Rufus L. Porter

Who was Rufus L. Porter?

Rufus L. Porter was a well-regarded poet living in the Pikes Peak region near Cascade, Colorado during the 1950s until his death in 1979. Porter was called the "Hard Rock Poet" and wrote 3 books:

⁕Gold Fever: The World's Greatest Gold Camp in Picture, Song and Story; 48 pages, 1954.

⁕The Fiddler from Wilson Creek and Other Western Ballads, about 50 pages, 1954.

⁕Pay Dirt: More Tales and Ballads about The World's Greatest Gold Camp; 60 pages, 1961.

All three books were about Victor, the "World's Greatest Gold Camp". Porter came to Victor in 1917 to work in the mines.

Porter also wrote numerous short poems about the human condition that ordinary people could enjoy. These poems were published in newspapers during the 1950s.

One of these poems ends with the following advice:

Porter died in Riverside, California.