From ranchettes to wreckreation
Essay collection seeks solutions, limits to growth in the New West
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Essay collection seeks solutions, limits to growth in the New West
Author Chris Hedges, coming to Colorado this month, predicted current events in Washington in America: The Farewell Tour and lays out the requirements for a strong resistance
Southwest Colorado author Bethany Turner turns out a new romance novel, follow-up to two previous small town tales
New ecopoetry anthology recognizes rapid change in the natural environment since its companion volume appeared in 2013
Independent publisher finds success staying local
An interview with the creator of the Wild Thing series of Middle Grades books, exploring out-there topics through scientific inquiry
Life After Dead Pool investigates Lake Powell’s diminishing waters and the future of the Colorado River
A fairy tale of a novel, Tannery Bay creates community magically
Once one of the largest cattle ranches in southern Colorado, Beckwith Ranch rises to its former glory in the concisely and neatly written, The Beckwith Dynasty: A Ranching Empire in Colorado’s Wet Mountain Valley by Courtney Miller. The author explores the history of a successful shipbuilding family who traveled west in 1869, and would eventually create through hard work, luck and a handful of shenanigans, an incredibly successful agricultural operation. Miller guides the reader through the origins of the ranch with stories of true cowboys and the Old West.
Beginning with a meager 160 acres, the family created a vast holding of land and livestock that would eventually become a thriving and majestic showplace of 8,800 acres with a very distinctive mansion of white clapboard and red roof. The fortunes of the Beckwith empire grew even more with the discovery of gold and silver in the nearby mountains. The mansion continued to expand as well, becoming a rambling complex with all the latest Victorian fineries accumulated from travels afar. Sophisticated and worldly travelers were entertained with unparalleled grandeur in the hinterlands of Colorado’s Wet Mountains.
As with any great western story about perseverance and triumph, the tale of the downfall of the family and the mansion is equally fascinating. Death, disease and estranged family relations all contributed to the passing of the heyday of the grand place.
Located on Hwy 69 near Westcliffe, Colorado, the site and venue is now listed on National Register of Historic Places. The obvious sincere and deep appreciation the author has for the ranch shines through in his writing. He packs a lot of Wet Mountain Valley history in this small volume with fine research and striking details. This book is a nice resource for any Colorado history buff. — Jeffery Payne