Historic Telluride [Hardcover]

Christian J. Buys (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 23, 1998

Historic Telluride in Rare Photographs chronicles the boom and bust cycles of Telluride, Placerville, Ames, Ophir, and Rico in southwestern Colorado from the 1860s through the 1940s. Every page brings to life, in unique pictures and words, those early days--the arrival of the prospectors, the golden days of mining, and early-day skiing. Journey back into Telluride's history through photographs and explanatory text.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Christian J. Buys has been intrigued by Telluride's unique history since he first visited the picturesque mountain town in 1966 while pursuing a doctorate in psychology at the University of Colorado. His first article about Telluride appeared in Colorado Heritage (1986), featuring local entrepreneur and eccentric Lucien Nunn, who catapulted the San Juans into the age of electricity. Dr. Buy's award-winning book Historic Leadville in Rare Photographs and Drawings (1997) has proven popular throughout Colorado. He has also written numerous articles in psychology, and other aspects of Colorado History.

Awarded Fullbright Scholarships to Egypt and Malaysia, Bus has traveled extensively. Currently he is professor of psychology at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado. Visits to Telluride and hikes in the surrounding mountains remain high on his priority list. INSIDE FLAP: Historic Telluride in Rare Photographs is the first full-length book featuring original photographs of historic Telluride and its exquisite mountain surroundings. It allows readers to journey back in time through both written overviews and intriguing images of daily life in early Telluride. It chronicles the boom and bust cycles of Telluride, Placerville, Ames, Ophir and Rico from the 1860s through the 1940s. Every page brings to life those former days: the arrival of the first prospectors, the tragic departure of the Utes, the booming mining era, bawdy saloons, Butch Cassidy's bank robbery, freighting companies, avalanches, influenza epidemics, miner's strikes, holiday celebrations, the rise and fall of the Rio Grande Southern Railroad, and the bare-bones beginning of the skiing industry. Meet fascinating residents like Lucien Nunn, who almost single handedly saved Telluride's mining industry with the first commercial use of alternating-current electricity in the world, dashing Buckley Wells, who rose to fame in Colorado and then suffered a terrible fate, and, among others, local legend "Peg Leg" Foster and his "mail-order bride, who spent a brutal winter alone at the famed Tomboy Mine.

To gather this stunning collection of rare historic photographs, the award-winning author, Christian j. Buys, reviewed thousands of images in museums, libraries, and private collections. The majority of the photographs he selected are reproduced here for the first time, Historic Telluride in Rare Photographs is a "must read" for anyone interested in a realistic look at one of the most fascinating mining regions in the world.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 308 pages
• Publisher: Western Reflections Publishing Company; 1st edition (November 23, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1890437026
• ISBN-13: 978-1890437022
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,226,502 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exacting history of Telluride Colorado shown in photos, December 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Historic Telluride (Hardcover)

If you are interested in Colorado ski town's history as seen through old and rare photographs, from the Ute Indian's removal to the movement of men and goods into a huge economy of precious metals mining, then this is an excellent book for you to enjoy.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Historic Telluride--accuracy in words and captions, November 28, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Historic Telluride (Hardcover)

1. Although many people rushed to Telluride, it was the HORDES that got there, not the HOARDS. 2. There is a fine photogaph of Telluride's main street-- Colorado Avenue--looking eastward into the end of the box canyon and at Ingram Falls, NOT WESTWARD AS THE CAPTION SAYS. Westward one looks down the San Miguel River Valley into the Colorado Plateau. 3. Two suggestions: get an editor, and then have a longtime resident read your text and captions.