Rocky Road to Riches
Colorado Gold and Silver Bonanzas
1859 to 1899
Quick wealth drew them. Nature foiled them.
Perseverance rewarded them.
From the rubble of early mining camps, a state emerged.
Colorado Gold and Silver Bonanzas
1859 to 1899
Quick wealth drew them. Nature foiled them.
Perseverance rewarded them.
From the rubble of early mining camps, a state emerged.
Rocky Road to Riches is the saga of intrepid prospectors venturing into the wilderness of the Rocky Mountains, and the men and women who rushed toward gold and silver discoveries. Woven through the narrative in this nonfiction history of Colorado mining are the stories of seven men and two women who personify the era and the obstacles they confronted in pursuit of livelihoods and wealth.
The magnetism of gold and silver drew thousands of people into the remote mountains and caused mining camps to take hold and towns and cities to follow. Others rushed in to supply their needs by establishing businesses, creating ranches or breaking sod on farms.
This chronicle of discovery and exploitation of mineral wealth spans four decades, starting with the great Pike’s Peak Gold Rush in 1859. Some sought overnight wealth. Others attempted to prosper in business or strived to build communities during a wild and woolly period where the individual enjoyed extraordinary freedom in a land of few constraints.
Yet daunting hurdles stymied almost everyone in this untamed land—isolation in remote areas, lack of government, harsh terrain, and inadequate infrastructure. Luck, ambition, and perseverance were no guarantees of success.
Although gold rushes and mining are the central theme of the book—the fuel for the fire causing the commotion—it is the saga of the pioneers who confronted and overcame barriers standing between them and their dreams that is the compelling story. Each of them took part in closing a portion of the frontier in America’s westward expansion.
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I owe tremendous gratitude to my father Marvin Robinson. He introduced me to the early pioneers. Rocky Road to Riches was to be his book: written, illustrated, and hand printed in our hobby print shop in Lincoln, Nebraska. Once printed, he intended to hand bind it, and put it out to the world in anticipation of pleasing a few people. He had previously taken great pleasure in creating three small cookbooks illustrated with his linoleum cuts and wood engravings.
He completed only a part of this book project. After cutting thirty-four wood engravings, and before writing any text, he succumbed to cancer in 1969 at the age of sixty-one.
I am completing his book. It is our final project together and a great gift that he unknowingly
left me.
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sample.pdf
sample.pdf