"Ingersoll first came West in 1874...spent two summers traveling through Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho...discovered the famous ruins at Mesa Verde." -The Santa Fe New Mexican, March 13, 1994

"Ingersoll's...adventures in many wilds prove him to be wiry and well supplied with the powers of endurance." -Detroit Free Press, Jan. 30, 1889

"Ernest Ingersoll...has held dialogues with all the leading peaks of the Rocky Mountain chain." -Santa Cruz Sentinel, Sept. 8, 1892

"Perhaps no American writer...has pictured Colorado scenery so lovingly, so truthfully, and with such finished skill as has Ernest Ingersoll." - The Empire of the West (1910)

Was anyone in the 19th Century better acquainted with the entirety of the Rocky Mountains than Ernest Ingersoll who spent years surveying the mountains and their mining operations? Who better then to write of their experiences in this frontier region at a time when some hostile tribes still carried out raids on isolated miners and settlements?

In 1883, Ernest Ingersoll (1852 –1946) would publish the story of his many adventures in the Rocky Mountains and wild mining camps in his book "Knocking Around the Rockies."

In introducing his book, Ingersoll writes:

"It was my good fortune, in 1874, to become attached to the United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories, through the invitation of its chief. This led to my making a foot and-saddle campaign through the southern part of the Rocky Mountains. It was so enjoyable and profitable a summer, that I have since availed myself of every opportunity to explore the fastnesses of those noble ranges, and I now propose to refresh pleasant recollections by recounting some experiences."

During his Rocky Mountain travels, Ingersoll had a chance to meet with famous Ute Chief Ouray, and describes their conversation as follows:

"Ouray tells me that he can remember when the Utes first met the white man (that is, Americans— the Spaniards had been seen long before), in the vicinity of Del Norte, on the Rio Grande. His father, Salvador, was then chief of the tribe, and his mother an Apache. These white men were, of course, traders; but they were soon followed by others, and the Utes soon became familiar and friendly with them; and, Ouray added, 'It is their boast today that a Ute in good standing never killed a white man.' I knew that that was not quite true, but I did not argue the point just then. Now, since the White River massacre, and several other bloody scenes, the assertion is farther than ever from the facts."

About the author:

Ernest Ingersoll was born March 13, 1852, and died November 13, 1946. He was an American naturalist, writer and explorer