Jean Campion
2 books in the catalogue, published 2006 to 2008.
Jean Campion writes historical fiction set in southwest Colorado. Western Reflections Publishing carries two of her novels about a schoolteacher named Minta: Minta Forever (2006) and Return to Rockytop (2008).
About Jean Campion
A Durango Herald column from 2015 calls Jean Campion a history researcher extraordinaire on the southwest side of La Plata County. A 2025 Herald notice describes her as a Fort Lewis College retired professor and author, and says her research into one-room schoolhouses became a historical novel series about life on the Dry Side, seen through the eyes of a one-room schoolteacher.
The same 2015 column reports a third novel, In the Shadow of Rockytop, set ten years after the first two, with Campion's daughter, the artist Catherine Campion Dougharty, creating the cover art. We found no further biography, and we do not give birth dates or other details we could not confirm.
Books
Minta Forever
The 2006 first novel. Nineteen-year-old Ella is trapped in an abusive marriage in the early 1900s, and when life becomes unbearable she plans her escape.
Return to Rockytop
The 2008 sequel. Minta goes back to her one-room school in Rockytop, Colorado, and tries to put the previous year behind her, despite signs her husband has not gone away.
What the books share
Both of our books follow Minta, a young woman who leaves an abusive marriage and finds work as a teacher in a one-room school in Colorado. The first is set in the early 1900s and centers on the escape. The second follows her return to the school and community of Rockytop, still shadowed by her husband. The setting is the small farming and ranching communities of southwest La Plata County, and the series draws on the author's research into their one-room schools.
The subjects this author is catalogued under. Open Library record.
Next steps for readers of this author
Reading the Minta books in order
Our catalogue carries Minta Forever and Return to Rockytop. Start with the first, then move to the second, which the record says returns to the Rockytop school.
Researching a Dry Side family
Anyone with roots in Hesperus, Hermosa or nearby can combine the rural schools study with the archive's staff for names and photographs of country schools.
Planning a local history outing
A day in Durango can pair the Animas Museum with the Center of Southwest Studies. Check each website for current visiting terms first.
Go deeper
Jean Campion's novels are set in the farming and ranching communities of southwest La Plata County. These regional institutions hold or explain the history behind that setting.
Delaney Research Library and Archives
Part of the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College, where Campion is described as a retired professor. The site lists separate contacts for archive and library questions.
La Plata County Historical Society's Animas Museum
A local history museum in the 1904 Animas City School. According to its website, it offers online exhibits and links to Southwest Colorado oral histories.
Rural Schools Study, Pine River Library
Ruth E. Lambert's 2013 study of rural schools in La Plata County, held in a digital archive with a school map attached.
Good to know
How many Jean Campion books do you publish?
Is there a third Minta book?
What is the series based on?
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