Three Little Lines by Crum, Durango Herald-News, 1960. Mining was dependent on roads and rails. The most difficult roads and many of the rails were built by Otto Mears, a pathfinder and master builder if ever one lived. The history of the San Juans is incomplete without some knowledge of Mears, and this is the only extensive source of which we know. It is out of print.
Used copies are difficult to find and snapped up quickly when they become available.
You may find a copy in a library or find someone in the area to lend you their copy. Images of the San Juans , Smith, Western Reflections, 1997. This is an affectionately assembled collection of rare photographs from the collections of Ruth and Marvin Gregory. The photos bring to life the beauty of the area, and the difficulties of mining and the rigors of the winter weather. Tomboy Bride , Backus, Pruett Publishing, 1979.