The Rockies

by David Lavender, Duane A. Smith (Introduction)

From the time of Coronado’s discovery to the era of modern ski resorts and sport climbing routes, adventurers have been lured irresistibly to the Rocky Mountains. In this book distinguished writer David Lavender traces the colorful history of the Rockies, focusing on the period that began in 1859 with the first gold strikes. The real and fabled attractions of gold, silver, furs, lumber, and lead brought swarms of people into the mountains, eagerly seeking wealth. A get-rich-quick spirit pervaded the Rockies, leading to lawlessness, violence, vigilantism, and political expediency. The Rockies is particularly revealing about the struggles which resulted in codes peculiar to the mountainous West. Duane A. Smith provides a new introduction to this Bison Books edition of The Rockies.

Genres: Westerns, History

404 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1975

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

[Rob Melich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent survey of the social and economic history of the Rockies. Highly recommend to western history buffs especially the mining history sections.
Well researched and documented too

[Long Ranger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful and eclectic jaunt through a ton of history. Mostly stitched together small stories, which do nothing but emphasis how slap dash things like government and law/order were in the mountains. Lovely read.