Florence: 1870s-1970s - Paperback

by Dennis Lancaster (Author)

The birth of the state of Colorado led to a migration to the base of the Rocky Mountains along the Arkansas River, where men and women readily accepted their responsibilities and stepped up to make Florence an essential supply center enduring for decades. Just like the trees of the first successful apple orchard planted in Colorado, families took root in the area, and Florence grew. Soon, coal and oil from the surrounding hills and gold, silver, and other precious minerals high in the nearby mountains required the existence of Florence to supply materials and labor for operations. They depended on Florence to process and deliver the products of their effort. From the planting of that first apple tree in 1860 to the continued extraction of coal and oil into the 1970s, the community of Florence has played a key role in the area's accomplishment. Now, over 40 years later, take a look back at how those men and women achieved that accomplishment.

Author Biography

Dennis M. Lancaster was born and raised in Florence and has enjoyed a successful career as a technical writer, expressing his interest in the history of small rural communities and Native American tribal development. Dennis has partnered with the Florence Pioneer Museum & Research Center in this comprehensive historical pictorial overview of the town he grew up in and in memory of his first history mentors, Chopper and Toni Price.