Independent publisher · Lake City, Colorado Est. 1996
Cover of Hardrock Man - Whispers from the Cripple Creek District Underground
History

Hardrock Man - Whispers from the Cripple Creek District Underground

by Sylece Andromeda

Raised in the historic Cripple Creek-Victor Gold Mining District of Colorado, author Sylece Andromeda spent her childhood fascinated by old timer tales that brought to life the glory days of “The World’s Greatest Gold Camp.” As the years went by, and those olden-day miners saw their generation passing on, they asked Andromeda to record what she could of a history that was fast disappearing. After countless interviews with this special group of men and gathering oral histories done when the author was barely in kindergarten, this captivating work, Hardrock Man: Whispers from the Cripple Creek District Underground, fully delivers the character, flavor, and essence of those hardrock miners who thrived on and survived the dangerous work of digging for gold . . . underground.

Published
2012
ISBN
9781937851040
Pages
304
Category
History
Place
Cripple Creek
Publisher
Western Reflections Publishing Company
Listed at
$23.95
Subjects
Gold miners Interviews Gold mines and mining History Mining camps Biography

Publication details from Open Library. The price shown is the last one on record and is historic, not a current offer.

How to get this book
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The book

About this book

Hardrock Man is a history of underground gold mining in the Cripple Creek and Victor district of Colorado, told through the voices of the men who worked it. Sylece Andromeda was raised in the district, which was known as The World's Greatest Gold Camp.

As a child she was fascinated by the tales of old timers. As those miners saw their generation passing, they asked her to record what she could of a history that was fast disappearing. The description says she did countless interviews and gathered oral histories done when she was barely in kindergarten.

The description says the book delivers the character, flavor and essence of hardrock miners who survived the dangerous work of digging for gold underground. The catalogue lists the subjects as gold miners, interviews, mining camps, biography and history. Open Library gives 2012 as the date.

Readers

Who it is for

This book is for readers of Colorado mining history who want the miners' own side of it. Cripple Creek and Victor visitors, descendants of miners and local historians are the natural audience. Its interviews and oral histories make it a book about people rather than a technical manual on mining.

The author

About the author

Sylece Andromeda grew up in the Cripple Creek and Victor district, and her account of herself in the book's description is the main thing we know about her. We found no outside biography we could read. Her author page lists this book.

More about Sylece Andromeda →

Next steps

Ways to use this book

Spending a day in the district

Plan to see both towns. Start at the museum in Cripple Creek, then drive to Victor, and check each site for season and hours before you leave since both vary.

A family with miners in its past

If a grandparent or great grandparent worked underground in the district, ask the museum and the Victor heritage pages what records they hold, and bring names and years to narrow the search.

Explore

Go deeper

Hardrock Man is about the underground miners of the Cripple Creek and Victor district. These museums and town pages cover the same ground and are useful before or after a drive up Pikes Peak's western side.

Cripple Creek District Museum

Its site says the museum has mining memorabilia, mineral displays, old cabins and Victorian apartments, and it lists admission and seasonal hours.

Visit the museum site → (opens in a new tab)

City of Cripple Creek: history

The town's history page calls Cripple Creek the site of Colorado's last and greatest mining boom and lays out a timeline from the 1870s survey onward.

Read the timeline → (opens in a new tab)

Victor, Colorado

The town site for Victor lists a history page, the Victor Lowell Thomas Museum, cemetery tours and mine tours.

Explore Victor → (opens in a new tab)

Questions readers ask

Good to know

What is Hardrock Man based on?
Interviews with old time miners of the Cripple Creek and Victor district, plus oral histories recorded earlier.
Is it fiction?
No. The subjects are history, biography and interviews with gold miners.
Which district does it cover?
The Cripple Creek and Victor gold mining district of Colorado.
Which edition is listed here?
Open Library gives 2012, from Western Reflections Publishing Company.

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