Tomboy Bride, 50th Anniversary Edition - by Harriet Fish Backus (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A Colorado favorite, Tomboy Bride presents the first-hand account of a young pioneer woman and her life in a rough and tumble mining town of the Old West.

In 1906 at the age of twenty, Harriet Fish hopped on a train from Oakland, California, to the San Juan Mountains of Colorado in search of a new life as the bride of assayer George Backus. Together, the couple ventured forth to discover mining town life at the turn of the twentieth century, adjusting to dizzying elevation heights of 11,500 feet and all the hardships that come with it: limited water, rationed food supplies, lack of medical care, difficulty in travel, avalanches, and many more. As she and George move from Telluride's Tomboy Mine to the rugged coast of British Columbia, to the town of Elk City, Idaho, and then back to Colorado's Leadville, Harriet paints a poignant picture of a world centered around mining, sharing amusing and often challenging experiences as a woman of the era.

With a new foreword by award-winning author Pam Houston, this 50th anniversary edition also includes previously unpublished black and white photographs documenting Harriet's journey. Tomboy Bride endures as a classic of the region to this day as it captures in heart-felt emotion and vivid detail the personal account of Harriet Backus, a true pioneer of the West.

Review Quotes

"As the classic Telluride read, Tomboy Bride has held the #1 spot on the annual bestseller list at BTC for over a decade. An amazing story the first time you read it, and fun to gift to those who wonder what living in the wild alpine west was like. We joke that the summer Jeep tours that visit the old Tomboy mine and townsite should end the tour in front of the bookstore because once people hear about her life and actually see where she lived, they want to read the book."

"In the early 1900s, Harriet Backus went to live with her new husband, an engineer, in the remote mining community of Telluride, CO. Tomboy Bride, her account of her experiences and struggles, is remarkable. The couple endured bitter winters, dangerous conditions, limited food, no running water, and plenty of other hardships, yet the spirited Harriet found it all fascinating--and readers will, too. Harriet's unembellished first-hand account of her day-to-day life will certainly appeal to fans of history and biography, and to anyone loves a good outdoor adventure."