Reviewed by San Juan Publishing

Guaranteed a good read and filled with hundreds of wonderful stories. Gerald Swanson’s memory is prodigious and his photo collection impressive. Over 250 black and white photos of Silverton’s colorful past accompany his highly humorous walk down memory lane. 

Gerald “Swanee” Swanson is a consummate  storyteller. He paints a vivid picture of life in San Juan County and Silverton from the 1930s to the Millennium. Born in 1930, Gerald was a creative Depression kid—he and his buddies made up their own fun and never ran out of innovative ways to cause mischief. He played basket- ball in high school, soldiered in Korea then came home to Silverton, where he settled in as businessman, family man and community leader. Through it all, Swanee never lacked for ingenuity, and his belief in the town and its future remained steadfast.

This is Swanee’s Silverton: Gerald Swanson’s story of a unique mountain town, told from his own unique perspective. No hard-core, cut and dried historical account, this is one man’s compelling, entertaining, personal account of the people and the town where he has spent his entire life. 

200 pages. Soft Cover, Full color cover. Available from Western Reflections.