San Juan Bonanza

Duane Smith is the finest mining historian and writer I personally know. With this new book, that is both a blessing and a curse. The book is centered on the San Juan mining area in Colorado (basically in Smith’s backyard), of which he is the expert. The well-written text is indeed informative and full of Smith’s unique insight, but it’s too short. I wanted more about the miners, about the railroads and about the mining camps (Smith has written other fine books covering those subjects).