Which one is White Antelope?

Although fans of Colorado history have probably heard of the most significant Native American leaders — Black Kettle, Left Hand, White Antelope, One Eye, and so on — portraits from the era are frustratingly undocumented. It would be nice to be able to point at a particular picture and say with certainty that this fellow is White Antelope and that fellow is Neva, but it hasn’t happened so far and probably never will.

Case in point: Two important portraits were taken in the fall of 1864 of the “peace chiefs” who had come to Denver to talk peace with Chivington and Evans (fruitlessly, as it turned out). A stenographer was present at this session, so we know at least the following chiefs were present: Black Kettle, White Antelope, Bull Bear. We know Left Hand wasn’t there, and there’s no mention of One Eye being there.

Here’s the most famous portrait taken, focusing just on the fellows in the middle row:

The Lithia Water Co., Pueblo, Colorado

I recently discovered that a couple members of my Colorado pioneer family worked at the Lithia Water Company in Pueblo. My grandfather’s sister, Jessie Gibson Turner, is listed in the Pueblo city directory in 1938 as working at Lithia Water Co.

Silverton, Colorado: Still a refreshing taste of the Old West

I recently returned from a book tour in the San Juans to promote my books “Notorious San Juans” and “Notorious Telluride.” One of my favorite stops on the trip was the alpine settlement of Silverton.

Once at the heart of Ute territory, the area was overrun by miners and those who supported them in 1874. Over half a dozen mining towns sprang up in the area, including Howardsville, Animas Forks, Gladstone, Poughkeepsie, and others; Silverton is the last living outpost.

Cordula Carter Truby Henry Gilmore — The fascinating and tragic life of a young frontier woman

While researching for my book, Notorious San Juans, I encountered a fascinating young woman named Cordula “Dudie” Carter. She appears in the story “A Colorado Range War: The Cox-Truby Feud,” which took place in the wild region around the Colorado-New Mexico border, south of Durango.

Cordula Carter was 14 years old when she married Bill Truby on January 12, 1911. Bill was 27 years old. Only three months later, Bill Truby was shot dead by Ike Cox as a result of the feud. 

19th century artist, Eliza Greatorex, sketched Colorado in the 1870s

While researching for my latest book, “Notorious San Juans,” I came across an unexpected crop of unusually accomplished women – all from the same family. The Pratt family of County Donegal, Ireland produced two remarkable women: Eliza Pratt Greatorex, a well-known artist, and her sister Matilda Pratt Despard, a writer. Eliza Greatorex later had two daughters who followed in their mother’s footsteps.

Sisters search for answers about their fallen ancestor

I am working on a new book called “Notorious San Juans,” which tells turn-of-the-last-century stories from Durango, Silverton, and Ouray and outlying regions. The book should be out in the early summer of 2011.

One of the stories that jumped out at me right away when I began my research was the tale of a Secret Service agent who was shot while on duty in November of 1907. I have had the pleasure of meeting two descendants of the fallen agent, who shared with me many photos and  documents about what happened to their ancestor.

Death in the Disappointment Valley

Chapter excerpt from my book, “Notorious Telluride.”

Sometimes a story emerges from the pages of history and proves that life does imitate art. The saga of the Nashes, Dunhams and Estes of Disappointment Valley possesses all the love, betrayal, devotion, and tragic death of a Shakespearean tragedy.

In Search of Graves and Robbers in Telluride

I have come to southwest Colorado to do a bit of research on my next book, “Notorious Telluride.” I’ve already got most of my stories worked out so I’m really looking for pictures and to get a feel for the place.

I have not been to Telluride since sometime in the late 1970s when I came here for the Bluegrass Festival.

Adventures in Historical Research

These are stories about the process of hunting down placenames and people referred to in my books. I’m a huge fan of the PBS series, “History Detective,” and that’s kind of how I feel here. I’m not trying to identify “things,” but mostly placenames. Many of the places referred to in the stories I’m writing for my “Notorious…” books (eg, Notorious Jefferson County and Notorious Telluride) no longer exist. Some of these places have been easy to find but others have taken a bit of detective work to hunt down. It’s really fun. I could do this all day long. I’ve become a history nerd.

Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Check out my novel, THE TROUBLE WITH HEATHER HOLLOWAY, available on amazon kindle or on any device using the amazon kindle app.

Her first week on the job, and Marshal Beth Mayo is hit with a sex assault case. It’s a nasty shock for the bucolic mountain town of Sugarloaf and for Mayo, who is still recovering from her husband’s death. Her initial skepticism grows into disbelief over the victim’s zany story, and she dismisses the case as a false report. Unfortunately, the same woman is soon discovered in the ruins of a ghost town, most definitely murdered.

Mayo unravels the complex case through a parade of colorful suspects and misfit family members, all the while following a common thread from 150 years earlier — Colorado history’s most notorious event, the Sand Creek Massacre.

Adventures in Research: Where was the village of Midway?

During the past few months, I made a number of road trips through Jefferson County looking for specific places that appear in my book, “Notorious Jefferson County.” These are spots where notorious murders took place back during the turn of the last century.