the History of Gold in Rockies: Told Stories

Before the great gold rushes, there were only rumors. A few yellow flakes found in a mountain stream. A lost vein of gold in the Ortiz Mountains. Bullets reportedly cast from gold on the Great Plains. Stories carried by trappers, traders, Native people, soldiers, and restless men who dreamed of finding riches beyond the next ridge. Then the rumors became a rush. The History of Gold in the Rockies: Told in Stories brings the search for Rocky Mountain gold to life through dramatic historical fiction followed by the true history behind each story. Travel from the early mining camps of New Mexico to Cherry Creek and Gregory Gulch in Colorado, then north to the crowded diggings of Alder Gulch in Montana. Walk beside prospectors as they cross dangerous plains, climb into unfamiliar mountains, and search freezing streams for the first flash of yellow. Enter rough camps where claims are measured, arguments are settled by miners' courts, and a man's future can depend on what lies beneath a few feet of gravel. See towns rise almost overnight as merchants, gamblers, families, laborers, and fortune seekers follow the miners into the Rockies. Inside you will discover: - Early gold mining in the Ortiz Mountains of New Mexico- Rumors of Rocky Mountain gold before the major rushes- The story of gold bullets and encounters on the Great Plains- The 1858 rush to Cherry Creek and the birth of Denver- Gregory Gulch, Central City, and Colorado's rich mountain lodes- Claim disputes, miners' courts, sluices, rockers, and camp life- The rush to Alder Gulch and the rise of Virginia City, Montana- The hardships, dangers, and hopes of the people who followed the gold This is more than a collection of dates and discoveries. It is the story of men and women who crossed wild country, endured hunger and cold, built camps where no towns had stood, and changed the Rocky Mountain West forever. For readers who enjoy frontier history, gold-rush adventures, mining towns, and the untold stories behind the American West, The History of Gold in the Rockies: Told in Stories offers a journey through the mountains during one of the most exciting eras in American history.