Gold Rush Mayhem

Gold Rush Mayhem: The Bad Old Days of Gilpin and Clear Creek Counties celebrates the district's glorious and rowdy past that centered upon one word--gold. For Georgetown and Silver Plume, that word was silver. Coloradoans relish just how "bad" things used to be: the Terrain, the inhabitants, and the quality of whiskey. While there are many examples of upstanding society, its underbelly teemed with greedy greenhorns, mining swindles, seedy brothels, and shady characters all attracted to easy riches. Learn what happened when people discovered gold wasn't scattered in the streets but just might be beneath the cemeteries. Meet the miners who harvested the minerals that fueled the region with their labor. They endured danger and brutal conditions for the change - at least in the early days - to strike it rich. Read about some of Colorado's most scandalous episodes and nefarious characters, such as:

Louise Bunch (Lou) - a lady of the night who started in Denver but made the successful transition to Madam in her own right and established a rollicking residence in Central City. There was a lot of Lou Bunch to love.

The early gold rush and ensuing mayhem - gold had an obvious tendency to make people do strange things.

Central City's disastrous fire of 1874 which leveled the business district and caused the rebuilding in brick.

The Mining Disaster at the Americus and Sleepy Hollow Mines - an event which cost fourteen men their lives.

Front cover photo courtesy of the Gilpin Historical Society

Randi Samuelson-Brown is originally from Golden, Colorado but now lives in the rowdy city of Denver. A passion for Colorado history was instilled by her father from childhood, and to this day she feels haunted by the West's lesser-known histories (the dark side) and their long-reach into the present. Award winning, her work has been featured on C-SPAN, and she has been a finalist in the Colorado Book Awards and the prestigious SPUR Award from the Western Writers of America.

When not writing, in her free time Randi can be found riding horses and traveling around Colorado and the West, finding inspiration from people, places, and whispers from the past.