Review by Ed Quillen
Colorado Tourism – August 2001 – Colorado Central Magazine
The Colorado Guide
Fifth Edition
by Bruce Caughey and Dean Winstanley
Published in 2001 by Fulcrum
ISBN 1-55591-006-8
THE FIRST COLORADO guidebooks appeared before there was a Colorado. They were issued in 1859, and were guides to the “Pike’s Peak Gold Fields” where some books had it that nuggets lay about for the pickings. Disappointed newcomers often threatened to lynch the guidebook authors — who were hard to find, since many of those guidebook writers had never been west of Omaha, and their books were based on rumor and conjecture.
Guidebook accuracy has improved since then, but the general idea seems to remain: provide information so that people can find what they’re looking for in the mountains of Colorado. These days, they’re not looking for gold or silver; they’re looking for recreation, entertainment, food, drink, and lodging.
And if that’s what you’re looking for in an unfamiliar part of our state, The Colorado Guide will get you started.
It’s divided into regions: Northwest, North Central, Northeast, Southwest, Southeast, and our part of the world: South Central, which is comprised of chapters on Cañon City, Colorado Springs, Creede and Lake City, Cripple Creek and Victor, the San Luis Valley, South Park and the Highway 285 corridor, and the Wet Mountain Valley. There’s also a “Leadville” and an “Upper Arkansas Valley,” even though Leadville is about as “Upper” as you can get on the Arkansas.
Each chapter gives a general description of the area, followed by a brief history. Then it lists major attractions, festivals and events, outdoor activities (hikes, bike rides, fishing spots, float trips, scenic drives, four-wheel-drive routes, skiing and snowshoeing, etc.), things to see and do (museums, tours, etc.), a few lodging suggestions, some places to eat, and what services are available. The book provides addresses and phone numbers, as well as websites, where appropriate.
THIS IS A GUIDEBOOK, not the Yellow Pages, so the lists are not exhaustive. Instead, they focus on distinctive local operations, and the authors generally offer a variety that ranges from inexpensive diners to some seriously upscale dining experiences.
By and large, their selections seemed sensible for the towns I’m familiar with, although as someone who likes our Clear Creek valley just as it is, I hate to see it mentioned in any guidebook.
Errors are inevitable in any undertaking, especially one as ambitious as the Guide, and I was pleased at how few I discovered: the only one that jumped out at me was when it had Salida’s annual Artwalk in late July when it’s always in late June.
Another problem with guidebooks is inherent — things change after the book goes to the printer. For instance, the 12-mile Mineral Belt Trail that opened last year is now a major attraction for Leadville, but it’s not in the book.
And I have to wonder at the local effects of guidebooks, especially one that claims to have sold more than 150,000 copies over the years. Does it promote more industrial tourism, thereby overlaying our landscape with more Super 8s and Burger Kings? Or by focusing, as this one does, on the local ma-and-pa outlets, does it assist local enterprises in resisting the invasion of franchised Generica?
No, I don’t have an answer. But if you need to visit another part of our state and you’re planning on spending some time along the way, The Colorado Guide will give you some information that is useful, interesting, and reasonably accurate.
–Ed Quillen