Three little lines : $b Silverton Railroad, Silverton, Gladstone & Northerly, Silverton Northern

A sweeping portrait of the American West opens with the bold expeditions of the 16th‑century Spaniards, whose long journeys across what is now New Mexico, Colorado and Utah laid the first European footprints on the continent. The narrative follows the tangled routes of trade caravans, trappers and settlers, showing how the Old Spanish Trail linked distant markets and how the Gold Rush of 1859 sparked a frantic rush toward the mountains. As the United States claimed the territory after the Mexican‑American War, the book traces the rise of towns like Durango and the sometimes‑failed attempts to mine the rugged landscape.

The second half shifts to the age of iron, detailing the visionary work of men such as Otto Mears who forged hundreds of miles of roads and spearheaded the construction of narrow‑gauge railways that dared to climb the San Juan Mountains. Readers learn how the Denver and Rio Grande, the Silverton, and the Rio Grande Southern lines overcame extreme grades, razor‑sharp curves and lofty passes to open the region to commerce and travel. The story captures the daring engineering, the colorful characters, and the lasting imprint these railroads left on Colorado’s high country.