Deep Enough: A Working Stiff in the Western Mine Camps

by Frank A. Crampton

Of all the memoirs of the wild West, Frank Crampton’s autobiography of his youth in the mining camps ranks with the very best. Scion of a wealthy New York family, Crampton ran away from home in 1904 at the age of sixteen. Two bindle stiffs picked him up in a Chicago railroad depot and led him west as they taught him to survive first as a hobo and then as a hard-rock miner. In the first two decades of this century Crampton lived and worked in almost all of the important mining camps in the Westin California, Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado as a miner, assayer, surveyor, and finally one of the West’s best-known mining engineers. In miners’ lingo “deep enough” meant “I don’t care” or “I’ve had it”; the term was applied to anything one did not like or wanted nothing more to do with. Many of the experiences that Crampton describes were of that order. He was trapped in a collapsed mine shaft for ten days. He was in San Francisco at the time of the great earthquake and in Ludlow, Colorado, during the Ludlow Massacre. He lived in Death Valley among the desert rats and witnessed the last days of the old French prospector John Lamoigne, who “never looked for anything where anyone else would expect to find it, but where others were afraid to try.” He become so bored with barrooms and gambling dens at one time that he hired a girl of the line in Goldfield, Nevada, just for an hour’s conversation. So many adventures, so much camaraderie, novelty, and humor are crammed into this true-life story that fiction pales in comparison. Bindle stiffs, tinhorns, tenderhorns, bohunks, entrepreneurs, politicians, wives, and women of the evening crowd the pages. This reprinting of the 1956 edition of Deep Enough is enhanced by two new maps and additional photographs from the author’s personal collection. In reading it, a new generation can share the extraordinary characters, hardships, and plain fun that Frank Crampton knew between the ages of sixteen and thirty.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Research

306 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1982

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Might be the best personal account of the life of a hardrock tramp miner at the turn of the 20th century. He worked in mining camps in Nevada, California, Arizona, Colorado and elsewhere, 1888 to 1918. On my reread list. $2 @ Kindle, 9/7/20

[Julie Hendrix · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic. Wish I could afford to give a copy to everyone I knew!

[Clyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank Crampton was born into a wealthy New York family. By his own account he was a bit of a scamp, even a rogue perhaps -- anyway, frequently in trouble. At the age of 16 he was kicked out of his prep school. Deciding he had enough of school and social boundaries ("deep enough" in the mining vernacular he would learn), he then ran away from home and headed West. There he learned new trades in the tough mine fields, worked and played hard, and did well.
This book is the story of his adventures in the Western mining communities. He was lucky to survive some of them as he was naturally disposed to taking chances.
Damn good book; a look into a world that is now gone. Worth the price ($2 for the Kindle version) just for the photos at the end.
Solid 4 stars.

[TENN2ARIZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of the life of a hardrock miner in the Western mining camps of 1890 to 1925. Unfortunately, it does gloss over the illegal deportation of 1300 miners in the Bisbee strike of 1917; this was ordered by Arizona Republican governor Tom Campbell in collusion with the mine owners and the National Guard. Other than that huge oversight, the book is very good and probably understandable to even non-miners.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely worth reading!

If you are interested in western mining in the early 20th century read this book. I have been to many of the places mentioned this book in NV, AZ, and CA. Not knowing those places were discussed in this prior to reading it. Added a lot to my understanding of them after the fact.

[Gwbnyc]

A long tall read with many loose ends. I'll give it five stars for entertainment provided and unabashed whopperation. Page or two in he describes himself as Norman Rockwell's half brother ...I dare ya.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting delve into historic mining.

[Rob McLennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting window into life during the 19th century mining boom

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting biography/ 1st person experience of the mining industry at the turn of the last century.