Mabel Barbee Lee has written a rousing tale of early days in Cripple Creek, Colorado. She speaks with authority because she arrived there as a child in 1892, and with wide-eyed wonder saw the whole place turn to gold. With his divining rod, Mabel's father tapped gold ore on Beacon Hill but missed becoming a millionaire by selling his claim short. Nonetheless, life was rich for young Mabel in a booming town with points of interest like Poverty Gulch, the Continental Hotel, and a fantastic house called Finn's Folly; with characters around like the promoter Windy Joe and (seen from a distance) the madam Pearl De Vere; with something always going on, whether a celebration or a disastrous fire or train wreck or a no-nonsense miners' strike. Mabel Lee's book brings back a time and place with affection. The foreword is by Lowell Thomas, who was her pupil when she was a young schoolmarm in Cripple Creek. "One of the most fascinating accounts of a gold rush town."-Chicago Sunday Tribune. "More entertaining by far than the run of fictional westerns, more authentic, of course, and a great deal more moving."-W. M. Teller, Saturday Review

When Kat and her father and brother visit the Mollie Kathleen, an old gold mine now open for tours by the busload, Kat gets lost from the group and falls down a shaft, where she discovers an awe-inspiring world of fantasy come to life. She meets an ancient dragon—the last of his kind—and discovers a secret about the gold that litters the creature's den and why dragons throughout time have hoarded the sparkling treasure. The dragon helps Kat escape the endless caverns, but not before Kat greedily takes a piece of gold for herself. Feeling guilty, Kat decides to return it, but before she can do this she drops it in front of a group of visitors, and a media frenzy ensues. Soon the mining town is filled with gold seekers. In order to save the dragon and his gold, Kat and her brother must venture back into the mine to warn him. But will they get there in time? This fast-paced, beautifully told modern fantasy tale by children's book illustrator Troy Howell will keep readers spellbound. Praise for The Dragon of Cripple Creek “Writing in Kat’s first-person narrative, which is wry and funny, clipped and eloquent, Howell, best known as an illustrator, mixes fantasy adventure with a moving conservation story in a debut that blends sadness, secrecy, and pure fun.” –Booklist

Money Mountain, first published in 1953, is the story of the fantastically rich Cripple Creek gold mines of Colorado. Detailed are the discovery of the lode and the first mining claims, the development of the town, the incredible wealth generated by the gold, the inevitable labor strife, disasters such as fires and floods; all well-researched and presented in an entertaining style. Included are 13 pages of maps and photographs. Marshall Sprague (1909-1994) authored a number of books and articles on the American West.

Contains primary source material.

As one of the last major boomtowns created from gold rushes in Colorado's Rocky Mountains, the Cripple Creek District, located just west of Pikes Peak, became home to thousands of men, women, and children from dozens of nationalities the world over. They struggled to establish homes in the rugged and sometimes inhospitable environment of high-altitude gold camp life. The need for a modicum of civilization's amenities in this roughneck enclave, which eventually became the Teller County seat, was stunted by mining's inherent injuries and illness, the harsh mountain winters, great fires that destroyed many area towns, and debilitating labor strikes. More than a century of pioneer living is represented in this evocative tour through famous and infamous local history, from the early settlers to the descendants and residents who still call the Cripple Creek District home.

A work of historical fiction features the lives of the men and women who established the town of Cripple Creek, Colorado, and mined its gold.

Home to the last gold rush in America, Teller County attracted a slew of peculiar characters. And 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.

Papers address concerns by contractors and agencies in how to survey and nominate properties to the National Register of Historic Places and how to mitigate adverse actions on significant resources, management concerns related to historic mining sites on public lands, and interpretation and display of mining sites and materials. The focus is on the western United States, but other parts of the U.S. and western Canada are covered.

Through sweeping entries, focused biographies, community histories, economic enterprise analysis, and demographic studies, this Encyclopedia presents the tapestry of the West and its population during various periods of migration. Examines the settling of the West and includes coverage of movements of American Indians, African Americans, and the often-forgotten role of women in the West's development.