It Happened in Colorado (It Happened In Series) by James Crutchfield

It Happened In...

by James A. Crutchfield

Colorado has historical high points as grand as its magnificent mountains. In this book, author James A. Crutchfield scales thirty-six of these historical summits. From a prehistoric bison hunt to a mad scramble for a fortune in gold It Happened in Colorado is a window into the Centennial State's colorful past.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical

Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1993

About the author

James A. Crutchfield is the author of many books on United States history, including Tragedy at Taos: the Revolt of 1847, Eyewitness to American History, and Legends of the Wild West. His contributions to a variety of newspapers and nationally distributed magazines and journals number in the hundreds. He has been awarded the Spur Award from Western Writers of America and is a two-time award recipient from the American Association for State and Local History.

A native-born Tennessean whose direct ancestors were among the first settlers of Nashville in the 1780s, he has most often turned his probing eye toward their stories. But his writing career has spanned the entire continent, from the days of George Washington and the American fur trade to the Army of the West and the histories of such Western states as Montana, New Mexico and Arizona as part of his It Happened in… book series.

Reviews

[Pj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this little book with 37 random stories about people/events that took place in Colorado. These stories range from 6500 BC to 2006. Many stories I have heard of, but some I have not. Each story was 2-4 pages long. I probably would have given 5 stars if there were photos (even if they were black and white ones), but an informative little book, nonetheless.

[Harriett Milnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

36 short chapters of events in Colorado history: Zebulon Pike's Espionage Mission, The Building of Bent's Fort, The Battle of Beecher Island, etcetera, etcetera.

[Chris Kemp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good Colorado history vignettes.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've lived in Colorado since 2022. I love it here. I love the vibe of the large metro region I live in, the culture, the mountains and wildlife....and the history!

I recently went on a group trip to a history museum, and afterwards I wanted to gain more knowledge of Colorado history. I thought this book would be a good place to start.

It Happened in Colorado is an easy read only 128 pages, plus a Bibliography and index in the back. Topics are separated into 35 short snippets, ranging from ancient times up to the 1980s. Most of the topics I was familiar with already, but some events were completely new to me. Each story is about 3-4 pages long with just enough information to give basic facts.

At first I was disappointed that the information was so brief, but then I made a list of topics I want to research further. So, the book fulfilled the purpose I wanted.....a place to start in my efforts to study Colorado history!

[Rachel Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very surface-level but interesting book nonetheless. James Crutchfield talks about just a few of the countless interesting and some forgotten events in Colorado history, predictably focusing on a lot of pioneers and explorers, rather than indigenous history or people once they were long settled in towns. So in that sense it was yet another western glory story, but it was helpful to refresh myself on what some of those stories are, I suppose.

[Catalin Gheorghe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short retelling of past events, highly varied. Easy to read, as the target is young adults. However, the chapters are so short that you feel like reading trivia sometimes. And I expected to find out more about historical landmark events - like the war with mexico, colorado statehood.

Still, I recommend reading it if your paths intersect with Colorado, or if you are interested about american history through a day to day lens.

[Peggy McCoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick looks at early influential people in Colorado. It was fun, since I've been most of the places these events occurred. Many of these people are now place names. The author does a good job of not sugar coating the treatment of the native peoples.

[Lynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

a quick glance when I picked up this book made me think it was focused on the sand creek massacre.
just a little telling of Colorado history that reminds me of the atrocities committed in the name of manifest destiny & greed.

[Joey Chuita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick tidbits of information that can lead to further reading and research.

[Soleil Sadler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting collection of stories.

[Mary Preston · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this book was super entertaining and better paced then the last book i read so it was good that way but only a few of the stories in it were eventful enough to be memorable.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good for a casual reader with quick snippets of Colorado state history. Nothing is really written in-depth.

[Craig Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprisingly multicultural look at important figures and events in the state's history. The very short stories offer a primer to go deeper with other sources.

[Jorge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very informative. Every story was short and easy to read. I wanted to read it to know a little of the background of Colorado and I feel like I accomplished what I was hoping to achieve. Although, I have to admit that some of the stories were interesting only because I heard a little about them from my History class in college. Besides that, I am pleased with having read it and hearing stories like Francis Parkman's predictions of CO and the story of cannibalism.

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is targeted for middle schoolers but I guess that's about when I would have learned Colorado history had I grown up in Colorado and studied state history in school. The stories are interesting tales of the untamed West and the colorful characters that help shape the Centennial State. It was fun learning about where the names of some Colorado towns and streets in Denver originated. Definitely worth a read if you'd like to learn a little more about Colorado.

[Guy · Rating 3 out of 5]

gives a good overgview of many of the stories in colorado history

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting details

[Alison Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great little overview of the history of Colorado

[Wanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a little book of mini-histories of Colorado.

[Teri Reck · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating series of vignettes that tell of the amazing history of Colorado from ancient times to modern. It is a good look at the characters who helped to shape the American West and the circumstances that created the state of Colorado from a wilderness. Definitely worth reading.