Project Gutenberg's The Boys of Crawford's Basin, by Sidford F. Hamp

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: The Boys of Crawford's Basin
The Story of a Mountain Ranch in the Early Days of Colorado

Author: Sidford F. Hamp

Illustrator: Chase Emerson

Release Date: August 26, 2008 [EBook #26434]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BOYS OF CRAWFORD'S BASIN ***

Produced by Janet Keller, D Alexander and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

The Boys of Crawford's Basin

_THE STORY OF A MOUNTAIN RANCH
IN THE EARLY DAYS OF COLORADO_

BY SIDFORD F. HAMP

_Author of "Dale and Fraser, Sheepmen," etc._

ILLUSTRATED BY CHASE EMERSON

W. A. WILDE COMPANY
BOSTON CHICAGO

_Copyrighted, 1907_

BY W. A. WILDE COMPANY

_All rights reserved_

THE BOYS OF CRAWFORD'S BASIN

[Illustration: "THERE WAS BIG REUBEN LOOKING DOWN AT US"]

PREFACE

In relating the adventures of "The Boys of Crawford's Basin," the
author has endeavored to depict the life of the ranchman in the
mountains of Colorado as he knew it towards the end of the "seventies"
of the century just past.

At that date, the railroads, after their long climb from the Missouri
River to the foot of the Rocky Mountains, were still seeking a
practicable passage westward over that formidable barrier, and in
consequence, the mountain ranchman--who, by the way, was also sometimes
a prospector and frequently a hunter--having no means of shipping his
produce to the outside world, depended for his market upon one or
another of the many little silver-mining camps scattered over the State.

That infant State was but just learning to walk without leading-strings;
and it has been the aim of the author to show how two stout young
fellows, prone to honesty and not afraid of hard work, were able to do
their share in advancing the prosperity of the growing Commonwealth in
which their lot was cast.

It may not be out of place, perhaps, to mention that, besides having had
considerable experience in ranching, the author was, about the date of
the story, himself prospecting for silver and working as a mine