Mountain Mafia - Organized crime in the rockies [Paperback]

Betty L Alt (Author), Sandra K Wells (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1583852743 | ISBN-13: 978-1583852743 | Publication Date: May 22, 2008

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

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Dog Ear Publishing (May 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583852743
• ISBN-13: 978-1583852743
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #778,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Historical Mob History in the West, November 11, 2008

By 

Judy Blue Eyes (Tucson, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mountain Mafia - Organized crime in the rockies (Paperback)

Having been born and raised in Pueblo in the 1940's, as well as my father, uncles and cousins, I grew up hearing small snippets of conversation about the Mafia in Pueblo. Nobody ever gave me any specific details, but I sure believed there was Mafia in Pueblo and Colorado! My parents are buried in the same cemetery as some of the names quoted in this book, including Danna, Carlino, and other notorious Mob-related names. It was truly fascinating to me to read the actual newspaper accounts of mob "hits" in Pueblo, dating back as far as 1910, when the large wave of Italian and Sicilian immigrants first arrived to snap up jobs at the CF&I Steel Mill and coal mines in the area. Mafia members, formerly known as the "Mano Nera" or "Black Hand" also arrived and quickly began to terrorize their fellow countrymen.

I found this book to be extremely well-researched and interspersed with stories about actual extortion activities, speakeasy prohibition mob interests, etc. All in my own home town!!

I can highly recommend "Mountain Mafia". It's an easy read, enjoyable and totally fascinating stuff!

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mountain Mafia Remembered, July 20, 2008

By 

Cecil R. Sowers Jr. - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mountain Mafia - Organized crime in the rockies (Paperback)

Having been born and raised in an Italian family during the 1930's and 1940's in Southern Colorado,( Walsenburg, Pueblo, Agular) I found the discussion of organied crime in the local mountain communities a step down memory lane. I found the references about Mr. Charles Blanda, aka Charlie to his friends, to be the most interesting. Mr. Blanda was a family friend, he was always a gentleman and was a very good boss. My mother was a bartender for 35 years in Walsenburg, Pueblo and Denver. She worked for Mr. Blanda at the Holliday in on 7th. St. for about 5 years 42 to 47. As a little boy I stopped in to see her from time to time and always had a Cherry Coke and a conversation with Mr. Blanda. I also recognized several other names of people that I knew personnaly as a kid. It is a very interesting look down memory lane as I am now 73 years old. Long, long ago.
Cecil R. Sowers Jr. Gysgt U.S.M.C. (Ret)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mafia in Pueblo, Colorado?, November 11, 2008

By 

Frank R. Urban (Green Valley, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mountain Mafia - Organized crime in the rockies (Paperback)

Fascinating book! Having heard so many stories about "the Mafia presence" from family members who worked and lived in Pueblo since 1906, I was intrigued by the detailed accounts drawn from actual historical records and newspaper files. Infamous names like Smaldone, Colletti, Roma, Carlino, and Danna can be found in the Pueblo cemetery, which I just visited. Especially interesting was the famous court case of "Scotty" Spinuzzi, who was acquitted of murder "because no one saw the bullet leave the gun." Unbelievable!

Covering the period from the early 1900's through the 1990's, this book represents exhaustive research and includes an extensive bibliography for each chapter. All of these factual accounts made the book really come alive for me.

I highly recommend "Mountain Mafia" as a fascinating history of real-life mobsters in the West. Better than mystery fiction!