Tough Men in Hard Places: A Photographic Collection

Description

The mines in southwestern Colorado were in trouble and needed cheap, reliable electric power to keep running. This is the story of innovative solutions to solve the problem using alternating current electricity and the incredible effort, tenacity, and toughness of the men who overcame formidable obstacles to bring electrification to the mines, ranches, homes, and businesses in the remote and rugged areas of southwestern Colorado. Here is their story in over 80 intriguing historic photos from the Center of Southwest Studies. Tough men peer from the pages with attitude to spare next to gargantuan equipment in unforgiving terrain. Many of the photographs were taken by Philip "P. C." Schools, power plant superintendent with the Western Colorado Power Co., whose turn-of-the-century photographs documented the coming of electricity to Southwest Colorado and from which his legacy glows.

You can find Esther in one of two places. Either she will be searching the archives at the Center of Southwest Studies, or hiking in the Weminuche Wilderness as a volunteer for the San Juan Mountains Association looking for arborglyphs. A far cry from her life in Washington, DC, where she was born and worked for the Veterans Administration. She is married and lives in Durango, Colorado.

"For the most part, Journalists, (a label I've proudly worn for nearly sixty years), focus on history as it's being made, and historians on 'the lies agreed to' of events past. Esther merges the two and writes with present tense immediacy of events concluded decades ago. In her intelligent book, TOUGH MEN IN HARD PLACES, she gives life and voice to some of America's most hard driven heroes-all of them long ago lost to the years. You can almost see their lips moving in the compelling photographs that accompany their own words, faithfully translated to print. . . It's a celebration of American enterprise everywhere." -Sid Feders, Executive Director, Envision Entertainment, Emmy, Peabody and Dupont award-winning former Executive Producer NBC News "TOUGH MEN IN HARD PLACES is a book that everyone, with even the slightest interest in history, should own personally. If you are just fascinated with people; you have to look at the faces of the men who brought electricity to Western Colorado over . . . and over again. If you are curious about the ingenuity and industry of early America in the West, you have to peruse each picture in depth. Finally, if you like photography in its purest and most primitive black and white form, this book is a "must have." "TOUGH MEN IN HARD PLACES is a classic portrait of the greatness of America "in the making." It is a book you will go through from cover to cover, and then do it again. I love history. I love America. I love the people who made our country into what it is today. A few words and a great number of pictures tell you a true story you will never forget." -Allen C. Harper, Owner, The Durango and Silverton, Narrow Gauge Railroad "As a sixth generation Durangoan, I great enjoyed seeing this wonderful collection of old photos and reading the firsthand accounts of the men who made our community's electrification possible. TOUGH MEN IN HARD PLACES belongs in your library." Roderick Barker, Owner, The Strater Hotel, Durango, CO "Wiring our West: Book illuminates electrification of Southwest Colorado. . . The images in TOUGH MEN IN HARD PLACES come from the [Western Power Company's] collection of 8,000 documents, blueprints and photographs, most taken from the 1890s to the 1940s. The collection was donated to the Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College, where Greenfield, a volunteer, got the first look at this treasure trove. She spent three years preparing the collection for an archivist. . . "This is a collection of photographs I find visually beautiful." . . . With magnifying glass in hand, Greenfield delighted in peering at subtle details such as two men perched atop smokestacks more than 100 feet above the Durango powerhouse in 1917 and a dog wearing shoes at the Tacoma power plant in 1910. But most of all she was drawn to the rugged men and the aesthetics of the machinery - the architecture, large and small, of a new age." -David Buck, The Durango Herald "...[Esther] discovered and brought to life a part of history that very easily could have remained lost in time, forever forgotten. But [Esther's] sense of observation and curiosity led [her] to the story that everybody else passed by, unable to see." -Mermaid Letellier, Denver, CO "Tough Men in Hard Places is phenomenal. It's amazing that someone who simply came across the cache of these photos was inspired to put this together and have a really well-told and visual history of electrifying the West. When you see the book, it brings it all to life." -Danielle Ghear, Powerhouse Science Center, Durango, CO "A great book. . . The Western Colorado Power Company employees had tough work to do to keep electricity flowing . . . Esther's volunteer work culminated in this overdue book is an enormous contribution to the historic value of the intellect and toughness it took to electrify these towns. . . Brings to light the extreme importance that electric power company employees provide to give us the lifestyle we enjoy. This is particularly true of the early pioneers and those who followed who put in the tough and dangerous work shifts necessary to keep the lights on and industry flowing regardless of the circumstances." -Jack Pera, Telluride, CO "Northwest Lineman College has always been committed to preserving and promoting an understanding of the history of the power industry. We feel that it is important for our students to understand how we got where we are - it did not just happen - there was a lot of trial and error along with serious injuries including fatalities which paved the path to where we are today. We feel that the quality of the training and education we provide is enhanced by including selected key historical elements in the curriculum. . . TOUGH MEN IN HARD PLACES' very informative forward and introduction sets the stage for the introduction of electric power and the pioneering efforts of L.L. Nunn. The emergence of power companies and the ultimate amalgamation of these companies into the Western Colorado Power Company is nicely explained. The author does a great job describing the hazardous and difficult conditions the men had to work in. I found the wages for the various power company positions and work shifts that were included very informative. The meat of the book is the great photographs that the author meticulously selected that show a nice variety of the projects, repairs and tasks the men were exposed to. The pictures are supplemented by interesting and informative quotes recorded from farmers, ranchers and former Western Colorado Power Company employees after they retired. The pictures include many great winter scenes that showcase the difficult conditions in which these workers had to maintain the various facilities of company. One image I found extremely interesting was a copy of an accident report about an accident that occurred in one of the substations. In general, the pictures include power lines, penstocks, flumes, power plants, power stations, cabins and other related elements. The book concludes with some historic interviews and a brief biography of P.C. Schools, who eventually became Chief Engineer of the Western Colorado Power Company. Many of the photographs in the book were taken by Schools during his career with Western Colorado Power. The end of the book includes a glossary of terms that were used during this early period that can easily be referred too as the reader is going through the book. There are several documented articles and publications that have been done over the years on the Telluride Power Company along with its predecessor, the Western Colorado Power Company that go into more technical details. None of these references have the amount or quality of the photographs that TOUGH MEN IN HARD PLACES has. The grandeur of the spectacular San Juan Mountains, the famous mining, the narrow gauge railroading and one of the most famous pioneering achievements in the power industry set the stage for this great book. As I read through the book pausing to reflect on the pictures I would frequently pause and "Imagine how it must have been". I found myself going through the book more than once. I thoroughly enjoyed the book which will now resides in the student library at Northwest Lineman College for student and staff research. The book is a must for anyone interested in the history of the Telluride Power Company and the Western Colorado Power Company. I also recommend the book for anyone interested in the mining and railroading history of the San Juan Mountains." -Alan Drew, Senior Vice President Research and Development, Northwest Lineman College, IEEE Lifetime Member, 2008 Inductee into the International Lineman's Hall of Fame "Esther's book is a fascinating snapshot of an important part of Colorado history. It is especially intriguing to anyone who walks through the backwoods of Colorado and sees the remnants of activity that took place a century or more ago. Colorado is covered with derelict old buildings, dams, flumes, railways, and other unknown and sometimes unidentifiable bric-a-brac. Here it is, caught on camera: the men who left these still-visible marks on the Colorado. The pictures, and especially the engaging quotes, put a real face on this part of history." -Bob Bundy "If a photo is worth a thousand words, this is a book for you. Everyone knows about the birth of AC power and the mammoth fight between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse from the pages of our high school history books, but before this publication, nobody knew about the men who actually placed the poles and hung the lines to reach the mines in the rugged 13-14,000 foot mountains. This fascinating pictorial history shows those men at work shortly after the turn of the century, using the most rudimentary tools available at the time. The photos are from the Western Colorado Power company collection, housed in the archive of the Center of Southwest Studies. If you love history, this is an important book." -Beverly E. Rich, Director of the San Juan Historical Museum