Summit : A Gold Rush History of Summit County, Colorado

SUMMIT's content is rich as the gold the book describes. Narrow-gauge alpine railways, nomad Ute Indians, lusty mine camps, the 1860s birth of now-famous ski towns and self guided mine tours all highlight this classic history. A parade of larger-than-life characters march across its pages-people like dredge king Ben Stanley Revett and Colorado's famed Snowshoe Itinerant, John Lewis Dyer, the skiing preacher. Saints and sinners (mostly sinners) lead the parade of prospectors, claimjumpers, shyster lawyers, shady ladies and hard-working miners who scaled the high mountain passes to create the history this book records.

This lively gold rush history of Summit County, Colorado has been designated a Best Seller by regional Colorado bookstores. Gilliland's high-energy writing style enhances her detailed picture of gold rush days.

Mary Ellen Gilliland is the author of 11 books and more than 200 magazine and newspaper articles. A seasoned researcher and colorful writer, she maintains the position of Summit County, Colorado's chief historian, with five books on the 1800s mining mecca. Gilliland is a former New York City magazine editor who has lived in the Colorado mountains since 1969.