This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Expanded ed. of: Hardrock man: whispers from underground: oral history of mining "the world's greatest gold camp." Cripple Creek, CO: Poverty Gulch Pub., 2006.

Mabel Barbee Lee has written a rousing tale of early days in Cripple Creek, Colorado. She speaks with authority because she arrived there as a child in 1892, and with wide-eyed wonder saw the whole place turn to gold. With his divining rod, Mabel's father tapped gold ore on Beacon Hill but missed becoming a millionaire by selling his claim short. Nonetheless, life was rich for young Mabel in a booming town with points of interest like Poverty Gulch, the Continental Hotel, and a fantastic house called Finn's Folly; with characters around like the promoter Windy Joe and (seen from a distance) the madam Pearl De Vere; with something always going on, whether a celebration or a disastrous fire or train wreck or a no-nonsense miners' strike. Mabel Lee's book brings back a time and place with affection. The foreword is by Lowell Thomas, who was her pupil when she was a young schoolmarm in Cripple Creek. "One of the most fascinating accounts of a gold rush town."-Chicago Sunday Tribune. "More entertaining by far than the run of fictional westerns, more authentic, of course, and a great deal more moving."-W. M. Teller, Saturday Review

Not a poor man's camp -- Staking the claims -- In union there is strength -- Sirs and brothers -- Imperfect unions -- A white man's camp -- Class-conscious lines -- As if we lived in free America -- Look away over Jordan.