Silver Camp Called Creede
A fascinating story of what many call the last and the craziest of the booming Colorado silver camps. "Creede Camp" eventually grew into one of the largest mining areas in Colorado, and attracted a cast of notorious characters who were as nasty as any in Colorado. "...It's day all day in the daytime and there is no night in Creede."
- Published
- 2005
- ISBN
- 978-1-932738-86-5
- Pages
- 539
- Category
- History
- Place
- Creede
- Publisher
- Western Reflections Publishing Company
- Listed at
- $34.95
Publication details from Open Library. The price shown is the last one on record and is historic, not a current offer. Cover image courtesy of Open Library.
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About this book
Silver Camp Called Creede is Richard Huston's history of Creede, Colorado, which the description calls what many consider the last and the craziest of the booming Colorado silver camps. Creede Camp eventually grew into one of the largest mining areas in the state.
It also drew what the description calls a cast of notorious characters, as nasty as any in Colorado. The description closes with a line from the era: "...It's day all day in the daytime and there is no night in Creede."
The catalogue lists the book at 539 pages and dates it to 2005. That makes it the larger of Huston's two books with us.
Who it is for
This book is for readers of Colorado silver mining history and for visitors to Creede who want the story behind the town. Its length suits people who want depth on a single camp.
The place and the period
According to Wikipedia, prospector Nicholas C. Creede found indications of silver along Willow Creek in Hinsdale County in the summer of 1889, and he staked the Holy Moses claim on June 26, 1890. The population grew from about 600 in 1889 to over 10,000 by December 1891. The Silver Panic of 1893 closed most mines, but Creede never became a ghost town. The article also notes that Bob Ford, who killed Jesse James, was shot dead in Creede on June 8, 1892, and that the con man Soapy Smith ran the town's underworld.
Source: Wikipedia, Creede, Colorado
Ways to use this book
Walking the silver camp
Plan a trip around the museum route the visitor site lays out, and bring the book along for context. Confirm seasonal opening with each museum before you drive up, since small town schedules change.
Checking the legends
Some Creede characters are famous names. Compare what a museum, the Colorado Encyclopedia and a mining history page each say, and note where accounts differ before you repeat a story.
Comparing Colorado boom towns
If Creede interests you, browse the other Colorado mining history in the library pages for a different boom town, then read the two side by side to see how they compare.
Go deeper
This history covers Creede, a Colorado silver camp of the 1890s. The sources below describe the town, its museums and its mining story, which helps if you want to see the ground the book covers.
Creede in the Colorado Encyclopedia
A reference article on the 1889 silver strike, the rush of an estimated 10,000 people, and the town's decline after the Panic of 1893.
Creede Mines and Museums
The town's visitor site describes a one day route through its visitor center, historical museum in the old depot, library and Underground Mining Museum.
Creede Colorado Mine Tours
A Mining History Association page from its 2009 conference in Creede, giving background on the town and the colorful characters who passed through.
Good to know
What is the book about?
Is it long?
Is it nonfiction?
Where can I buy it?
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