County
Brand: Penny Hamilton
SKU: 9781467108973
Price: 16.79 USD
Availability: InStock

There is decidedly less pickaxe toting in contemporary Creede than when wild frontiersmen first flooded the gold mines in Colorado. But the pioneering exploits of Colorado history didn’t cease when modern comforts lined the shelves at Denver Dry Goods and luxury hotels opened shop in Durango. Just visit Fort Collins to observe the work of Temple Grandin or watch the laws of physics flex at Lowry Airforce Base. From pristine Rocky Mountain peaks to the deepest incursions of a coal cart, push the limits with our Colorado history books. [View all Colorado books]

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Grand County

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Railroads of the Pike's Peak Region

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Cherry Hills Village

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Lowry Air Force Base

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Rollins Pass

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Evergreen

$29.99 $20.99 Save 30%

Florence

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

Skiing in Colorado

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10th Mountain Division at Camp Hale

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Colorado in the Civil War

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Historic Mysteries of Western Colorado

$21.99 $15.39 Save 30%

American Prisoner of War Camps in Colorado

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Denver Airports

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Abandoned Western Colorado

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Summit County's Narrow-Gauge Railroads

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Railroads of the Pike's Peak Region:

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Rocky Mountain National Park

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Southern Colorado

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Estes Park

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Mesa Verde National Park

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Rails around Durango

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Salida

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Silverton and the Alpine Loop

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Haunted Manitou Springs

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Colorado Curiosities

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Fort Carson

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Union Station in Denver

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Colorado and Southern Railway

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Ouray

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Colorado Springs

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Abandoned Southern Colorado and the San Luis Valley

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Magic Mountain

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The Queen of Denver

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Cortez

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Cañon City

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Grand County

9781467108973

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

Established in 1874, before Colorado became a state, Grand County is nestled in the north-central Rocky Mountains. Named for the Grand River (renamed the Colorado River), Grand County encompasses 1,868 square miles, which is larger than Rhode Island. For thousands of years, Indigenous, nomadic tribes enjoyed natural hot springs and summer hunting. Spanish explorers, French fur trappers, and mountain men followed. In 1858, the gold rush brought rugged prospectors, creating towns named Coulter, Gaskill, Lulu City, and Teller. Later, homesteaders, loggers, merchants, and the Moffat Railroad built Arrow, Hideaway Park, Winter Park, Fraser, Tabernash, Granby, Grand Lake, Hot Sulphur Springs, Parshall, Kremmling, and Radium. Today, tourists flock to Rocky Mountain National Park, Arapaho National Forest, and award-winning dude ranches and resorts to enjoy some of the world's most beautiful lakes, mountain ranges, and abundant wildlife. Written in an easy-to-read pictorial format with over 200 curated photographs, Grand County is for readers interested in true stories of Western grit and courage.

Railroads of the Pike's Peak Region

9780738528823

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During the gilded age of rail travel in the late 1800s, Colorado Springs became one of the primary portals of westward expansion and a hub for both passenger and freight traffic. Over thousands of miles of tracks traveled merchants, industrialists, tourists, and fortune seekers, all bent on enjoying what Colorado had to offer either on a temporary or permanent basis. Much of the history of the Pike's Peak Region was predicated on the railroads, and the growth that the area enjoyed was dependent on the new residents and the trains that brought them.

Cherry Hills Village

9781467108638

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The history of Cherry Hills Village is about the trailblazers, settlers, visionaries, and others who came to Colorado from disparate places and backgrounds with their dreams in hand and a vision of a life in the Rocky Mountains. This cast of characters created a narrative of westward expansion--a saga of migration, discovery, opportunity, and hope. Here, natives and newcomers raised families, started businesses, created a city, and established multigenerational legacies. For millennia, the area has been continuously inhabited by different cultures, including prehistoric and Indigenous peoples, followed by European immigrants. Early and more recent residents alike knew that there was something special about the place that would become Cherry Hills Village. Dino G. Maniatis is a first-generation Colorado native who has worked in real estate and property management for over 20 years. As a soldier and strategic intelligence officer in the US Army, Major Maniatis is assigned to Army Space and Missile Defense Command. He is a longtime resident of Cherry Hills Village, where he lives with his wife, Kristin, a physician, and their daughters Angelina and Kristina. He has served on various city committees and published a short history about the city and an official poem for its 75th anniversary.

Lowry Air Force Base

9780738596648

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From 1937 to 1994, Lowry Air Force Base, located on the eastern edge of the city of Denver, served the nation and the surrounding community in many distinguished ways. The air base, primarily a technical training center, graduated more than 1.1 million enlisted members and officers in skills ranging from armament to photography, tremendously strengthening the country's war efforts in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War. In addition, from the 1980s, Lowry Air Force Base remained one of Colorado's largest employers, with approximately 10,000 military and civilian men and women, providing an economic impact approaching $1 billion annually. Thus Lowry significantly contributed to maintaining the world's largest air force and to promoting the accelerated growth of the Denver metro area and Colorado.

Rollins Pass

9781467107952

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Rollins Pass holds 12,000 years of history; Paleoindians utilized the pass 65 centuries before the invention of the wheel.

Later, wagon and rail magnates saw the pass as a "Great Gate" across the Continental Divide. Today, the area is listed as one of Colorado's Most Endangered Places.

B. Travis Wright, MPS, is a 2022 Colorado Preservation Inc. State Honor Award recipient for his advocacy of Rollins Pass. As historians and photographers, B. Travis Wright and Kate Wright, MBA, document the timeless landscapes atop Rollins Pass.

Evergreen

9781467126113

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Early settlers were drawn to the Evergreen area for its unsurpassed beauty and natural resources. Ranching and lumber were the initial basis for Evergreen's economy in the 1800s, and wealthy summer residents built prestigious second homes there. By 1920, Evergreen became a tourist mecca through development of the Denver Mountain Parks system and famed hotels, resorts, and dude ranches. From 1920 to 1942, Evergreen was the epicenter of outdoor recreation in Colorado. After World War II, a unique array of volunteer arts, nature, and charity organizations was created by Evergreen's people. A bohemian era in the 1960s and 1970s brought artists, musicians, and hippies, including Willie Nelson, to Evergreen. Explosive growth after completion of Interstate 70 led to development of new festivals and attractions, including the magnificent parks of the Jefferson County Open Space system. Evergreen still retains an atmosphere of the legendary Old West, from its boardwalk along Main Street to its annual Evergreen Rodeo and Rodeo Parade to its surviving area ranches.

Florence

9781467108348

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The birth of the state of Colorado led to a migration to the base of the Rocky Mountains along the Arkansas River, where men and women readily accepted their responsibilities and stepped up to make Florence an essential supply center enduring for decades. Just like the trees of the first successful apple orchard planted in Colorado, families took root in the area, and Florence grew. Soon, coal and oil from the surrounding hills and gold, silver, and other precious minerals high in the nearby mountains required the existence of Florence to supply materials and labor for operations. They depended on Florence to process and deliver the products of their effort. From the planting of that first apple tree in 1860 to the continued extraction of coal and oil into the 1970s, the community of Florence has played a key role in the area's accomplishment. Now, over 40 years later, take a look back at how those men and women achieved that accomplishment.

Skiing in Colorado

9781467160551

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Skiing in Colorado evolved from a transportation necessity to a world-class recreational pursuit. The first documented use of skis in Colorado occurred in the winter of 1859. As the popularity of the activity grew, ski resorts opened throughout the state. After World War II, Colorado saw a boom in the industry along with advancements in equipment, lifts, and safety; the development of ski schools; and the opening of new ski areas. This volume includes photographs from the Colorado Snowsports Museum that illustrate and celebrate the history of skiing in Colorado.

10th Mountain Division at Camp Hale

9781467109178

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In 1942, at the beginning of World War II, the US Army built its most unusual military post for its most unusual division in a high, remote, Rocky Mountain valley 100 miles west of Denver, Colorado. Located at 9,250 feet above sea level, Camp Hale was the training home of the famed 13,459-man 10th Mountain Division, which trained in mountain warfare techniques for two years--and almost missed the war. After they were finally deployed for combat in early 1945 in the Northern Apennine Mountains of Italy, the young men of the 10th never lost a battle or gave up a foot of ground. And, after the war, many of the veterans returned home to create America's ski and winter sports industry. Building Camp Hale was an incredible feat of wartime engineering and construction. To transform the wild, alpine meadow into an Army camp, 10,000 civilian construction workers were hired to scrape away the vegetation; level the valley floor; install roads and water and sewer lines; build 1,000 structures and two ski areas; and relocate a highway and railroad line--all within seven months and at a cost of $31 million (over a half billion dollars in today's money). Yet Camp Hale was demolished two years after it was built.

Colorado in the Civil War

9781467109710

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Colorado troops were vitally important for the Union in the quest to win the Civil War. They served throughout the American West from Missouri to Utah, and their enemies were not only ordinary Confederate troops but also fearsome guerrillas under William Quantrill and "Blood Bill" Anderson. Vital Western transportation routes--like the Santa Fe, Oregon, Smoky Hill, and Cherokee Trails--were guarded by the Coloradans. Tragically, actions by Colorado soldiers, including the horrific Sand Creek Massacre, ignited decades of warfare with Native American tribes. This book features vintage images that chronicle Colorado's Civil War soldiers, where they served, and who they fought.

Historic Mysteries of Western Colorado

9781467141376

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From Mesoamerican mysteries to local legends, history waits to be unearthed on Colorado's western slope. Revelations include discovering new evidence in the infamous Alferd Packer case and old Spanish colonial relics near Kannah Creek. Investigators follow the trail of lost Spanish explorers searching for the Seven Cities of Gold and pursue archaeological signs of a prehistoric civilization north of Collbran. Expeditions search for the legend of the Utes' Cave of the Ancients and the fabled location of Aztlán, the Aztecs' original homeland. A crew of historians, archaeologists and scientists, the Western Investigations Team uses ground-penetrating radar, electron microscopy, innovative metallurgic research and newly discovered documents to reexamine fascinating historical questions and contribute new chapters to history.

American Prisoner of War Camps in Colorado

9781634992619

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American Prisoner of War Camps in Colorado describes the experiences of prisoners of war in the state, such as the story of two POWs who escaped from a camp in Trinidad. Was it treason, or were the three Japanese enemy alien sisters seduced by the German POWs who used their map? Stories of other escapes are detailed, such as two men who were shot to death as they tried to flee. All fifty-one prisoner of war camps and hospitals in Colorado during World War II are described, along with the names and burial locations of the seventeen German, Japanese, and Italian POWs who died in Colorado. These experiences are well documented through interviews with former prisoners and guards, translators, and civilians who worked with the prisoners of war. They are further documented by visitation reports from the Vatican Secret Archives, the prisoner of war files at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland, and by many books and articles published after the war by former prisoners, guards, and scholars.

The generally humane treatment of the prisoners, led by the Geneva Convention of 1929, as well as the friendship formed between the prisoners and their guards and the farmers whose land they worked, was essential to the development of our current positive relationships with the countries of Germany, Italy, and Japan.

Denver Airports

9781467102407

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On the cusp of the Great Depression, Denver mayor Benjamin Stapleton pushed for the development of the first city-operated airport. Denver Municipal Airport opened in 1929 with three hub airlines. While Stapleton would be honored to later have the airport named after him, by the mid-1980s, the name Stapleton had become synonymous with congestion, flight delays, and frequent closures when the snow moved in. To solve the problem, Denver mayor Federico Peña envisioned a massive new airport, but when Denver International Airport (DIA) opened in 1995, its three hub airlines had whittled away to just one, and critics warned of dire consequences. Yet the airport persevered, and today, with its iconic tent roof, six runways, and 53 square miles of land, it stands amongst the most beautiful and busiest airports in the world. This is the story of three airports and how they brought the city from cow town to boomtown.

Summit County's Narrow-Gauge Railroads

9781467116855

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Summit County's Narrow-Gauge Railroads tells the story of the two railroads that fought for dominance in Summit County, Colorado, during the late 1800s and early 1900s: the Denver, South Park & Pacific and the Denver & Rio Grande. The two railroads developed an intense rivalry as they sought to monopolize the county's economic potential. Altitude, heavy winter snow, and rugged mountainous terrain combined to provide a unique set of challenges to company management as well as to the crews as they battled to lay the tracks and provide much-needed rail service to the residents and businesses of the county. Intimately tied to the mining economy, the fortunes of the railroads plummeted when the mining economy collapsed. Although poorly financed and poorly built, the railroads changed the living conditions for county residents. Without the railroads bringing the necessary equipment and lumber, nine huge gold-dredging boats would not have scoured the county's major waterways between 1898 and 1942.

Railroads of the Pike's Peak Region:

9780738531250

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By 1900, the scenic beauty of the Pike's Peak region had become well known, making it a popular destination with visitors from across the nation. This influx of tourism along with the apex of the Cripple Creek mining boom saw El Paso and Teller Counties become a hub of freight and passenger activity. Over the next 30 years and through challenging economic times, the area would be served by 11 different railroads and an interurban line. The Midland Terminal and the Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek District Railways relied heavily on the revenue gleaned from Cripple Creek ore production, but as the output of these mines declined, so too did the coffers of the railroads that supported them. Larger railroads like the Santa Fe and
the Colorado & Southern increased their regional presence through joint agreements and the expansion of local facilities. Still other roads had a more local flair, including the Manitou & Pike's Peak whose unique cog railway
introduced "America's Mountain" to thousands of tourists. Mass transit also came to the region as the Colorado Springs & Interurban Railway became part of a legacy left by millionaire Winfield Scott Stratton to the people of Colorado Springs.

Rocky Mountain National Park

9780738556277

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Rocky Mountain National Park is often called "the crown jewel" of the nation's park system. Set in Colorado in the southern part of the Rocky Mountain chain, which forms the backbone of North America, the park contains 72 named peaks above 12,000 feet with the tallest of these, Longs Peak, rising to 14,259 feet. Established in 1915 as a national park, it now hosts more than two million visitors every year. Vacationers enjoy picnicking, hiking, camping, climbing, skiing, and simply admiring the beauties of the park, which include alpine plants, wildflowers, aspen, conifers, lakes, streams, waterfalls, and an abundance of birds and animals.

Southern Colorado

9781467131735

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When the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad laid narrow-gauge tracks into La Veta in southern Colorado in July 1876, it preceded Colorado statehood on August 1 by about one month. The southern Colorado frontier from Walsenburg west to Wolf Creek Pass had only a few scattered villages at this time, but silver mines in southwestern Colorado lured the railroad ever westward to haul out the riches. On the scene to photograph these developments was Iowan Ory Thomas (O.T.) Davis, who moved to Colorado in 1885 to work in the copper mines northwest of La Veta. Davis, backed by corporate sponsors from the mines and railroads, opened a commercial photography business in the Walsenburg-La Veta area in 1888 and, later, in Alamosa in 1906. The photographs of O.T. Davis collected in this book vividly capture a bygone era, documenting the frontier history of southern Colorado in the early years of statehood.

Estes Park

9780738580821

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Estes Park is a small village nestled in the north central mountains of Colorado. The earliest settlers were homesteaders who arrived to "prove up" in the 1870s and soon discovered that providing lodging and entertainment for outdoor adventurers and tourists looking for a respite from city life could provide a more reliable revenue stream than farming and ranching. By 1905, the town was platted and several hotels provided modern accommodations. When Rocky Mountain National Park was created in 1915, Estes Park became the eastern gateway and continues to be the first stop for approximately 2.5 million visitors annually. From an initial population of less than 200, the town has grown to almost 10,000 year-round residents, many of whom still make their living providing goods and services to visitors from as near as Denver and as far away as Nepal.

Mesa Verde National Park

9780738569468

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Mesa Verde National Park was America's first cultural park and also the world's first cultural heritage park. Created in 1906, it preserves the sites and materials of the prehistoric Puebloan people. Located in southwestern Colorado near the famous Four Corners, where the states of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico meet, the magnificent Mesa Verde is situated in Montezuma County, just south of Cortez and directly west of Durango. The park's rich archaeological history was played out amid some of the most ruggedly beautiful landscapes in the West. The greater story of the evolution of the park encompasses the Ute people, Theodore Roosevelt, novelist Willa Cather, and other personalities. These remarkable vintage photographs tell that saga, which is as fascinating as that of the Puebloans.

Rails around Durango

9780738548593

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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.

Salida

9780738520674

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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.

Silverton and the Alpine Loop

9781467131551

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As the ancestral hunting grounds of mountain people known as the Utes, the future site of Silverton was explored by nomadic hunters for generations. During the 1860s, Charles Baker, an early mining prospector, discovered some mineral wealth in the area and spread highly exaggerated rumors that brought in even more prospectors. Significant wealth was found in Arrastra Gulch along the Alpine Loop, north of Baker's Park. From the beginning of its mining heritage, Silverton has gone through periods of boom to bust. In the 1950s, the area was discovered by Hollywood, increasing its appeal to tourism, and in the 1960s, the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad reinvested heavily to dedicate itself to tourist travel. Although mining continued on a limited basis up until the 1990s, Silverton's economy is now supported by those who come for its history, picturesque landscapes, fly fishing, jeeping, and hiking.

Haunted Manitou Springs

9781609493479

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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.

Colorado Curiosities

9781467146586

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Colorado's Front Range, Western Slope, eastern plains and southern approaches were home to some of the state's stranger people, places and events. Meet Mike the Headless Chicken from Fruita and a Fort Collins architect who designed a university building to house his wife--after he killed her. Learn about Florence's "The Alcatraz of the Rockies" or Doc Holliday's final breaths in Glenwood Springs. Dig into the odd conspiracy theories and underground city connected to the Denver International Airport. Walk alongside dinosaur tracks, scout out old mines and ancient petroglyphs or climb into Mesa Verde's shaded, mysterious cliff dwellings. Author Cindy Brick shares quirky, odd and intriguing episodes in Colorado history.

Fort Carson

9781467103213

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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

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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.

Colorado and Southern Railway

9780738529295

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In 1860, thousands journeyed to the Colorado Territory, beckoned by reports of gold discoveries in the mountains west of Denver. In the early 1870s, W.A.H. Loveland built a railroad connecting Denver to the Clear Creek Mining District-the Colorado Central Railroad. Over the next 28 years, other lines were established, bought, sold, extended, and merged to service the mining towns of Black Hawk, Central City, Idaho Springs, and Silver Plume. In 1898, the Union Pacific, Denver & Gulf, and the Denver Leadville & Gunnison were combined to form the Colorado & Southern Railway. After more than 40 years of dedication to the Clear Creek District, the railroad was scrapped in 1941. However, tourism would revitalize the area, and in the years to come a group of enthusiasts began to rebuild a portion of the old right of way. Toady, the spirit of the C&S is alive again, and rail fans can make the same journey over "The Loop" that thrilled tourists a century ago.

Ouray

9780738580340

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Situated in a spectacular basin surrounded by 13,000-foot peaks, the city of Ouray has captured the eye of adventurers from its beginnings, while the glitter of gold and silver brought prospectors to its mountains. The Uncompahgre Utes hunted and soaked in their sacred hot springs for generations, but about one year after Chief Ouray's death, they were removed from their homelands to a reservation in Utah. Mines and mining camps proliferated in the harsh, remote high country, where rugged terrain hampered the transportation of ore and supplies, even after toll roads and railroads lessened isolation. Ouray (pronounced "Yurr-AY") developed into a Victorian community with families, churches, and schools contrasted with rowdy saloons and so-called "fancy ladies." Ouray further embraced tourism after mining waned, and heritage preservation remains an ongoing concern.

Colorado Springs

9780738520919

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Colorado Springs was founded by General William Jackson Palmer in 1871. He was successful in his intent to build a sophisticated spa town with all the luxuries of the East Coast, including the arts, colleges, and hospitals. It is often said that the men made their money in the gold mines of Cripple Creek, but they spent it in Colorado Springs, building beautiful homes on wide streets lined with trees-roads that were nicknamed Millionaire's Row. The early development of Colorado Springs is shown here in over 200 vintage photographs and drawings, some of which have never before been published. The photographs and captions, often taken from actual diaries and journals, illustrate a broad cross-section of the area's early settlers, as well as the hardships they endured. The timeline begins in 1871 and continues through the war years when many local men fought in World War II, most famously as part of the first 10th Mountain Ski Division. This volume includes photographs from neighboring towns and places of interest that were instrumental in the development of Colorado Springs, including Manitou Springs, Old Colorado City, Garden of the Gods, and Cripple Creek.

Abandoned Southern Colorado and the San Luis Valley

9781634992411

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Abandoned Southern Colorado and the San Luis Valley is a collection of photographs that takes readers on a tour of southern Colorado and the San Luis Valley. Author and photographer Jeff Eberle spent much of the last decade traveling the backroads and 4 x 4 trails of Colorado in an effort to capture a few final images of the state's rapidly vanishing past.

Take one last look at important pieces of the puzzle that make up Colorado's history, including the forlorn and dormant steel mills of Pueblo, the coal towns of Las Animas and Huerfano counties, the forgotten Dust Bowl farming communities reaching to the Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico borders, and the unique Hispanic flavor of the legendary San Luis Valley.

The author hopes to help raise awareness and public interest in the preservation and protection of Colorado's historic sites and structures. What one might see as merely an old, rusty eyesore, another sees as an aged beauty who stood silent witness to the hard work and struggle that gave birth to the Colorado we know and love today.

Magic Mountain

9781467134750

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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.

The Queen of Denver

9781467146494

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For more than four decades at the turn of the century, Louise Sneed Hill ruled over Denver's high society with her southern charm, societal tact and passion for success. Hill created a society group dubbed the "Sacred Thirty-Six" and held parties that encouraged animal dances, roller skating and alcohol consumption. She fashioned herself to the public as a hardworking, self-made woman. She used the press to sell her image, emphasize amusement and aid in her mission to transform society from Victorian morality to unabashed fun. She pushed boundaries at a time when American society was unsure of its social direction. Historian Shelby Carr delves into the complex story of the highly mythicized, misrepresented and misunderstood Mrs. Crawford Hill.

Cortez

9780738574745

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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.

Cañon City

9780738580371

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The Cañon City area's high points have been literal, starting with the magnificent Royal Gorge. Here the Royal Gorge Bridge crosses the Arkansas River, 1,053 feet below, as the highest suspension span in the world. From the scenic and geological diversity to some of the initial oil discoveries in the United States, this Fremont County seat has been a hub of coal mining and archaeological discoveries, particularly of dinosaur remains. The temperate weather means long growing seasons, celebrated each May by the Blossom and Music Festival. Once a commerce center supplying food, lumber, and other goods to surrounding gold towns--from Cripple Creek to Leadville--Cañon City also once was a silent-film capital, the base for hundreds of motion pictures produced after the beginning of the 20th century. Prisons and their residents have always been a huge part of Cañon City history; the first territorial prison was located here and many more prisons operate here today.