5 comments about A Colorado History.

1. This is a great book if you are looking for a fairly thorough introduction to Colorado's history. My only complaint is that it is primarily a history of white civilization in Colorado, and it largely ignores the history of the Native Americans prior to the arrival of the white settlers. Also, this is a fairly long book and it is probably best suited for history buffs. If you are looking for a good introduction to Colorado history, but one with less text and more photographs, I strongly recommend Colorado: Yesterday & Today.



2. Ubbelohde's text is a thorough review of Colorado history, from Paleo-Indians to the Gold Rush to the War Years to the new Millennium, and everything in between. Obviously, many books focus on more specific information relative to specific themes or people, but this text is the best overview of Colorado. It works well in either a high school or college setting (I have used various editions in both), with the instructor using this text as a platform for more intensive research. As in any single book, it is not the "all and everything," but still masterfully covers the general history of a truly beautiful, fascinating state.



3. "A Colorado History" [9th ed.] by Ubbelohde/Benson/Smith is burdened by a reader-unfriendly text as inaccessible as an anchor sunk in sand at the bottom of an ocean. The book's subject may be interesting; its scope may be admirably comprehensive; its facts and figures may be derived from the most thorough research; but the authors' presentation of the material is pedantic, plodding, unduly fastidious, and dull, dull, dull. The authors' writing style is worse than merely wooden--it's petrified wooden. Try hacking through 490 pages of that stiff &@#*! Not even the sharpest axe is worth wasting on the effort.
   
   My heartiest recommendation: put every copy (including yours, if applicable) in a box, tie it with a ribbon, and throw it in the ever-lovin' deep blue sea.



4. If you are interested in Colorado history, this is the place to start. It is an overview of all topics in Colorado history, and provides recommended readings in the back if you are interested in further research.
   A couple of previous reviewers had complaints which are without merit (at least for this edition, I haven't read the previous four editions.) One complains about the writing. While the authors won't win any Pulitzers for their prose, it is a competently written, clear book without any academic jargon.
   As for the criticism of the pre-Columbian coverage, they summarize what is known from the archaeological record. They don't engage in speculative flights of fancy, as some recent authors do, about all the details of those societies. The Pueblo civilizations in particular are difficult, as they abandoned their homes in Colorado well before the Europeans came into the area.



5. The book is well written and comprehensive. Make no mistake, this is an academic tome written as a history textbook. It should be of interest to anyone living in Colorado or having an interest in the development of the central Rocky Mountain area. The book shows the significant impact that mining, the development of transportation routes, water supplies, tourism, politics (national and local) and the two world wars had on Colorado's development. It also reminds us that today's US domestic problems, roller-coaster economics and polemic politics are not at all unique to the modern era.
   
   There were some excellent old pictures and photos in the book, however, the inclusion of more maps and period photos would have made the book more interesting and perhaps expand its audience appeal.

1 comments about America's Switzerland: Estes Park And Rocky Mountain National Park, the Growth Years.

1. The companion volume to This Blue Hollow, America's Switzerland: Estes Park And Rocky Mountain National Park, The Growth Years provides essential background for any who would understand the history of the Rocky Mountain National Park and its neighboring town Estes Park. Primary sources and achieved records contribute to provide the first comprehensive history of the region. From the individuals behind the park's development to how the park and town coped with two world wars and the increase of tourism, America's Switzerland offers a wealth of lively insights.

1 comments about This Blue Hollow: Estes Park, The Early Years, 1859-1915.

1. "This Blue Hollow" is a tremendous gift for residents and visitors of Estes Park. Pickering's account of the area's early history is told with the warmth and intimacy of a campfire tale and a myriad of details that substantiate his story. As a casual student of history, a former part-time resident and frequent visitor of Estes Park, and an avid hiker, "This Blue Hollow" has given me a fresh and exhilarating perspective on the crown jewel of the Rockies.

   "This Blue Hollow" is an important historical resource and a wonderful story about adventure, Rocky Mountain pioneers, and the celebration of human spirit.

1 comments about A Pikes Peak Partnership: The Penroses and the Tutts.

1. This book does not cover the truth about Spencer Penrose, it is full of inaccurate facts but since the family that paid to have this book done does not want the truth known this is what the public gets. There is no
   mention of Spencer's daughters espically D'iana B. Penrose. The pioneers of Colorado Springs should be ashamed of themselves to let this book be published without raising a stink about it.

No comments about Colorado Water Law for Non-Lawyers.

1 comments about Wapiti Wilderness.

1. Delightful mix of authorship with suject matter alternating between chapters of ground-breaking elk research (by Olaus) and family life in a near wilderness (by Margaret). The Muries were just as dedicated game biologists studying elk in Wyoming as Olaus' brother Adolph was in Alaska as he dedicated his life to research on wolves for the National Geographic Society. (Adolph's work preceeded Farley Mowatt's writings and subsequent hit movie, "Never Cry Wolf" and provided invaluable background information.) Olaus pioneered the practice of feeding hay to the elk during difficult winters to keep the herds healthy. Margaret deserved some kind of medal for raising those kids under such trying, but ultimately rewarding, conditions.

2 comments about San Juan Bonanza: Western Colorado's Mining Legacy.

1. Enjoyable reading; especially if you are interested in past history of silver mines.



2. It is not proper to read a book that you are giving as a gift. So I dunno what is was about, how well it was written or such fancy stuff that reviewer people talk about. It did have a pretty cover.
   
   Amazon told me to review this purchase.

5 comments about Cripple Creek Days.

1. This is a brilliant novel which engages the reader fully. The plot twists and turns as if this were a work of fiction rather than a biography. The characters are vivid, unique and unforgettable ... and they were real people. Ms. Barbee Lee was a keen observer and her descriptions are fascinating. Most of all, I liked how she tells us interesting gossip about some of the powerful people involved in the Cripple Creek gold rush and then, explains how things turned out and why. Some of these explanations needed enough time to pass in order to be told. While reading this page-turner, I felt like I was watching the events unfold through a window. I have recommended it to friends just because it is a really good book. The fact that it is true and will give the reader more insight into the past and into Colorado's mining history is just a bonus.



2. This book captivates a sense of innocence and honesty that is palpable on each page. Mable Lee Barby wrote the book I always wanted to read about the district that as a child I wandered and wondered endlessly. Mable is buried between "Jonce" and "Kate" overlooking the town. Cripple Creek has mostly disappeared from what I knew. There are no more "old timers" sitting on chairs in front of screen doors of dusty old shops holding so many individual memories of the characters that made Cripple Creek such an special place. The wheel house is almost gone from the surrounding hills but there is a spiritual core of a history that will never die.

   Frank Waters did a wonderful job with his two books and there have been others but when I see Bennett St. or even pass the front steps of the old stone building of Colorado College I think of Mable Lee Barbee. In this book she left a record of her and others lives that will never be equaled. There is a sweet fragrance!




3. What I Liked: The author's love of her adopted hometown comes through very well. Her descriptions of people and places are vivid enough that one can almost see them when they close their eyes while reading, between passages. I also liked how a lot of clichés and stereotypes about the Colorado Gold Rush era are avoided. Yes, some characters do talk and act the way we've seen them act in Western films since many actually did, but this book doesn't act as though they made up the entirety of the region. We meet people in this book who are articulate, people who are more cynical and jaded than "frontiersman" like, who are religious, but don't proselytize. Another aspect of this book is the period correct dialogue. The languages and attitudes of the people of the day isn't toned down or made politically correct to avoid offending anyone. Yes, some of the people in the story, even the likeable ones, use words and phrases we of 21st century Colorado recognize as racist and/or stereotypical, but that is simply how people talked in that time. Overall, reading this book reminds me in some ways of how I enjoyed the film Little Big Man, another period piece set in roughly in the same timeframe.
   
   What I Didn't Like: The author doesn't always do a good job of conveying time in the book. More than once, I actually got lost and couldn't figure out what year an event was occurring in, or how old she was. Transitions aren't always smooth, such as when her brother goes from newborn to whiny toddler in a matter of a few pages. It can be jarring, but is not uncommon for first time authors. Granted, I don't actually know if this was Mabel Barbee Lee's first book, but if it was, it shows. Another negative aspect is the description on the back of my copy of the book, which spoils the book somewhat by listing nearly every major event from the first half of the story except for the death of the author's younger sister, the incident involving bandits where she tried to hide a silver dollar in her mouth, and the boxing match described by her father as "the fight of the century."



4. A candid look into the hardships of life in a mining camp, through the eyes of a young girl growing up there. This book was an eye opening account of what it was really like in a rugged mining camp and how families coped with hardships. I also found this book extremely entertaining and full of historical accounts that I was unaware of. It definitely paints a vivid picture of Cripple Creek's hay day and makes it a place that is not to be forgotten.



5. A poigniant first-person memoire of life in the mining camps at the turn of the 20th Century. Excellent prose. Very clear, descriptive, and engrossing writing. The theme is a surprising brush with the notable politically, socially, and historically famous folks in a most unexpected place: an isolated, mostly poverty ridden mining camp at very high elevation in one of the richest gold mining areas. The author's father played an important role in the exploration and development of the gold and silver discoveries there. Chronicles her childhood and flowering as a woman of distinction who knew tradgedy and trauma, yet grew into a very wholesome adult.

2 comments about Colorado: A History Of The Centennial State.

1. This book was used as a text book in one of my history classes at CSU back in the mid 80s. I kicked myself later on after selling it when I graduated. I never did consider this book to be a "text" book, but a highly enjoyable factual account written with precision and accuracy. I was only slightly disappointed not to be able to find the 2nd Ed., which is the one I read, but bought the 4th Ed. There are some subtle changes, but changes I did notice. Excellent, excellent book!



2. If you have to get this book for your colorado History class and the one you're supposed to get is the 4th edition, the 3rd edition (with the rust colored cover) is nearly identical and has very few and very minute changes to it. There are a few photos in the 4th that are not in the 3rd, but for the 19.00 I saved I had a "hot lunch" on campus instead of packing my lunch and consoled myself. It was difficult but I got through it...
   Seriously, if you're wondering if this is one of those books that you can get away with an older, cheaper edition, yes. Yes it is.

5 comments about Man of the Family.

1. Wow these books are great! And you know the later the books the thicker they are. I think its because he remembers more about like his teen years than in his childhood. Well over all I would highly recommend this book. Yet like in a prior review these books do have some language but it shrinks in the text more and more. Buy this book and you wont be disappointed!



2. I finished reading this book to my older children (12 and 14) today. We all loved it. The book operates on many levels. It's the Chronicles of the life of an adolescent boy around 1910. It's also the story of a family's struggles and will to not only survive, but to thrive and to stand up for their beliefs. This book has encouraged my children to contribute more in our family, and to set up their own families with good principles. I would give this book 10 stars if there were 10 to give, and I can't recommend it highly enough as a great family read!



3. It took me awhile to finish it but I love love loved all the parts with horses and other animals. This was a great book but it had the most awful ending I've ever read. It reminded me of the little house on the prarie books. Funny, interesting and sometimes miserable or sad.
   I would have adored this book if the ending had been something else. Dont continue reading if you havent read it yet.
   !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
   Ralph moves from Coloradoe to BOSTON!!!!!! THe city!!!!! It broke my heart, hurt my head and dissapointed me sooooo much. I didnt need a happy go lucky ending, but that was the worst. He has to leave the horses, rabbits, cow and all his friends and everyone and most of all beautiful coloradoe for,.....boston? and it;s all his mother's fault. she tells some secret or something and ruins the whole end of the book. i guess it's just being realistic but still......



4. The second book in Ralph Moody's series about his childhood, starting with Little Britches, picks up where the first left off with Ralph now being eleven years old and becoming the "man of the family" in the wake of his father's death.
   
   While having a lot of the same strong messages and themes that Little Britches had, namely morality, hard work, honesty, and the meaning behind being a respectable man, this book took a much lighter tone even if it had a dark beginning. With the family's main form of income gone his mother starts up a cookery route, and with the help of all the children they do odd jobs around town to help earn money to get by. Meanwhile Ralph's mother refuses to let Ralph drop out of school no matter how tight that made things at home, he wanted to be the man of the family and earn money full time at a man's wage, but instead he had to learn patience and to think of long term consequences to his actions. Good lessons for life.
   
   This book was chock full of good humor throughout it all to offset the dire circumstances the family was in. The town sheriff took an interest in the widow with five small children and took to checking up on the family regularly. As I was reading this aloud to my husband I got to saying with a certain inflection that got us both laughing every time the sheriff showed up and bellowed, "Howdy, Miz Moody. Fine mornin', ain't it?" Even the children in the story got to teasing their mother about that and I think if they had stayed in Colorado he might well have married her.
   
   The ingenuity Ralph and his family showed again and again in coming up with more and new ways to make money and work hard to get by showed that the lessons of Little Britches paid off, and it was really inspiring reading about a family struggling without a male figure head, in a time when a woman could not be a real breadwinner, and making it.
   
   Again, the writing was simple and straight forward, very easy and clean to read. An ideal book for a ten year old to read and an easy book, and series, to get into. It also has a lot of strong messages, this one included new ones about patience, making the right decisions, and economy in hard times. A good message for the times we are living in.
   
   This book was a lot more fun to read, and even though it had another ending with a bit of a punch in the gut, I have a feeling that Ralph and his family will continue to persevere in the next book The Home Ranch.



5. This was my review of the first of this series and it holds for all books by Mr Moody.
   
   "I first read this book in 1956 shortly after it was published. This is probably my favorite book of all time and I am a voracious reader. I own several first editions of Mr Moody's books including an autographed copy of this one.
   
   This book is must reading for families as it teaches the values that made this Country what it is. Hard work. Self Reliance. Honesty. Honor.
   
   This book and the books in this series helped form the value system that stays with me to this day and served me throughout a successful career in commercial construction and in raising a family of my own.
   
   I am now buying copies for my grandkids as they get to the age that they will understand the lessons contained in Mr Moody's books."