History books contain keys to city and region

EDITOR'S NOTE: This week in each Life section (plus Out There), we offer topical books for gift- giving ideas this holiday season. Today in Books, we feature books about Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region.

Newcomers to the Pikes Peak region sometimes ask about its history. Unfortunately, the people they ask also may be newcomers. Such is the nature of our city.

So if you're one of them (or not, and still wondering), some good books about the area may enlighten you and provide entertaining reading, too.

"Everyone should read Frank Waters' 'Pikes Peak,'" says Mary Ciletti, owner of Hooked on Books.

Dick Noyes of The Chinook Bookshop agrees and says the same about Marshall Sprague's "Newport in the Rockies" and, to a lesser extent, Sprague's "Money Mountain," a history of Cripple Creek.

"Newport," as a local history, "has no peer. It's definitely the best," Noyes says.

Other books they recommend:

"The Man on the Iron Horse," by Rhoda Wilcox, about the city's founder, Gen. William Jackson Palmer.

"Broadmoor Memories: The History of The Broadmoor," by Elena Bertozzi-Villa, a history of the grand old hotel.

"Cripple Creek Days," by Mabel Barbee Lee, about the heyday of the mining town whose history is intertwined with that of Colorado Springs.

"A Lifetime of Memories in the Pikes Peak Region," by Irving Howbert. Also, his "Indians of the Pikes Peak Region."

"He was such a wonderful writer," Ciletti says.

"Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak Country: A Pictorial History," by Rosemary and John Hetzler.

"Trails Guide - Denver to Pikes Peak," by Zoltan Malocsay, more than just a guide.

"Pikes Peak Atlas," by Robert Ormes, in its eighth edition. "It's actually a large, folded map with lots of information on it," Noyes says.

For other books on local history, check out any local bookstore, as well as gift shops that carry local history books and the Pikes Peak Library District and its bran- ches.

- Linda DuVal may be reached at 636-0371 or duval@gazette.com Edited by Joanna Bean; Headline by Rhonda Van Pelt

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