First published 2020
The early 1880s bring fierce competition to Colorado's high country as two railroad empires clash over access to the mineral riches of the San Juan Mountains. General William Jackson Palmer drives his Denver and Rio Grande railroad toward the Continental Divide, while Governor John Evans pushes his Denver, South Park and Pacific line through the same treacherous terrain. Both men know that reaching the booming Gunnison country first means control of a potential transcontinental route. The narrow gauge tracks snake through Marshall Pass, one of the great gateways through the Rockies, where locomotives battle elevation and weather. Colorful figures like Otto Mears and postmaster Gus Latham navigate the changing fortunes as the Rio Grande claims victory in this railroad war. For seven years, Palmer's line holds the only transcontinental passage through Colorado, until standard gauge routes and modern highways reshape the mountain transportation network forever.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers
Setting: Colorado, Gunnison, Marshall Pass, San Juan Mountains
Period: 1880s
178 pages · Paperback · Western Reflections Publishing Co.