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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.

History Enshrined

Within months of its founding, Denver required places to bury its deceased. They were initially interred at today’s Cheesman Park and Denver Botanic Gardens. As the city matured, its leaders established beautifully manicured and lushly irrigated garden cemeteries, graced with elegant funerary monuments and mausolea. Everyone being equal in death, mining millionaires, governors and senators are buried alongside prostitutes, gangsters and murderers. Journalists, lawmen and war heroes rest in peace together among stately trees. The intrepid cemetery explorer will find musicians, merchants and various eccentrics—even an Apollo astronaut and a storied cannibal.

Join Denver historian Mark A. Barnhouse and longtime Fairmount Cemetery employee and historian Jim Cavoto to explore more than a dozen Denver-area burial grounds and learn how the departed shaped today’s Colorado.

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.

Taming a Tumultuous Territory

Hollywood westerns of the twentieth century brought a history of raucous frontier justice to life, but 1800s Colorado was anything but fiction. Bandits held up the Denver and Rio Grande train at Unaweep Switch, while another gang stole $50,000 from the express car at Cotopaxi. “The Bloody Espinosas,” who left mutilated bodies along lonely mountain trails, terrorized southern Colorado. The Reynolds Gang held up South Park stagecoaches, while Tom McCarty and Matt Warner robbed banks. These unruly times demanded a society where the law prevailed. Dave Cook started the Rocky Mountain Detective Association and improved crime fighting methods. Tom Tobin tracked down two serial killers using his wilderness skills. Doc Shores, who always got his man, earned his nickname, “the Bloodhound.” Author Nancy K. Williams hunts down the good, the bad and the ugly characters who color Colorado’s past.

Welcome to the Rockies! Parent and child Black Bears tour the Rockies in best-selling author-illustrator Martha Day Zschock's Hello! board book series for children. In Hello, Rockies! join the pair as they visit four of America's most beautiful National Parks--Rocky Mountain, Grand Teton, Yellowstone, and Glacier. Along the way they meet park rangers, explore mountain trails, visit old mining towns, sleep under the stars, and even go white water rafting! For ages 0-3. Made in the USA.

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.

An unbelievable account of ghosts, long-legged beasts, and things that go bump in the night in the historic Colorado mining town and its environs.

Home to the last gold rush in America, Teller County attracted a slew of peculiar characters--many never left.

A Victor Hotel regular named Eddie met his untimely death when he tumbled down the elevator shaft. A female apparition clad in Victorian clothing appears on the stairs of the Palace Hotel. A closed tunnel on Gold Camp Road is said to echo with the sounds of screaming children and lingering spirits are still prisoners at the old Teller County Jail.

Linda Wommack uncovers the eerie thrills and chills of Cripple Creek and Teller County.

Drawn to the potential riches hidden in the rocks they mined, the first dreamers and drifters of Leadville arrived to stake their claims—and some never left.

The Tabor Opera House once hosted séances that filled every seat, and rumor has it that the Delaware Hotel hosts ghostly guests that never checked out. The first city graveyard was later abandoned for Evergreen Cemetery, but not all the residents were moved before the railroad was built over top of them. And in a shack near the Matchless Mine, the shade of the infamous Elizabeth “Baby Doe” Tabor waits for good fortune to come again. The mine she bet her life on never produced more silver.

Author Erin Taylor brings to life the history behind the supernatural stories of Leadville.

Travel back in time with the spirits of the San Juans.

Brave men and women came to seek their fortunes in the rough-and-tumble boomtown of Creede. Miners, merchants, dance hall girls, gunslingers and gamblers still haunt its streets and halls. How many ghosts are thought to haunt the historic Creede Hotel? How did the baddest man in camp meet his untimely end, and what do the old-timers say is buried under the floorboards at Freemon’s Ranch? What happened the night an actress from the Creede Repertory Theatre summoned a ghost to join her on stage?

Author Kandra Payne matches fascinating historic details with spine-tingling tales to find out what made the Creede Camp one of the wildest and spookiest boomtowns in the West.

Ghost stories from Denver International Airport have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!

Welcome to spooky Denver International Airport!  

Stay alert! Ghosts lurk around every corner. Even the most unexpected places might be haunted by wandering phantoms.

Did you know that Blue Mustang, Denver International Airport's famously haunted horse sculpture, might be possessed by a demon? Or that the secret tunnels below the concourse are supposedly crawling with lizard people? Can you believe the gargoyles guarding the baggage claim will tell you a joke . . . if you're brave enough to ask?

Pulled right from history, these ghostly tales will change the way you see Denver International Airport forever, and have you sleeping with the lights on!

A perfect keepsake for any local or visitor, A Is for Aspen is a charming picture book that explores the town of Aspen, Colorado, through short, sweet rhymes and clean, graphic illustrations. Explore this iconic mountain town from yoga at the top of Ajax Mountain to rafting the whitecaps on the Roaring Fork River. Stops include snowboarding on Buttermilk Mountain, hiking the Bowl at the Highlands and the spectacle of extreme athleticism at the X-Games.

This Aspen, Colorado children's book celebrates everything that both locals and visitors love about this special mountain town.

Ghost stories from the Mile-High City have never been so creepy, fun, and full of mystery!

The haunted history of Denver comes to life—even when the main players are dead. Visit the state capitol and you may see a haunted head floating through the halls. Stop in at the Peabody-Whitehead mansion for any number of ghostly interactions. Or stroll along Market Street to see if the spirit of a young woman is again stealing people’s shoes. Dive into this spooky chapter book for suspenseful tales of bumps in the night, paranormal investigations, and the unexplained; just be sure to keep the light on.

Bursting with delightful colors and bright illustrations, Local Baby Boulder engages babies’ attention and encourages families to explore what makes their beautiful city so great.

Families can experience all that Boulder, CO, has to offer: see the famous Flatirons and Chautauqua Park; spot butterflies and birds at some of Boulder's most famous hikes, such as NCAR, Royal Arch, Wonderland Lake, and more; visit the campus of CU Boulder (sko Buffs!); catch a movie at Boulder's most famous theater; and say goodnight to the Boulder star.

Explore Boulder with this joyfully grabbable and wonderfully local board book that is sure to bring generations together.

In this board book for young readers, we'll learn to count down from 10 to 1 while discovering the breathtaking parks and sites in the Colorado Plateau. Hike the trails in the Grand Canyon, count amazing geological formations in Bryce Canyon National Park, and see the wildlife that calls this amazing part of our country home—all before bedtime! From Arches to Zion, there's so much to see—won't you join me?

Bursting with laugh-out-loud jokes and fun facts, LOL Jokes: Denver combines the best of humor and history for young readers!

Inspired by all the wonderful sights, sounds, and . . . smells of the Mile-High City, this local joke book delivers kid-friendly punchlines that will have readers laughing ’til they cry! Alongside hilarious jokes and puns are fascinating facts, goofy tidbits of local history, and engaging graphics that will keep readers chuckling and sharing with friends. LOL Jokes: Denver is sure to deliver hours of knee-slapping entertainment.

Denny: What has a head and a tail but no body?

Penny: A nickel!

Fun Factoid: The Denver Mint produces 8 billion coins a year, all of which have a D for Denver on them!