Product Info

Over one hundred years ago, Luella Shaw wrote down the stories told to her by Watson S. Coburn, Alston Knox Shaw, and John Patterson, all of whom were early-day Colorado pioneers. She felt their stories should be recorded for posterity; and, honoring her own strong generational connection to Colorado – maternal and paternal, Luella allowed Coburn, Shaw and Patterson to tell it like it was. All three men had served under Colonel John M. Chivington at The Battle of Sand Creek, renamed The Massacre at Sand Creek after some of those present related horrific tales. The personal narratives of these men include stories about Sand Creek, as well as tales about other pioneers, outlaws, Native Americans, and hardships endured during their time. This reprint of True History of Some of the Pioneers of Colorado makes this rare work available to everyone.

Luella Shaw gives readers a firsthand look at the events and experiences of those who called Colorado home in the second half of the Nineteenth Century. Luella said that the object of writing her book will be to furnish a true history of the incidents of the early settlement of the West and especially Colorado. She also wanted to give an insight into the lives of some of the early settlers who endured the hardships and privations that they underwent. That is exactly what she did.