Frontier Footprints: A True History of the Rocky Mountains by Amy Kathryn Allen

Previously

…He’d heard the stories from the Ute and Crow peoples, tales of balance and respect, of a land that provided when it was honored. But the lure of gold was a siren song, drowning out all other voices. He understood Silas’s sentiment, the unsettling feeling of being a trespasser, of disturbing something sacred. Yet, the thought of turning back, of abandoning the dream, was a prospect more terrifying than any mountain curse. “It’s just the wind, Silas,” Elias said, his voice lacking conviction. “We’re here to find what the mountain’s hiding. Nothing more, nothing less.” Silas grunted, a sound of weary acceptance.