Before being discovered by U.S. explorer Zebulon Pike in 1806, the Pike's Peak region was home to a variety of different cultures, including Native Americans, Mexicans, and French and Spanish explorers. Captured here in almost 200 vintage images are the lives, trials, adventures, and leisures of some of the Peak's early pioneers and visitors, covering a span of almost 60 years. Along with rare images of the Pike's Peak area from the late 1800s, this collection contains a number of previously unpublished photographs. These include pictures of female pioneers traversing mountains in Cheyenne canons and other vicinities in the 1920s; Colorado Mountain Club members on their hiking trips in the area; pre-World War I memoirs and poems from local residents; and pictures of local prospectors, like Frank Nelson, who remained long after the large gold deposits were discovered. Also featured is the development of the surrounding communities and attractions of the Peak, including Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Cripple Creek, Cheyenne Mountain and Canons, Garden of the Gods, Canon City, Royal Gorge, the Broadmoor Hotel, and the Cliff House.
Sherry Monahan is the author of four published books on the Victorian West: Taste of Tombstone, which won two 1999 Glyph Awards; Pikes Peak: Adventurers, Communities and Lifestyles, which was an AASLH finalist; The Wicked West: Boozers, Cruisers, Gamblers, and More, and Tombstone's Treasure: Silver Mines & Golden Saloons.
She is currently working on E.M.H.: The Aristocratic Ranch Wife, which is the remarkable story of an English socialite who goes west and rides a tumultuous roller coaster back to England.
Sherry has been on the History Channel in many shows, including Cowboys and Outlaws: Wyatt Earp, she co-hosted an episode of the Lost Worlds: Sin City of the West (Deadwood), Investigating History and two of the Wild West Tech shows. She was given a Wrangler in the 2010 Western Heritage Awards for her performance in the Cowboys and Outlaws show.
She has her own Frontier Fare column in and is a contributing editor for True West magazine. Other publications include the Tombstone Times, Tombstone Tumbleweed, Tombstone Epitaph, Arizona Highways, and other freelance works. She was a contributor to The Best of the Best of Arizona and Encyclopedia of Prostitution and Sex Work and Best of the Best from Arizona.
In addition to her western books, Sherry has written two local history books on North Carolina towns. They capture the history of Apex and Cary through 200+ images and historical details and recollections.
