Colorado Ghost Town Stories
Faded Fortunes and Abandoned Dreams
AUTHOR: Sally Jennings
FORMAT: 5.5 x 8.5 pb / 128 pages
ISBN-10: 1552652009
ISBN-13: 9781552652008
Eureka! In 1859 gold was discovered in Colorado, sparking a westward rush of
thousands of hopefuls in search of riches. Their slogan was "Pikes Peak or
Bust." Some miners were lucky. Many were not. This fascinating collection
includes many exciting and heartbreaking tales from the gold fields. An
excellent book for visitors to Colorado. Discover Colorado's fascinating
past in time for your next trip.
Prologue
He had been a long time searching and George Jackson had found no trace of the gold he was so eagerly seeking. He'd worked his way through a series of promising-looking valleys 30 miles west of the new village of Denver. He began to wonder whether he should give up and return to start a normal life in the city. The decision was made for him when he began to run low on provisions. He began to work his way slowly out of the mountains, disconsolate that the precious yellow metal had not surfaced in any of his claims.
One cold January day, on his way back to the small shack that served as home, he chanced upon some hot mineral springs on Clear Creek. A large heard of bighorn sheep had gathered around the springs. He raised his rifle and shot one; it would make a welcome change for dinner. Sitting by the campfire after a good feast, his dogs at his side, he pondered his future. Should he give up prospecting? It was really the only thing he knew. He decided to give it one more try.
The next morning, after a night by the hot springs, he began a search in the local area. He walked up and down Clear Creek all day, watching for sparkling flakes of gold in the streambed. Finding nothing, he lit a fire on a large sandbar to thaw out the frozen winter ground. He had left his gold pan at his permanent camp, so he scooped thawed sand into a tin cup a swirled it round in some water, staring intently into the cup for gold flakes.
There in the bottom of the cup, a few gleaming specks glinted up at him. Eureka!
About the Author
Sally Jennings is a writer, editor, teacher and urban planner. She also worked for many years at Heritage Park, Calgary, an authentic re-creation of a turn-of-the-century frontier town. She has visited ghost towns in British Columbia, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Sally is the author of Ghost Stories of Heritage Park and compiled the Chronicle of Significant Alberta Architecture. She is currently working on a variety of projects including books on editing, travel, and urban planning.
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