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by Jan Mackell Collins (Author)
Malice in a Mining Mecca
Pernicious activity tends to follow prosperity, and the heyday of the Cripple Creek mining district was no exception. Cripple Creek's first murder spilled out from a saloon in 1892. The 1894 heist at the Victor Hotel took place mere months after opening. Railroad superintendent Richard Newell was gunned down over a construction right of way dispute--a contentious, nationwide issue to this day. By 1893, the area was home to dancehall girls and prostitutes, including the harlot who burned down Cripple Creek in 1896 and the vixen who torched Victor in 1899. From body snatcher "Pretty Jack" McEachern to conman-turned-Roosevelt confidante Ben Daniels, the district played host to a cast of capricious characters. Join author Jan MacKell Collins as she recounts the colorful camps and raucous ruffians that defined the oft-described Wild West.
Author Biography
Jan MacKell Collins has been rambling around the West for most of her life, taking copious notes and photographs of the people, places and events that were integral to shaping the American West. She has been a published author and speaker since 2003, with a devout fondness for the wicked side of history. Collins has been published in such magazines as True West, as well as other local and regional periodicals.
