An Isolated Empire: A History of Northwest Colorado BLM Cultural Resource Series (Colorado: No. 12)

In the six months it took to prepare this document, many kind people helped the author. Special thanks are due to Dr. Maxine Benson, Colorado State Historical Society; Dr. Don Rickey, Jr., Bureau of Land Management, Denver, Colorado; Dr. Jack Brennan, University of Colorado, Boulder; the Western History Collection, Denver, Public Library, Denver, Colorado; and the counties of Moffat, Rio Blanco and Routt. All of these people or agencies provided invaluable assistance in research. For field support, Marvin Pearson, Wade Johnson, Jim Keeton, Stan Colby, Don Bruns, Ad Neisius, Glenn Wallace and Mac Berta all extended themselves to make life easier and more productive. Their help is greatly appreciated.

In the actual production of this work, many people assisted and provided advice and consultation. To Julie Stewart, Gary Matlock, Fil Jiminez, Kip Hinton, Gene Miller, and last but not least Evaline Olson, I give my special thanks. Thanks also to Angie Fernandez and Louise Jahnke who typed countless drafts of this study.

Frederic J. Athearn
Denver, Colorado

Frederic J. Athearn was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and has lived in Colorado since 1947. He attended the University of Colorado, where he received his B.A. in History and Spanish; St. Louis University where he was granted an M.A. in history, and the University of Texas at Austin, where he earned a Ph.D in American history, specializing in New Mexico and the American Southwest. He has taught at the University of Texas and the University of Colorado. The author has taught Colorado History since 1973 at the University of Colorado. He is presently the Bureau of Land Management's Colorado State Office Historian. The author has published in numerous professional journals and is an active member of professional history societies.