In 1914, Charlotte Perry and Portia Mansfield envisioned a secluded institution nestled in the mountains, where art and nature could intersect. By the 1920s, their remote Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School & camp in Steamboat Springs was serving as a hub for top dancers such as Jose Limon and Harriette Ann Gray to hone their craft. In addition to training thousands of pointed toes and arched feet, the school showcased equestrian jumping and performed plays by masters, including Shakespeare, Garcia Lorca and Tennessee Williams. The theater program eventually attracted budding actors like Julie Harris, Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Biel. Author Dagny McKinley presents the story of America’s longest continuously running performing arts camp.

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Steamboat Springs is world renowned for the ski mountain that overshadows the town, but it was the multitude of springs that drew Ute Indians and then the first white settlers to this valley. John Crawford, Steamboat’s founder, envisioned a town where people traveled from around the world to take part in the healing properties of the waters. The various springs were believed to cure everything from rheumatism, gout and dyspepsia to virulent blood disorders and skin diseases. While some springs have disappeared and others were sacrificed in the name of progress, many – including Old Town Hot Springs and Strawberry Park Hot Springs – still beckon visitors to bask in their sparkling waters.

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Wild Hearts: Dog Sledding the Rockies was McKinley’s first published book. Currently out of print, the book explored the daily lives of sled dogs, their personalities and their immense capacity to love.

Follow the adventures of a girl and her dog as they find a home in the mountains around them.

Follow the adventures of a girl and her dog as they find a home in the canyons around them.

Follow the adventures of a girl and her dog as they find a home by the ocean.

Follow the adventures of a girl and her dog as they find a home on the plains.

Follow the adventures of a girl and her dog as they find a home in the snow.