One Man's West

by David Lavender

The American West of the 1930s and 1940s was still a place of prospectors, cowboys, ranchers, and mountaineers, one that demanded backbreaking, lonely, and dangerous work. Still, midcentury pioneers such as David Lavender remembered “not the cold and the cruel fatigue, but rather the multitude of tiny things which in their sum make up the elemental poetry of rock and ice and snow.” And as the nation exhausted its gold and silver veins, as law reached the boomtowns on the frontier, and as the era of the great cattle ranches and drives came to an end, Lavender felt compelled to document his experiences in rugged southwest Colorado to preserve this rapidly disappearing way of life. One Man’s West is Lavender’s ode to his days on the Continental Divide and the story of his experiences making a living in the not so wild but not yet tamed West. Like stories told around a campfire, One Man’s West is captivating yet conversational, incredible yet realistic, and introduces some of the most charming characters in western literature.

 

This new Bison Books edition features an introduction and afterword by the author’s son that discuss other phases and facets of his father’s remarkable life, as well as a tribute to the author by his grandson. It also includes nine new photographs from the Lavender family archives.


 

Genres: History, Memoir, Nonfiction, Westerns, Biography, American

320 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2007

About the author

David Sievert Lavender was a well-known historian of the Western United States, nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize, who is best remembered by many for his River Runners of the Grand Canyon.

Lavender spent most of his life in Ojai, California. An articulate and deeply knowledgeable speaker on the political and social history of the American West, he often spoke at the annual Telluride Film Festival.

Reviews

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent memoir/history by a respected western history writer of the 20th century. It’s fun to read and has topics that are still current. Lavender was a Colorado native whose family raised cattle. That gave him the experience necessary to write this book. He also worked for a brief time in deep gold mines as a young man. I’ve never read anything like his description of working in mines, possibly because most miners don’t have the time or inclination to write about the life. It would have been a very hard life indeed. Cowboying wasn’t any easier except that you saw the outside elements. That life takes up the rest of the book. He explains the governmental regulations and economic and environmental issues that changed the early methods of raising cattle and dispels myths about how cowboys lived and worked.

The author’s son wrote an introduction to this book’s edition explaining his father’s motivation for writing One Man’s West. The son says his father was “doing more than creating a personal memoir. He is describing a period of time and a way of life that he felt was disappearing rapidly yet was worth attempting to preserve.” Lovely book, both style and content.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Western memoir. Lavender was an exceptionally graceful writer, and grew up in God's country, the southwest's Four Corners.

I'd linked a good Amazon review, which they apparently purged! Bah. I'll look for another. Trust me -- you want to read this book, if you love the Southwest & the San Juan country, as I do. One of my 100 favorite books, ever. OK, here's a decent one: https://coloradocentralmagazine.com/o...

And read the Guardian's obit, for a flavor of the man & his life: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003...
Lavender died in 2003. He was born in 1910, on a ranch near Telluride, Colo: a two-day ride away, he recalled, though it was just 20 miles as the crow flies. He worked for a time in the 1930s at the old Camp Bird mine, in Winter, when access was tough: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Bi... (at one time my most popular Wikipedia article). One of my favorite, and most memorable, parts of the book. He recalls the camp cook working miracles with very limited supplies. Fresh bread every morning! BIG cinnamon rolls! Riding horseback to Ouray through head-high snowbanks on his days off! I love this book. I've read it at least three times, and will read it again. My highest possible recommendation!

[Marianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written and fun tales of mine and camp life in the earlier twentieth century published in the 40s. Way less offensive than most such books, which was a huge bonus. Lots of concrete tasty details.

CN: ethnic prejudice esp against immigrants; some racism against indigenous people and some settler colonial attitudes. Mingled with what to my ear was a surprising amount of respect for a white anglo-saxon guy in that time and place. Surprisingly little sexism or misogyny despite period/place typical nonchalance and dismissiveness about sex work. Alcohol abuse.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't have time to give this the proper review I'd like. However, suffice it to say that this book brought the mining and ranching days in 1930's Colorado to vivid life. The writing is fabulous and doesn't lean too much toward the sentimental side. When things were hard, the author spares no words, and when things were grand, his words are sheer poetry. The author displays a clear joie de vivre about his early adult life out on the range and in the mines. I bought the book in Paradox valley while on a hut-to-hut mountain bike ride through the land of Lavender's youth. Reading it while memories of the landscape remained clear made the book even more of a treat.

Near the end of the book there are add-ons that were tacked on after the initial publication. It's interesting to note a clear change in Lavender's tone in the latter day writing. When he doesn't like something, he spares no words and his voice is more acerbic than it ever sounded in the book's first two-thirds. Much of what he doesn't like I agree with, such as those who hunt and kill for sheer pleasure, and the immense environmental damage done to the lands by humans. It's no surprise that he became a conservationist later in life.

This is one of those rare books that I didn't want to end.

[Steven Howes · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, the author presents an anthology of stories from his early life as a miner and cattle rancher in southwestern Colorado during the first half of the twentieth century. At first glance, one would think life as a hard rock miner and cowboy would be a difficult and often dangerous way to make a living. According to the author it was; but his descriptions of the land, the people, and the day-to-day occurrences made me wish I had been there to take it all in.

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good autobiography of a miner/cowboy and his experiences of Southwestern Colorado in the 1930's. He communicates hardship without being over-dramatic and while most of us retain a romanticized view of being a cowboy in the West, Lavender tells it exactly as he experienced the real thing. The book is not a leisurely read, not recommended for "summer beach" reading but is especially interesting for someone familiar with Southwestern Colorado.

[Ike Rakiecki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had always wanted to read this book and I'm glad I finally did. Lavender was such a gifted writer and his attention to detail in discussing the history of the American west was incredible. I've always liked reading about places I've been and the sections of the book where the author writes about his experiences as a miner and cowboy in Telluride, Paradox Valley, and the Uravan area were so much fun to read. A great book.

[Babs Schmerler · Rating 3 out of 5]

For years, people have said I should read this book, especially since I actually met the author before his death at a Colorado Mountain Club meeting. I have been to most of the places where the book takes place and live in Montrose, CO, where his wife stayed while he was working in Telluride. I liked the forward by the author's son and the piece at the end where his grandson memorialized him. The book was interesting, and I am not sure why it took me 30 years to finally get around to reading it. The book paints an interesting portrait of earlier days in Western Colorado and Eastern Utah and is well worth the read.

[Ray Clendenen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully written book about life in the mines and on the ranch in southwestern Colorado in the 1930s. It was first published in 1943, with a second edition in 1956 that brought the uranium boom into the story. I read the 1964 edition that included intro and afterword by Lavender's son and a tribute by his grandson. It was released in 1977. It is full of memorable stories and characters and will continue to occupy a prized position on my shelves. I'm eager to read some of Lavender's other books such as Bent's Fort. He had quite a life!

[Julieann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a lot of fun - it's the story of what he did, what it was like and why he enjoyed it, from his teen years to senior time.
My only complaint is that he added to the book, picking up events and places that came after the original book ended. Then he re-issued the book, deleting all that. He ends with the swimming pool in Uravan. What happened to that community after this specific time is pretty traumatic. I wish he'd gone on to talk about the down-side of what happened.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're interested in, or know, the canyonlands of Western Colorado and Utah, this is one white settler's account of the early days of ranching in the area.

[Peter Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic timepiece of life in rugged western Colorado.

[Joseph Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and evocative account of life in SW Colorado in 30's and 40's.
Yes, characters. Yes, miners. Yes, cattle. Yes, cowboys. Enjoy.

[Kathy Henning · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most boring book I’ve ever read. Could not get past p40

[Steve Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a little bit of a downer here on my first book of 2025. I read this primarily on the airplane for friend Eric's 50th birthday celebration in Charleston, S.C. It is an interesting glimpse back 100 years to life in Western Colorado, from mining to ranching. I do find the book to be an important personal record of author David Lavender's life and he is interesting as a well-educated person who essentially chooses the blue-collar life of the West.

[Cody Planteen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I drove the beautiful Imogene Pass from Ouray, Colorado to Telluride. Along the route, I passed the abandoned Camp Bird Mine. The remains of Camp Bird intrigued me. A Wikipedia search revealed that One Man's West has an account of working at the mine.

One Man's West is so much more than an account of just Camp Bird Mine. It is an amazing memoir of life in western Colorado from the 1930s through the 1950s. It covers mountaineering, ranching, shepherding, mining, and changes brought by technology. It is in the same class as Roughing It by Mark Twain in my opinion. It gave me an appreciation for why things are they way they are today in western Colorado.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a unique non-fiction account of life as a cowboy, miner, lumber man in western Colorado and south eastern Utah in the 1920's - 30's. Well written and interesting as a documentary of a vanishing way of life. I would have given it another star, but I found it a bit of a tough read at times, because I kept wanting what I get from reading fiction. You need to be ok with straight history and non-fiction reading to get into this one.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a classic western biography about mining, mountain climbing, ranching, and living in Colorado and Utah written by a rancher, historian, writer. Lavender http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2003/m... provides a first-hand account that deserves attention by anyone trying to understand the West. (lj)

[Trent Rock · Rating 4 out of 5]

tells all about the "last of a dying breed" of workers in Southern Colorado in the 30's..Miners, ranchers, cowboys, sheep men, etc.....I tells all the traditions and customs of each type of men....There is some pretty detailed info on mining methods, for example...Lavendar is a great, witty writer...Great read if you are into southwestern history....

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This will probably not be a big draw for anyone else, but since a couple of chapters were actually about one of my ancestors, my husband and I enjoyed reading this little piece of family history. I must admit I read part of the book in detail and skimmed the rest. Not a fast-paced novel by any means...Love the characters in this book--each chapter is a story in itself.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this a few years ago, borrowed the copy from an older friend at church, who has since passed away. He was a fellow history and outdoor lover, and I recall that this book captured the area we lived in quite well.

[Tim Henkels · Rating 5 out of 5]

simply the best book I have read on Colorado mining and ranching history, parts of some plays have been inspired by this book.....

[Steven Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

My cousin is right... parts of some plays have been inspired by this book...

[Brian Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you live in Colorado well......