Colorado Rascals, Scoundrels, and No Goods of Breckenridge, Frisco, Dillon, Keystone and Silverthorne

by Mary Ellen Gilliland

Immensely readable, informative and entertaining. Who is better than Mary Ellen Gilliland to write a humourous yet fact-filled treatise on Summit County's coloful and somewhat off-color characters of the past.

198 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, this book was surprise of the year. It caught my eye while I was in a book shop in Silverthorn, Co. I bought it mainly because I thought the title was really funny. It was actually funny all the way through. The author uses all the old vocab from the time and for whatever reason I found it hilarious. As a bonus, the stories are well told and very interesting. As a double bonus all of the events are in the surrounding area that we are pretty familiar with. I read this after I got home, but I'm really wishing I read this before our trip out to the Breckenridge area. We go there pretty often so I'll probably bring this with me and try to hit up some of the old locations. Really, really cool book and a sleeper for sure.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another disappointment. The author assumes the role of authoritative Summit County historian but that does not mean the writing is coherent or quality. Much of the book is quotes from other books or newspapers. The author has obviously completed hours of research but her storytelling is lacking. What could have been entertaining subjects felt more amateur academic.

[Baronda Bradley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but lots of editorial mistakes.

[Michelle Brandstetter · Rating 2 out of 5]

The mountain region between Breckenridge, Frisco, Dillon, Keystone and Silverthorne had it's fair share of unsavory people. Mary Ellen Gilliland takes us back to the past to take a closer look at their antics and the justice system that doled out the consequences. That is, if they were caught. There is a lot of history in this little book with a mission to shed light on those shady characters of the past with both primary and secondary sources cited for further reading and research.

I love history and especially Colorado history. It allows me to imagine what life was like here the Centennial State long ago. Since our family is a one of camping enthusiasts, it also gives me ideas for future trips to areas we may not be too familiar with or to keep our eyes open for things we may have overlooked. As with some books that are either self-published or have a tight budget for publication, there were a few typos and grammatical errors. Overall it's a pretty good little read.

[Kettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

History of Summit County bad guys. Mildly amusing, poorly edited, and somewhat interesting. If you're big into early Colorado history and don't mind a few grammatical errors, you might like it.