Tough Men in Hard Places: A Photographic Collection - Softcover

Greenfield, Esther

Softcover

ISBN 10: 194182112X ISBN 13: 9781941821121

Verlag: Alaska Northwest Books, 2014

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Críticas:

"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

"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

"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

"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

"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 [and] 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

"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

"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

"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

Reseña del editor:

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.

Über diese Auflage

• Verlag: Alaska Northwest Books
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2014
• ISBN 10: 194182112X
• ISBN 13: 9781941821121
• Einband: Tapa blanda
• Anzahl der Seiten: 128