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

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.

Not a poor man's camp -- Staking the claims -- In union there is strength -- Sirs and brothers -- Imperfect unions -- A white man's camp -- Class-conscious lines -- As if we lived in free America -- Look away over Jordan.

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

On October 20, 1890, Bob Womack struck gold and staked his El Paso mining claim at Poverty Gulch, which eventually ignited the greatest gold rush in Colorado's history. During Bob's lifetime, over two hundred and fifty million dollars worth of gold was mined from the Cripple Creek Mining District, which Womack was instrumental in establishing. The story of the man and the gold discovery are told through first-hand accounts from not only Womack's quotes but other legendary figures such as Irving Howbert, Horace Bennett, Leslie Doyle Spell and William, and Ida Womack. Today, over one hundred and twenty-five years after that historic gold discovery, gold is still mined in the mining district of Cripple Creek. The legacy of Robert "Bob' Miller Womack will forever remain as the discoverer of "The Greatest Gold Camp On Earth."