CB Museum Book of the Month Club: The Spagetti Gang

Join us for a monthly book club where we will explore and discuss both non-fiction and fiction works that explore the history of our valley and the lifestyles of those who lived lives similar to those who established the town of Crested Butte.

The Spaghetti Gang is the delightful memoir by Richard Guerrieri, a coal miner’s son who grew up in the rough mountain town of Crested Butte, Colorado. Guerrieri’s account of his boyhood is wildly entertaining. His stories feature ranching, coal mining, Catholicism, World War II, hunting, skiing, and hilarious activities involving a young boy including vignettes about “strap-on ski’s,” “no bathing suits,” “a horse named SOB,” and “the dreaded Catechism.”

Crested Butte was a microcosm of coal towns in America during the dark days of the Great Depression. Guerrieri’s account of his early life and his family’s transition from coal mining in Crested Butte to ranching in Gunnison, Colorado, shows that amidst the economic woes of the time there was fun and adventure to be had. The Spaghetti Gang tells a unique and heart-warming story of an ethnic coal town in American history.