Essay by John Krist
David Lavender – June 2003 – Colorado Central Magazine
HISTORIAN DAVID LAVENDER was the best sort of guide a traveler in the West could have: A quiet man with a wry sense of humor, he was passionate about this region, refused to romanticize it and was happy to share his knowledge if asked.
He was never sentimental about the West, writing about cowboys: “Although they were slaves to a particularly stupid and unattractive animal, they became symbols of the West’s vaunted freedom.”