Father and Son Publish a Wonderful Book Together

Father and son publish a book using photographs from the Western History Collection. 

Several months ago, Larry Johnson called the Western History reference phone line and asked for permission to use several photographs in our collection. He was very excited about using our photos and matching them with images that he and his son had taken all over Colorado. Not only was he excited about our photographs, but he wanted to write a book along with his son. I had the pleasure to speak with him and told him to come in and discuss his idea with us, as well as help him find appropriate photographs. And that he did! Here, in his own words, is the story behind their publishing efforts:

"The vision began with one photograph - the old town site of Buckskin Joe. Cassandra, my wife, surprised me with the amazing old photo and immediately Stephen, my son, asked "Can we go there?" We stopped on the way to a high mountain hike, thinking we may be able to find the original town. Once we did, we then decided to match up the photo simply to see if we could - and we did. The results were fantastic and the idea blossomed from there to find, explore, match up - and write about each location.

My son took the lead in finding the locations once we were nearby with an uncanny knack of lining up the mountains, buildings, and trees to the old photographs. Due to his persistence we were able to stand on the same spot as the frontier photographer we were following. My wife took the lead in ensuring the photo's were perfect - taking as many as needed and going back as necessary to get that perfect shot.

As we trekked across the state, we saw amazing sights and met special people. From the bear running through Aspen, to the young man living the true Colorado spirit by riding a mountain pass daily just to get to work, to the people who allowed us access to their property - the summer of 2013 was truly epic for our family!"

Congratulations, Larry and Stephen! You have created a truly wonderful book. Our department was very happy to help you with your endeavor and creating a tighter bond with your son!

If you'd like to purchase this book, it can be found on Amazon, search for "A Century of Change in Colorado, Then and Now - A Photographic History." 

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