True History of Some of the Pioneers of Colorado
by Luella Shaw
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.
- Published
- 2008
- ISBN
- 9781932738636
- Pages
- 312
- Category
- Reprints
- Place
- Colorado
- Publisher
- Western Reflections Pub. Co.
- Listed at
- $24.76
Publication details from Open Library. The price shown is the last one on record and is historic, not a current offer.
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About this book
True History of Some of the Pioneers of Colorado is a reprint of a book first issued in 1909 in Hotchkiss, Colorado. The Denver Public Library's record lists the original publishers as W. S. Coburn, J. Patterson and A. K. Shaw, which matches the three men whose stories fill the book, and credits Luella Shaw as author. It describes the original as having plates, including a frontispiece and portraits.
The description tells us that Luella Shaw wrote down the stories of Watson S. Coburn, Alston Knox Shaw and John Patterson, early-day Colorado pioneers. She felt their accounts should be recorded and let the men tell it as they saw it. All three had served under Colonel John M. Chivington at Sand Creek, so the narratives include that event along with tales of other pioneers, outlaws, Native Americans and hardship.
The edition we carry is the 2008 Western Reflections reprint, which the description says makes the rare work available to everyone. The catalogue subjects are biography, pioneers, and frontier and pioneer life.
Who it is for
Readers who want pioneer testimony in the pioneers' own telling will find it here, with the caveat that these are recollections recorded in a different age. The description notes that some of those present at Sand Creek later gave accounts that led to it being called a massacre. A Denver Public Library note quoting the Historical Atlas of Colorado says that in 1864 more than one hundred Arapaho and Cheyenne, mostly children, women and old men, were slaughtered there.
Ways to use this book
Reading a 1909 account beside later history
Recollections written down decades after the events can differ from what historians have since documented. Read the Sand Creek section, then compare it with the National Park Service timeline and note where memory and record agree or part ways.
Searching for a pioneer ancestor
If one of these surnames is in your family tree, start with the Denver Public Library genealogy tools, then ask the Hart Research Center what it holds. Bring dates and places. The names Coburn, Shaw and Patterson are common, so a county or town narrows the search.
Tracking down the 1909 original
Our edition is the 2008 reprint, but the Denver Public Library catalogue records the Hotchkiss original. Collectors and researchers who want the first printing can ask a library special collections desk which copies exist and whether they can be viewed.
Go deeper
The three men in this book served under Colonel Chivington at Sand Creek, and the stories were set down in 1909. These sources let you check pioneer recollections against the wider record of Colorado's territorial years.
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site
The National Park Service explains how the Cheyenne and Arapaho camp came to be at Sand Creek in 1864, with pages on Chief Black Kettle, a timeline, and soldiers who testified afterward.
Stephen H. Hart Research Center
History Colorado's reading room takes appointment requests through an online form and keeps an online collection you can search before you ask to see anything in person.
Denver Public Library Special Collections and Archives
The library's research guides cover Colorado topics, and its genealogy section lists record sets for tracing the families behind early Colorado names.
Denver Public Library research guides → (opens in a new tab)
Good to know
When was the original published?
Who was Luella Shaw?
Whose stories does the book tell?
Where can I buy it?
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