What do you think?
Rate this book
Wild Life on the Rockies
This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.
This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.
As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
348 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1909
43 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Enos A. Mills
74 books7 followersEnos Abijah Mills was born in Kansas but moved to Colorado early in his life during a bout with digestive illness. At age 15, he made his first ascent of the 14,255-foot Longs Peak. Over the course of his life, he made the trip 40 times by himself and nearly 300 additional times as a guide.
In 1887, after returning to health, he moved to Butte, Montana. There he lived and worked intermittently until 1902, spending more summers traveling the West Coast of the United States, Alaska, and Europe. In 1889, he had a chance encounter with famed naturalist John Muir on a San Francisco beach, and from that point on Mills dedicated his life to conservation activism, lecturing, and writing.
In 1902, Mills returned to Colorado and purchased from his cousin the Longs Peak House in Estes Park. He eventually homesteaded in the surrounding area and later turned the Longs Peak house into the Longs Peak Inn, from which he treated guests to excursions into the wilderness and evening nature talks.
From 1902-1906, Mills also served as the Colorado State Snow Observer, a position that took him into the wild he so loved. His job was to measure the snow depths to predict spring and summer runoff. Following this position, he served as government lecturer on forestry from 1907-1909. During this time, he also authored several articles and books on nature and Estes Park area.
Throughout his time in various assignments, Mills was also leading the fight to preserve the area around Longs Peak as a national park. Aided by groups such as the Sierra Club and the Daughters of the American Revolution, Mills succeeded and Congress established Rocky Mountain National Park in 1915. Called the "Father of Rocky Mountain National Park," Mills continued to lecture and write books until his untimely death at age 52 in 1922.
From: National Park Service Founders: Enos Mills
http://www.nps.gov/home/historycultur...
In 1887, after returning to health, he moved to Butte, Montana. There he lived and worked intermittently until 1902, spending more summers traveling the West Coast of the United States, Alaska, and Europe. In 1889, he had a chance encounter with famed naturalist John Muir on a San Francisco beach, and from that point on Mills dedicated his life to conservation activism, lecturing, and writing.
In 1902, Mills returned to Colorado and purchased from his cousin the Longs Peak House in Estes Park. He eventually homesteaded in the surrounding area and later turned the Longs Peak house into the Longs Peak Inn, from which he treated guests to excursions into the wilderness and evening nature talks.
From 1902-1906, Mills also served as the Colorado State Snow Observer, a position that took him into the wild he so loved. His job was to measure the snow depths to predict spring and summer runoff. Following this position, he served as government lecturer on forestry from 1907-1909. During this time, he also authored several articles and books on nature and Estes Park area.
Throughout his time in various assignments, Mills was also leading the fight to preserve the area around Longs Peak as a national park. Aided by groups such as the Sierra Club and the Daughters of the American Revolution, Mills succeeded and Congress established Rocky Mountain National Park in 1915. Called the "Father of Rocky Mountain National Park," Mills continued to lecture and write books until his untimely death at age 52 in 1922.
From: National Park Service Founders: Enos Mills
http://www.nps.gov/home/historycultur...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
April 18, 2021
Free download at Librivox, here: https://librivox.org/wild-life-on-the...
Narrated by the talented Laura Caldwell.
ETA: This book should be added to the curriculum for grade school kids. It is a book that pulls together different themes. I have recommended my kids and grandchildren to listen to it together. Living in Sweden, they will use their English and hear stories about animals and nature that they will love and will not forget. Parents listening will not be bored either. The information presented keeps rolling around in my head. I keep looking up tidbits on the net; you will read of water oozles—look at them here: https://www.google.com/search?q=water... . I have increased my rating from three to four stars.
******************************
Having thoroughly enjoyed A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella Lucy Bird, I was interested in reading other nature books set in the Rocky Mountains. Enos A. Mills, the author of Wild Life on the Rockies, does just this! In Isabella’s book we read of the Coloradan Estes Park and Longs Peak. Mills writes of what he saw and events that took place there too.
The two books have a different character. Mills’ consists of essays, fourteen in number. Mills’ nature writing is not of Bird’s caliber. Mills’ writing is informative and interesting. He writes of natural phenomena. Strange weather, birds and animals, trees, unusual rock formations, corrosion and fires are examples. He gives factual information. He tells stories of what he has seen and heard tell.
I particularly liked the essay on beavers. Why? Because we have beavers living close by. I hear them plunk into the stream, see the aspen they have felled and the constructions they build. Of course, I am curious to know more about them! When they fell a tree, do they plan in which direction it should fall? Some do, but most do not. Do they reason? Yes! How do they use their teeth, front and back paws and tail? How do beaver dams alter the flow of water, the level of sedimentation and ultimately land, flora and fauna? This is an example of the information essays contain.
There is an essay about a quail that developed a friendship with a dog!
There is an essay about a collie obediently guarding his master’s mittens……for days.
There is an essay about the strangest weather phenomenon I have ever heard of—electrical wind waves that crackle and sparkle, golden rivers of fire and huge, menacing cloud formations. A compass is not affected, but one’s ability to move is!
I mention some of the essays that stand out for me. Your favorites will probably be different. A reader’s knowledge, experiences and background will determine which of the essays they like best. I guarantee that if nature interests you, you will be glad to have read this book.
Laura Caldwell’s narration is very good. She speaks calmly and clearly. I did prefer her narration of Bird’s book, but that was simply because in Mills’ book a man is speaking and we hear a woman’s voice. Nevertheless, the narration deserves four stars.
***********************
*A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains 4 stars by Isabella Lucy Bird
*Wild Life on the Rockies 4 stars by Enos A. Mills
Narrated by the talented Laura Caldwell.
ETA: This book should be added to the curriculum for grade school kids. It is a book that pulls together different themes. I have recommended my kids and grandchildren to listen to it together. Living in Sweden, they will use their English and hear stories about animals and nature that they will love and will not forget. Parents listening will not be bored either. The information presented keeps rolling around in my head. I keep looking up tidbits on the net; you will read of water oozles—look at them here: https://www.google.com/search?q=water... . I have increased my rating from three to four stars.
******************************
Having thoroughly enjoyed A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella Lucy Bird, I was interested in reading other nature books set in the Rocky Mountains. Enos A. Mills, the author of Wild Life on the Rockies, does just this! In Isabella’s book we read of the Coloradan Estes Park and Longs Peak. Mills writes of what he saw and events that took place there too.
The two books have a different character. Mills’ consists of essays, fourteen in number. Mills’ nature writing is not of Bird’s caliber. Mills’ writing is informative and interesting. He writes of natural phenomena. Strange weather, birds and animals, trees, unusual rock formations, corrosion and fires are examples. He gives factual information. He tells stories of what he has seen and heard tell.
I particularly liked the essay on beavers. Why? Because we have beavers living close by. I hear them plunk into the stream, see the aspen they have felled and the constructions they build. Of course, I am curious to know more about them! When they fell a tree, do they plan in which direction it should fall? Some do, but most do not. Do they reason? Yes! How do they use their teeth, front and back paws and tail? How do beaver dams alter the flow of water, the level of sedimentation and ultimately land, flora and fauna? This is an example of the information essays contain.
There is an essay about a quail that developed a friendship with a dog!
There is an essay about a collie obediently guarding his master’s mittens……for days.
There is an essay about the strangest weather phenomenon I have ever heard of—electrical wind waves that crackle and sparkle, golden rivers of fire and huge, menacing cloud formations. A compass is not affected, but one’s ability to move is!
I mention some of the essays that stand out for me. Your favorites will probably be different. A reader’s knowledge, experiences and background will determine which of the essays they like best. I guarantee that if nature interests you, you will be glad to have read this book.
Laura Caldwell’s narration is very good. She speaks calmly and clearly. I did prefer her narration of Bird’s book, but that was simply because in Mills’ book a man is speaking and we hear a woman’s voice. Nevertheless, the narration deserves four stars.
***********************
*A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains 4 stars by Isabella Lucy Bird
*Wild Life on the Rockies 4 stars by Enos A. Mills
April 3, 2021
I chose this author for my Literary Birthday challenge.
But I will be honest, I should not have done that. I am still mad at him for his book The Story of a Thousand-Year Pine. Silly, I know, but true.
This might very well be a delightful collection of essays, but since I was in a snit towards him from the start, I was not captivated by his work here. I suppose I should have let more time go by before reading another of his titles.
I skimmed through the first few essays, enjoyed Climbing Long's Peak and even better was Midget The Return Horse. I never knew that in the mining towns of Colorado, there were horses available for hire that could be turned loose after a one-way ride from town to a mine or wherever. The horse would return to its stable on its own, usually with very few delays. This essay told the reader about Midget, who seemed very curious and almost human (another problem with the animals Mills writes about) and who also loved salted peanuts. Mills had hired her one day and this was his experience with her.
But I could never get interested enough in the other essays to really pay attention, and since I do not believe in forcing myself to read anything, I decided that my grudge had won the battle over Mills and his work.
I might come back someday and try again, because in certain areas he can be entertaining. But only time will tell if I will ever forgive him for that thousand year pine and be able to read anything else of his without thinking about it.
DNF at about page 130.
But I will be honest, I should not have done that. I am still mad at him for his book The Story of a Thousand-Year Pine. Silly, I know, but true.
This might very well be a delightful collection of essays, but since I was in a snit towards him from the start, I was not captivated by his work here. I suppose I should have let more time go by before reading another of his titles.
I skimmed through the first few essays, enjoyed Climbing Long's Peak and even better was Midget The Return Horse. I never knew that in the mining towns of Colorado, there were horses available for hire that could be turned loose after a one-way ride from town to a mine or wherever. The horse would return to its stable on its own, usually with very few delays. This essay told the reader about Midget, who seemed very curious and almost human (another problem with the animals Mills writes about) and who also loved salted peanuts. Mills had hired her one day and this was his experience with her.
But I could never get interested enough in the other essays to really pay attention, and since I do not believe in forcing myself to read anything, I decided that my grudge had won the battle over Mills and his work.
I might come back someday and try again, because in certain areas he can be entertaining. But only time will tell if I will ever forgive him for that thousand year pine and be able to read anything else of his without thinking about it.
DNF at about page 130.
December 17, 2010
Why hasn't anyone ever recommended Enos Mills to me? Beautifully written.
June 13, 2024
Nice book written by a significant person in American, and Colorado history. If you dont know who he is, read his wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enos_Mills
Each chapter consists of basically a vignette about a particular type of animal, tree, or a particular incident encountered by the author, or recounted by him secondhand. For example, one chapter recounts his observations about beaver behavior. He notes that they seem to slap their tails on the ground to warn one another that a tree is about to fall, and seem to chomp on the trees in a particular orientation to cause it to fall in a particular direction. Another, about a particular thousand year old tree, which was cut down, and the observations he made about the tree's history as he dissected it. It had experienced droughts, fires, rock falls, had Native American arrow heads, and bullets embedded in it. Another about a trepidations journey taken during heavy snow, during which he almost fell off a cliff, triggered one avalanche and witnessed another one, and was stalked by a mountain lion. And another a second hand recounting of a bear attack, in which 3 bears tried to break into a cabin to obtain the hams inside, and how those on the interior defended themselves without any firearms.
Some impressions: It is interesting how similar some of the characters recounted in this story are to people who still live in Colorado and the rockies. Weirdos seeking out a new life. Risktakers trying to make a buck, or get a hit of adrenaline. Proto-hippies, fascinated by nature, or by particular... medicinal herbs. But there are some major differences as well. The amount of mountain lions is obviously way less than in his day, and the number of wild animals in general. There are much fewer native americans. Everything is regularized, systematized, even in much of the wilderness, and honesty, largely as an impact of the author's life in establishing the park system.
It amazes me that despite doing all of this in the early 1900s with much fewer technological advantages than we have today, in much harsher conditions, the author also went on way more badass hikes and camping trips than I would dare to go on. Also, he never carried a gun, and it seems like many of the people who he encountered never carried guns. He really actually seems like a very peaceful hippy-esque type of guy, as he often speaks about nature with a sort of animistic quality, and about the impact which being isolated in nature has on him, causing him to direct his attention inwards and entering sort of meditative states or altered states of consciousness in the mountains. It really countersignals the association of conservationism with hunters. I wish our vision of the turn of the century American nature lover was more associated with this type of figure rather than the violent bipolar madman archetype of Teddy Roosevelt.
Each chapter consists of basically a vignette about a particular type of animal, tree, or a particular incident encountered by the author, or recounted by him secondhand. For example, one chapter recounts his observations about beaver behavior. He notes that they seem to slap their tails on the ground to warn one another that a tree is about to fall, and seem to chomp on the trees in a particular orientation to cause it to fall in a particular direction. Another, about a particular thousand year old tree, which was cut down, and the observations he made about the tree's history as he dissected it. It had experienced droughts, fires, rock falls, had Native American arrow heads, and bullets embedded in it. Another about a trepidations journey taken during heavy snow, during which he almost fell off a cliff, triggered one avalanche and witnessed another one, and was stalked by a mountain lion. And another a second hand recounting of a bear attack, in which 3 bears tried to break into a cabin to obtain the hams inside, and how those on the interior defended themselves without any firearms.
Some impressions: It is interesting how similar some of the characters recounted in this story are to people who still live in Colorado and the rockies. Weirdos seeking out a new life. Risktakers trying to make a buck, or get a hit of adrenaline. Proto-hippies, fascinated by nature, or by particular... medicinal herbs. But there are some major differences as well. The amount of mountain lions is obviously way less than in his day, and the number of wild animals in general. There are much fewer native americans. Everything is regularized, systematized, even in much of the wilderness, and honesty, largely as an impact of the author's life in establishing the park system.
It amazes me that despite doing all of this in the early 1900s with much fewer technological advantages than we have today, in much harsher conditions, the author also went on way more badass hikes and camping trips than I would dare to go on. Also, he never carried a gun, and it seems like many of the people who he encountered never carried guns. He really actually seems like a very peaceful hippy-esque type of guy, as he often speaks about nature with a sort of animistic quality, and about the impact which being isolated in nature has on him, causing him to direct his attention inwards and entering sort of meditative states or altered states of consciousness in the mountains. It really countersignals the association of conservationism with hunters. I wish our vision of the turn of the century American nature lover was more associated with this type of figure rather than the violent bipolar madman archetype of Teddy Roosevelt.
July 28, 2020
This book was a delight for me from cover to cover. A must read from a nature lover to a nature lover.
Want to read
June 14, 2024F782 R6 M65 Wisconsin Historical Society
August 23, 2010
I loved reading this book. One day I think it would be funny to take an Outside magazine article and rewrite it in the style of Enos Mills. To him, nothing was a big deal. In one story, he'll talk about everything from below-zero weather, a bear encounter, getting stuck in an avalanche, falling into a freezing cold stream in the dead of night, and all in the most ho-hum voice, as if he is an Englishman taking a midday stroll through a pretty garden: His recounting of an encounter with wolves, in terms of tone, sounds a lot like "And the wind near blew off my hat." He traveled back and forth across the top of the continental divide as a snow observer and was one of the first to climb Long's Peak (I think) and he did it all with nothing but a bag of raisins and what I have to guess were some pretty antiquated snowshoes. He never ate. He never carried any firearms (which he writes about). Oh, and he often went with his dog Scotch. The essays "Story of a 1,000-Year-Old Pine" and "Faithful Scotch" brought me to tears. He had a profound respect for life in all its forms and the struggle of every living thing to survive. A great naturalist, he understood the interconnectedness of every species, large and small. I will definitely have to go check out his cabin (now a museum in Rocky Mountain National Park) before I leave Estes.
August 16, 2022
Not a bad read at all. This is a non-fiction book written by a naturalist. One may expect to find lessons in determining the history in a spot of land based on the abnormalities of rings formed by trees in a given area. Enos also gives several firsthand and secondhand accounts of run-ins with various animals in the rocky mountain wilds. The author was in the wilderness through all sorts of weather, through various times of the year. The autobiographical account of the Rockies is worth a read for people interested in forestry, botany, wildlife, and the societal norms of people who possess exploratory natures.
April 25, 2021
At some point Mills fell out of literary favor, and it's a mystery why. The quality of his writing is high enough that he ought to be right up there with naturalists like John Muir, Edward Abbey, and John Burroughs. I think this collection is a little uneven, but the best parts are simply outstanding.
Available at Project Gutenberg:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28562
Available at Project Gutenberg:
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28562
April 24, 2018
While this wasn't exactly a page-turner, Enos Mills is such an amazing naturalist in American history. Reading his collection of adventures was inspiring.
December 7, 2020
This Enos classic is a bit whimsical. It seems quite far-fetched at times. I had trouble enjoying the stories because of believability—Almost like Mark Twain truth stretchers, written just for effect. I gave it four stars because it’s Enos Mills, father of interpretation. This was my first book of his, I believe, so it’s hard to form a full impression of his writing.
April 1, 2022
Enos A. Mills was considered to be an archtype outdoorsman in the early 20th century near what is currently Rocky Mountain National Park. He is a fascinating writer, he was clearly in tune with the wilderness, and was a gifted observer.
April 13, 2018
A nice compilation of his best reflections. Many of these tales I had read in other books of his. Delightful!
January 20, 2019
I've read several of his books, this was my favorite.
August 29, 2019
An absolute delight from a true lover of creation. Beautiful and fun stories!
December 31, 2024
One of Enos Mills' earlier books (earliest?) from even before he successfully lead the movement to create Rocky Mountain National Park. Often seen as Colorado's John Muir, he is no Muir in terms of his writing skill (or tone, Mills is far more matter of fact) but is still fun to read & I would definitely recommend to this to anyone who loves the park or is interested in Colorado history. Mills had only a very rudimentary education & sickly youth, but that he was able to produce many books of this quality of writing is inspiring. However, it's definitely not surprising the Mills' isn't as well remembered today as a nature writer than say Muir or John Burroughs (even the mighty Burroughs is mostly forgotten today). In fact for a long time, although I was aware of Mills "the Founder of Rocky Mountain National Park" from various visitor information while visiting Rocky Mountain, I didn't even know he wrote quite a few books in his life - they should sell his books at the visitor center. This book is really a collection of one-off chapters, probably similar to Mill's many magazine articles from the period, that cover various topics like a dangerous winter crossing of Flattop Mountain over the Continental Divide to Grand Lake or an essay on lodgepole pines or bearberries (kinnikinnick). These are usually interesting though with some I wonder if they are a bit fluffed up to make them more exciting, especially the first chapter about crossing Flattop Mountain to Grand Lake in the winter. Mills was however certainly a brave & hardy fellow, often venturing alone on truly epic foot voyages through rough terrain with only raisins as sustenance. It would be interesting to see a compiled map of all his trips.
One thing that might be confusing to readers is that he often uses older/less common terms for various plants & animals. For example he refers to Ponderosa pines more generically as yellow pines. In parts Mills could probably be accused of being a "nature faker," a term coined in the early 1900s by people like John Burroughs & Theodore Roosevelt chastising some nature writers (esp Ernest Thompson Seton) of overly anthropomorphizing animals. The nature faker controversy is one of those complex things looking on in hindsight as, well the nature fakers were certainly misleading, the other side of the debate saw animals as far too mechanistic - there is an embarrassing Burroughs quote about how animals don't teach their young, rather all their behavior is instinct, because they don't have social lives, which is just as false as anything Seton claimed. However, Mills strongest anthropomorphizing is actually with the trees & other plants, which makes me think he is doing this for poetic effect - and he certainly never claiming it is scientifically true behavior, like Seton did.
If you are interested in reading this book, I'd recommend getting the Bison Books copy with James Pickering's excellent introduction. I just wish they would have replicated the originals extremely excellent cover.
One thing that might be confusing to readers is that he often uses older/less common terms for various plants & animals. For example he refers to Ponderosa pines more generically as yellow pines. In parts Mills could probably be accused of being a "nature faker," a term coined in the early 1900s by people like John Burroughs & Theodore Roosevelt chastising some nature writers (esp Ernest Thompson Seton) of overly anthropomorphizing animals. The nature faker controversy is one of those complex things looking on in hindsight as, well the nature fakers were certainly misleading, the other side of the debate saw animals as far too mechanistic - there is an embarrassing Burroughs quote about how animals don't teach their young, rather all their behavior is instinct, because they don't have social lives, which is just as false as anything Seton claimed. However, Mills strongest anthropomorphizing is actually with the trees & other plants, which makes me think he is doing this for poetic effect - and he certainly never claiming it is scientifically true behavior, like Seton did.
If you are interested in reading this book, I'd recommend getting the Bison Books copy with James Pickering's excellent introduction. I just wish they would have replicated the originals extremely excellent cover.
January 25, 2022
The book begins:
"Where are you going?" was the question asked me one snowy winter day. After hearing that I was off on a camping-trip, to be gone several days, and that the place where I intended to camp was in deep snow on the upper slopes of the Rockies, the questioners laughed heartily.
The first story in the book is "The Snow Observer." The two stories that I use to introduce the kids to Mills are "The Story of A 1000 Year Pine" and "Midget, the Return Horse."
Pickering's Introduction is informative, putting the reader in the right frame of mind before reading Mills' own text.
"Where are you going?" was the question asked me one snowy winter day. After hearing that I was off on a camping-trip, to be gone several days, and that the place where I intended to camp was in deep snow on the upper slopes of the Rockies, the questioners laughed heartily.
The first story in the book is "The Snow Observer." The two stories that I use to introduce the kids to Mills are "The Story of A 1000 Year Pine" and "Midget, the Return Horse."
Pickering's Introduction is informative, putting the reader in the right frame of mind before reading Mills' own text.
March 4, 2015
What a charming little book. I searched for this book as a bit of inspiration for my trip to Rocky Mountain National Park this summer, on its 100th anniversary. Enos Mills is seen my many as the father of the park. This is a sweet little book. The author shares the true beauty of the park and mountains, through short stories and personal experiences among the Rockies. I will definitely check out some of his other books as I prepare for my journey to the park this summer.
August 13, 2016
I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did but now I want to read all his books. Great for any nature lover and conservationist. Written in 1909.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews