Raymond L. Lowrie

The Elephant’s Grip was published in December 2016 by The Wild Rose Press Inc., of Adams Basin, NY. The story deals with frontier, mining, racial and personal growth issues. Obsessed with finding gold, Jeremy and his rogue step-uncle cross grueling plains and climb rugged mountains to join the Pikes Peak gold rush of 1859. Nature’s perils, deadly conflicts with Indians and fellow gold seekers all hinder their progress, but a wise old prospector takes them under his wing, counseling them on the ways of mining and other affairs. Together they struggle mightily to dig gold amid constant danger and formidable setbacks. Among the few women in the area are an African-American healer who cures Jeremy of tick fever, an attractive and enterprising young widow who establishes her own bakery business and a cabaret singer—an escaped slave. Which one will capture his heart permanently, plumb his depths and alter his understanding of life’s meanings and purposes?

My wife Mariann and I recently moved to Sun Lakes from Denver, CO. The elevation here is better for my breathing. Our daughter Suzanne lives with us. I’m a retired mining engineer, having worked in three underground mines, various state and federal agencies, and I headed a small mineral resource company. I retired as an assistant director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement in the US Department of the Interior.