Lecture - Genevieve Johannsen, Lost Sopris
Many know of Sopris, the sleepy former coal camp along the Purgatoire River in las Animas County, but
the Sopris they knew was the remnants of five coal camps with long forgotten history. Genevieve will share
the distant history of the formation of the towns, and the mighty mines that created them. The cast of
characters are some of America’s wealthiest industrialists, and others who built their fortunes form the
abundant coal in the area. And we cannot talk about Colorado coal without talking about Colorado’s miners’
attempts to unionize to have a better life—a deadly task for many. If you are a local resident of Southern
Colorado, you are very likely to recognize names of those who once lived in Sopris and were part of the active
community before relocating.
