By Ann Klaiman
Author Doris Osterwald, best known for her guides to Colorado’s tourist trains, passed away March 27, 2014, two days before her 93rd birthday. In 1965, Osterwald published Cinders and Smoke, A Mile by Mile by Mile Guide for the Durango and Silverton Railroad, and it quickly set a standard for pleasing passengers from casual tourists to true train aficionados. It’s now in its eighth edition and was the first publication of Western Guideways, Ltd., founded by Osterwald and her husband, Frank – a savvy move at a time when self-publishing was known, disparagingly, as “vanity press.” Other Mile by Mile guides followed, including Highline to Leadville (Leadville & Colorado Southern Railroad), Rails Thru the Gorge (Cañon City & Royal Gorge Route), and Sand and Smoke (San Luis and Rio Grande Railroad).
An unrelenting researcher with a grip on details, Osterwald brought to her writing a love of Colorado history and two degrees in geology. Her guides have become trusted reference works, and, with over a million books in print, Osterwald has likely set some sort of record amongst non-fiction writers in Colorado.
She is survived by three children, five grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. Having served in the Navy WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service) in WWII, Osterwald received military honors at Fort Logan National Cemetery and is buried next to her husband, Frank, also a WWII veteran. – By Ann Klaiman
