A little over a century ago, the Red Mountain Mining District in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado was the scene of a "silver rush" with a resulting output of precious metals in Colorado second only to that of Leadville. It's a colorful and varied tapestry that depicts the lives of the prospectors who made the first rich strikes; the land promoters, speculators, and road- and railroad-builders who capitalized on the frenzied rush to the area; and the motley collection of miners, lawyers, merchants, prostitutes, saloonkeepers, and freighters who attempted to profit from the boom.

The presence of gold in the Rocky Mountains had been rumored in the United States since the Mexican-American War and the gold rush to California. But, when gold nuggets were found in Clear Creek in 1859, the cry Pike's Peak or Bust swept the nation, and the Rush to the Rockies began in earnest. In 1859 and again in 1860, almost 100,000 gold seekers joined the rush. It was into this flood of Pike's Peakers that Dr. Charles M. Clark plunged. From the notes Clark kept during his travels and of his experiences in the gold fields, came A Trip to Pike's Peak & Notes by the Way - perhaps the best...

The History of "Ouray -- Gem of the Rockies" is a fascinating tale of the typical boom and bust cycles of all of Colorado's major mining towns. Silver brought the first prospectors to the beautiful valley, but gold kept Ouray from becoming a ghost town after the Silver Crash of 1893. The town rebounded because of the demand for metals during World War I and II but slipped into an economic depression after each war. Although tourism was always important, in the 1970s it became more vital to the economy, and the town has continued to grow and prosper since that time. The abandoned ghost towns...

Concentrating on unique events, people whose stories have never fully been told, and a few "new" facts, The San Juan Mountains of Southwestern Colorado - Calderas, Mastodons, Conquistadors, and Gold provides a wealth of information, starting with the true boundaries of Colorado's San Juans. Through extensive research, P. David Smith destroys many long standing theories about this mysterious range, showing that Paleo hunters lived in the San Juans year round and the Spanish prospected almost continuously in the area but had little luck smelting the gold and silver ores. Smith shows how the...

The Million Dollar Highway runs north and south directly through the middle of the San Juan Mountains of Southwestern, Colorado - some of the most beautiful and rugged country in all of North America, if not the world. There would be no road today if it were not for the treasure chest of minerals that early-day prospectors found, for all the gold and silver in the world was worth nothing if it could not be economically transported out of the mountains. The San Juan communities needed a wagon road, and that is what Otto Mears and others gave them. However, the road was realized only after...

IMAGES OF THE SAN JUANS--HISTORIC SELECTIONS FROM THE RUTH AND MARVIN GREGORY PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION. Images of the San Juans is a rare treat--a collection of over 250 photos, many never before published, of the life and times of the people of the San Juan region of southwestern Colorado. These photographs were taken from the extensive collection of Ruth and Marvin Gregory, a couple whose love for the San Juan Mountains is evident. Their friend, Ouray historian, P. David Smith, has supplied the captions as only he can--with great care, with, and wonder. Step back in time and see how the...