The Young Mountaineer by Col. Prentiss Ingraham
February 2019
Originally published in the 1870s as a dime novel and then re-published in 1908 as a nickel weekly, The Young Mountaineer is number 2 of the beloved Beadle’s Frontier Series. The story takes place during the Great Arizona Diamond Swindle of 1872... which, apparently, the author remained unaware was a swindle at the time he was writing the book. It makes for an interesting read for a 21st century reader who knows for a fact there never were any great diamond discoveries in Arizona. Fortunately for the story, the plot doesn’t require actual diamonds as the story is more about friendship, hiding from Apaches, and overcoming the natural adversities of exploring 19th-century Arizona, than diamond digging. Good thing, eh?—because the only diamonds picked up in Arizona were planted there by Wall Street swindlers hoping to make money selling fraudulent diamond-mining stocks.
At more than 37,000 words, this work of fiction, besides being an interesting and fun read, gives the reader a taste of what the masses were reading in the late 19th and early 20th century time period.
At more than 37,000 words, this work of fiction, besides being an interesting and fun read, gives the reader a taste of what the masses were reading in the late 19th and early 20th century time period.