Despite badgering by government officials, despite unwarranted accusations of being squatters, the canyon pioneers left their mark on this grand stage. They chiseled trails out of stubborn rock, discovered rich copper deposits below the rim, erected lodges on the rim, and advocated rail connections to the brink of the Grand Canyon to promote its tourism and mining potential.
Monte Bridgestone - rugged, quiet, and trapped in a loveless marriage; his mining skills are no help in consoling a lonely wife. He fights government, sabotage, and greed, and then champions the safeguarding of this wondrous place.
Kirby O'Brien - a hopeless romantic, his slender frame disguises his strength and endurance. First a miner, then a rancher, he is destined to share a golden opportunity with the most beautiful woman in northern Arizona.
Sabrina Jaffa - a young divorcee, proud, pretty and sassy. In search of a new life, she operates under a veil of secrecy, riding like a man but wanting nothing to do with men, that is, until she uncovers a long-kept canyon secret.
In time, the miners put down their picks and shovels and turned to mining the pockets of tourists rather than the pockets of copper hidden in red-stained rock walls. What they began, big corporations finished. What they cherished as their own, the federal government confiscated and protected for future generations.
Canyon Crossroads, a historical novel, Book One in Under the Canyon Sky: is the story of the Grand Canyon pioneers. It is loosely based on forty years of research by the author. There are stories of lost gold, mine explosions, stagecoach rollovers, rockslides, nefarious business dealings, political ambitions gone awry, and a mysterious woman prospector.
"Canyon Crossroads brings to life the intrigue and romance of pioneers at the Grand Canyon amidst governmental pressures and a backdrop of natural wonders. Highly recommended!" -Dr. Gary Fogel, Author and Adjunct Professor at San Diego State University.
Author Biography:
Dick Brown has always been fascinated by western history - mountain men, wagon trains, gold rushes, cattle drives, notorious outlaws, ghost towns, and transcontinental railroads; however, he has concentrated much of his recent writing on one region of the American West in particular - the Grand Canyon. He has spent decades researching the early pioneers and the Canyon's bumpy road from unbridled backcountry to a national park. It is the venerable pioneers of the late nineteenth century, with their struggles to survive and thrive on the ragged edge of this tremendous abyss, that inspired Dick to write this historical novel. The story is based on his own exploration below the rims of the Canyon, on the Colorado River, on the twisted trails, on a mule named Hank, in the copper mines, and at the sites of primitive camps and lodges of a bygone era. During his writing career, Dick has authored and co-authored five award-winning books and has been published in numerous periodicals. He is a retired systems engineer and president of the Grand Canyon Historical Society. As a former Navy submariner, he is a regular contributor to the journal The Submarine Review. He is also past editor of the magazine Ballooning. Dick lives in the forested mountains of central New Mexico, enjoying retirement with his wife and two feral cats.
