The Trail of Gold and Silver: Mining in Colorado, 1859-2009 (Timberline Books)

In The Trail of Gold and Silver, historian Duane A. Smith details Colorado's mining saga - a story that stretches from the beginning of the gold and silver mining rush in the mid-nineteenth century into the twenty-first century. Gold and silver mining laid the foundation for Colorado's economy, and 1859 marked the beginning of a fever for these precious metals. Mining changed the state and its people forever, affecting settlement, territorial status, statehood, publicity, development, investment, economy, jobs both in and outside the industry, transportation, tourism, advances in mining and smelting technology, and urbanization. Moreover, the first generation of Colorado mining brought a fascinating collection of people and a new era to the region. Written in a lively manner by one of Colorado's preeminent historians, this book honors the 2009 sesquicentennial of Colorado's gold rush. Smith's narrative will appeal to anybody with an interest in the state's fascinating mining history over the past 150 years. Contents......Page 8 Foreword......Page 10 Prologue......Page 16 1: Pike’s Peak or Bust......Page 26 2: 1859: The Year Dreams Became Reality......Page 44 3: 1860-1864: “To Everything There Is a Season”......Page 62 4: 1864-1869: “Good Times a-Comin”—Someday......Page 78 5: 1870–1874: Bonanza! Three Cheers and a Tiger”......Page 94 6: 1875–1880: “All Roads Lead to Leadville”......Page 110 7: The Silver Eighties: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times......Page 128 8: “There’ll Be a Hot Time”......Page 144 9: “The Everlasting Love of the Game”......Page 166 Photographic Essay- Nineteenth-Century Colorado Mining......Page 188 10: 1900–1929: Looking Forward into Yesterday......Page 202 11: Mucking through Depression, War, and New Ideas......Page 224 12: Mining on the Docket of Public Opinion: The Environmental Age......Page 242 Photographic Essay- Colorado Mining in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries......Page 260 Epilogue: A Tale Well Told......Page 272 Notes......Page 278 Bibliographical Essay......Page 288 Index......Page 292 Contents 8 Foreword 10 Prologue 16 1: Pike’s Peak or Bust 26 2: 1859: The Year Dreams Became Reality 44 3: 1860-1864: “To Everything There Is a Season” 62 4: 1864-1869: “Good Times a-Comin”—Someday 78 5: 1870–1874: Bonanza! Three Cheers and a Tiger” 94 6: 1875–1880: “All Roads Lead to Leadville” 110 7: The Silver Eighties: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times 128 8: “There’ll Be a Hot Time” 144 9: “The Everlasting Love of the Game” 166 Photographic Essay- Nineteenth-Century Colorado Mining 188 10: 1900–1929: Looking Forward into Yesterday 202 11: Mucking through Depression, War, and New Ideas 224 12: Mining on the Docket of Public Opinion: The Environmental Age 242 Photographic Essay- Colorado Mining in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries 260 Epilogue: A Tale Well Told 272 Notes 278 Bibliographical Essay 288 Index 292 0870819577,9780870819575 University Press of Colorado