James Bretz
1 book in the catalogue.
James Bretz is credited as author of Leadville Johnny, a book about the mining man John Francis Campion. It is the one book of his in our catalogue, and our record gives no publication year for it.
About James Bretz
We know James Bretz only through this book. Neither the Wikipedia article on John F. Campion nor any other page we could read mentions him as a writer on that subject, and we found no biography, birth year or list of other work. We would rather say that plainly than guess, and the page will be updated if a reliable source turns up.
What the books share
The book is about one man in one boom town. Campion, the Leadville silver boom's richest of the rich, started in mining in California in 1868 and soon moved to Eureka, Nevada, where he sold and developed mining properties. Leadville was where his fortune came together, and the biography sits within Colorado mining history.
Next steps for readers of this author
Checking a name for other work
If you hoped to find more by this author, search a library catalog for his name together with Campion or Leadville. Our record lists one book, and we have not matched him to any other writer.
Reading around the Little Jonny
The History Colorado page gives a second account of the mine, told through one owner's table. Comparing two accounts of the same mine shows where sources agree and where a biographer must choose.
Go deeper
We hold nothing about James Bretz beyond his book, so the useful next step is the subject he wrote on: John F. Campion and the Little Jonny mine at Leadville. These pages are about that subject, not about Bretz.
History Colorado: J.J. Brown's mining table
A museum artifact page that tells how Brown's gold find in the Little Jonny Mine helped revive Leadville after the silver price collapse of 1893.
Western Mining History: Leadville
A profile of the town that lists its dates, its peak population and a photo gallery from the boom years.
Colorado Encyclopedia: Leadville
An encyclopedia entry on the town's founding, its boom and its later economy, written by a named author with references.
Good to know
How many James Bretz books does Western Reflections list?
Who is the subject of the book?
Writers like this one are how the list was built
We have published Colorado and Western writers since 1996, and every submission is still read by a person. Send yours, finished or half written.