A Wild West History of Frontier Colorado

FROM THE GOLD RUSH TO THE COMING OF THE RAILROAD, the mid-1800s saw prospectors, desperados and opportunists flock to Colorado. Exaggerated tales of easy gold lured thousands of hardy souls across harsh territory. These pioneers survived famine and flood, clashed with marauding outlaws and defended their land against Confederate raids-all to make a new life in the West. And while these settlers continued to claim the prairie, the Plains Indians determined to push them back. The peaceful frontier quickly transformed into dangerous, lawless territory, where Coloradans settled their own matters, usually with pistols. In this collection of Wild West tales, Jolie Anderson Gallagher blazes a trail through the rough-and-tumble frontier history of Colorado's eastern plains. Book jacket.