Every year, I look forward to taking a fall daytrip when the aspen leaves are at their peek of goldness in the high country. This year, we found splendid scenery by driving over 11,000+ foot Boreas Pass, from Como in Colorado’s South Park, over the Continental Divide, into Breckenridge. You might say we “crossed over the Great Divide” (a common western expression for dying), and lived to tell about it! The Boreas Pass road follows…
We are fortunate in Colorado to enjoy the most beautiful scenery in the world. No matter how much you travel throughout the state, there are still surprises left to discover. This was the case this past weekend. On a jaunt to the West Slope, we were running early and decided to take a side trip to Grand Mesa. Although we had been there many years ago, we had approached from the south. Lured by a…
Filter Press hosted a fabulous garden party last weekend to launch author Patricia Werner’s book, The Walls Talk: Historic House Museums of Colorado. The circumstances were unusual. A fine author and researcher, and a member of Women Writing the West, Pat passed away a couple of years ago following her struggle with cancer. Filter Press fulfilled their agreement to publish Pat’s book, which she struggled to finish during her final days. Much work was then…
For years, I have heard that the town of Silver Plume, connected to nearby Georgetown, Colorado by a steam locomotive railroad line, is a historic treasure. Last week, my history pal, Christie, and I decided to find out for ourselves. We were not disappointed. Some folks refer to Silver Plume as a living ghost town, and I can see why. Some buildings are in better shape than others. Many have been carefully restored by residents…
Local festivals are a great way to enjoy the Old West. Last weekend, I attended Buffalo Bill Days in Golden, Colorado. A terrific parade almost two hours long brought out the best of local bands, horses, and folks in Western attire and costumes for the celebration. It was great fun to peel myself away from writing and editing to enjoy the sunshine and the sites in the Colorado foothills for the celebration of the pioneer scout and showman, William Cody, who is buried on Lookout Mountain above Golden.
In his day, Buffalo Bill was like a rock star. People came from far and wide to attend his Wild West shows, a combination of Old West, theatrics, and circus. His critics felt that he exploited rather than preserved the Old West. I feel another biography coming on. Perhaps a deeper look at the story while revisiting primary sources will provide some insight.
Perhaps a book about Buffalo Bill is in my future. For now, my days are full will presentation, articles, and tidying up loose ends with Baby Doe. In the meantime, I am grateful to live in a place that allows me to enjoy a glimpse of the old West now and then and enjoy its history.
Joyce B. Lohse, 7/29/10
www.lohseworks.com
100 degree weather in Denver sent me scurrying off to the high country. Luckily, the Estes Park Genealogical Society invited me to speak at their conference on Saturday. It was a fine event — friendly, well-organized, and productive. I spoke about Pioneer History and some of the research methods I’ve used with much success to learn about the characters for my biographies, and to sort out the truth about their lives from legends which surround…
Finalizing a book manuscript to hand over to the publisher is a strange and wonderful time. I could continue editing indefinitely, but the time has come to finalize it. The danger with over-editing is that the life and character might be sucked out of the text, rendering it ordinary. Thus, I bid farewell to Baby Doe Tabor while she is still lively and colorful so her story can move on to the next step. I…
Busy times and family fun have arrived with the onset of summer. As I push hard to finalize my latest biography, I cannot resist the lure of a mountain road on a sunny day in the name of history research. Once again, my intrepid research pal Christie accompanied me on a field trip to the mining town of Leadville. With Christie driving her 4×4, we explored the routes of the Silver Kings through the Oro…
In 1880, former Union Army General and U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant visited Colorado. One of his hosts was Governor John L. Routt, a pal from Civil War days. As Grant’s host, Routt wished to show his friend the sights of Colorado’s mining districts, while attempting to recapture the excitement of their glory days. After a tour of the mining camp of Central City in the mountains west of Denver, Routt decided to play a…
Recently, I received an e-mail from the Colorado Author’s League containing a list of finalists for the annual Top Hand Awards. As usual, I browsed through the names to see if any of my friends were listed. I was pleased to see that Susan Tweit, a fellow Women Writing the West member, would be honored for her book, Walking Nature Home. When I continued through the list, I was amazed to find my own name…