What was it like to be raised in a small railroad town in the mountains of Colorado, a town that grew from tents and cabins to a thriving population of 400 before the Colorado Midland ceased operations in 1918? In the 1960s, Clarence and Ralph Danielson, sons of a locomotive engineer, spent five years interviewing and researching so that memories of that era would never die. With almost 70 biographies and names of 600 families who lived in the Basalt area, this lively book brings personalities and experiences to life through personal recollections as well as official records.

This publication represents the latest Class I (History) to be written for the western slope of Colorado. Our three districts in this region of Colorado now have histories specifically for them. Such works provide a valuable and needed synthesis of history and literature for these areas and also gives our managers data that are used on a daily basis for land-use decision making. Multiple land use is a Bureau mission that is being met. Oil and gas, coal, oil shale and other energy minerals, not to mention rights-of-ways, grazing programs, recreation projects and land-use planning, are all supported by histories such as this. Resource Management Plans and subsequent Environmental Impact Statements that are produced for the Bureau's Area Offices are the foundations for long-term land-use management. The Glenwood Springs, Colorado, Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement is a Bureau pilot document and serves as a management tool for the Glenwood Springs Resource Area. This history, Volley of Opportunity supports the Resource Management Plan. In addition, a history provides background and support for the upcoming Grand Junction Resource Area Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement. The Volley of Opportunity has already been used for Oil Shale Environmental Statements and for the Federal Coal Leasing Program in the Grand Junction, Colorado, District. Truly, such histories are not only multiple-use in scope but are also management tools that provide basic understanding for land use decisions. Additionally, this history represents an ongoing effort to provide the public reader with a work that is not only interesting but is also well researched. In this way, another sector is satisfied. These histories are used by schools, libraries, universities and, of course, the general public. Again, multiple-use is served. Finally, as the Volley of Opportunity was being prepared, it happened that the City of Grand Junction's Centennial would occur in 1982. Coincidentally, the Glenwood Springs Resource Management Plan will be published in November 1982. Since this history serves several purposes, it is appropriate that it also is the Bureau's contribution to Grand Junction's Centennial celebration.

Depicts the history of more than one hundred Colorado towns abandoned after the end of the mining boom

By the latter part of the nineteenth century, the railroad was king. Railroad lines crisscrossed the North American continent, allowing for the long-distance transportation of oil, coal, lumbar, gold, and other valuables. Despite high operating costs and fierce competition, the search for better and more profitable routes was constant. David Moffat, a banker and railroad executive, dreamed of a direct route across the Rocky Mountains, a route that would allow him to tap into Colorados vast mineral wealth. There was, however, one major obstacle standing in his waythe 13,660-foot Continental Divide. The Moffat Line tells the story of David Moffat and the impossible dream that led to the 1927 completion of the Moffat Tunnel. The story is also about the men who drove the trains and built and operated the railroad under incredible weather and equipment challengesday and night. Together, Moffats vision and the exploits of the railroad workers combine to produce a fascinating chapter in the history of the American West.

This travel guide with historic and modern photos offers maps as well as notable and picturesque route suggestions, perfect for American history buffs. With its ancient pueblos and dinosaur bones, its gold mines and railroads, and its pioneering place in the westward push of the American frontier, Colorado is a state alive with history. This illustrated adventure through historical Colorado takes readers by scenic backroads from the towering Rocky Mountains to the vast Great Plains, with stops at every turn for a revealing view of the state’s rich past. Filled with spectacular modern photographs and historic black-and-white images, Historic Colorado tells the stories behind the most important and fascinating places in the growth and character of the Centennial State. The book follows in the footsteps of explorers and prospectors, cowpokes and pioneers, down the Santa Fe Trail, across the Continental Divide, up Clear Creek, and over Lizard Head Pass. It explores the legacy of mining, the railroads, and the Old West, as well as the heritage of Native Americans. It ventures through towns and cities, farmland and untamed wilderness, revisiting the stories of the people and personalities who made centuries of history in America’s highest state. Maps and travel tips round out the book, making it as useful to the tourist as it is entertaining for the armchair traveler.