Mountain Mafia: Organized Crime in the Rockies

by Betty L. Alt

Mountain Mafia is a brief history of the Black Hand and Mafia in the Rocky Mountain region. It brings to life some of the more colorful leaders in the West's organized crime operations throughout the 20th century, including Roma, Colletti, and the Smaldones. Especially examined is the famous court case of "Scotty" Spinuzzi, who was acquitted of murder "because no one saw the bullet leave the gun." Also mentioned is the connection these western mobsters had with notorious crime members in New York, Chicago, Detroit, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. Author

225 pages, Paperback

First published May 22, 2008

Reviews

[CHM · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars but honestly only parts held my attention and these only due to hearing of some of the characters growing up.
Was hoping for more depth.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun quick read about organized crime in Colorado mainly Pueblo and Denver. It got repetitive at times and the story was just recounts of court records and newspaper articles so it was duller than it should of been for such an interesting subject. Still a neat look at a side of Colorado you dont normally see.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fast-moving, easy-to-read survey of Mafia history in Colorado, from the early 1900s gangs of the state's southern region through the Denver reign of the Smaldone family. Details are provided for the fledgling "Black Hand" period and a number of regional underworld feuds.

The authors, Betty L. Alt and Sandra K. Wells, deserve thanks for delving into this subject, so long neglected by crime historians.

The book is somewhat lacking in depth and context, however. The authors note that Colorado gangsters had strong connections to gangs elsewhere in the U.S. But this intriguing theme is not explored in detail. Beyond family ties, little time is spent discussing how the gangs formed and why some of them battled others. Additional attention could have been / should have been given to the various factors peculiar to southern Colorado that caused Mafia organizations to take root there.

The authors kindly provided notes and bibliography, but (alas) no index.

The book is deserving of a three-star rating. I've thrown in an extra star because the topic is unique. Hopefully, this pioneer effort will prompt other historians to examine the Trinidad, Pueblo and Denver, Colorado, underworlds, and to add color and perspective to this sketch by Alt and Wells.

[Brandi]

I enjoyed this book very much. Growing up, hearing stories about the Black Hand in Pueblo as well as my mom & grandmother's memories of all the goings on...it was interesting to read about the influence the Mafia has in Pueblo. The names in the book read as a veritable who's who on the Mesa...

[Margaret S. Atchley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just finished this book written by my neighbor; was impressed by the amount of research involved . It is a book of facts, but, smoothly moves in a readable manner. I had no idea that the Black Hand had such an impact on that area.

[Seth Price · Rating 3 out of 5]

It provided a neat take on the history of the mafia in Colorado, which is not studied by many people.

The book itself was a little rough, with spelling, punctuation and other typo and layout errors, but it provided some neat information.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such interesting Colorado history. A good read for sure.

[Tyler Sunahara · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book and very informative. Lots of typos and misspelling. Somehow fascinating and boring at the same time.

[Stormy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grew up in Colorado - Lots in the story preceded my time but informed me of how it was according to court records and police files. One judge mentioned in the book was known to me from childhood acquaintance. Would love to discuss it with others.

[Walt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good overview of the Italian mob in Colorado. The authors were appreciably skeptical of some of their sources which added value to the whole work. The authors focused on their area instead of making sweeping generalizations about organized crime.

[John Lamb · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history is interesting by nature. The Mafia in the smaller towns of Colorado making power plays, shootouts across the state, bombs going off, and even a murder in Florissant. But the writing is dry and the book becomes more a record of newspaper report on crimes.

[Sheila]

not too important to me.

[Annette Garcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having grown up in Pueblo, so many of the names are so familiar. Many of the surnames are still prominent in this town. Perhaps we are still under Mafia influence.

[Marybeth]

A very interesting, fascinating book. Definitely could have used more proof-reading, though.

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXTREMELY INFORMATIVE! MUST-READ!

[Ally Web · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative! I enjoyed learning about pueblo :)