"The Town That Said, Hell No!" is the story of Crested Butte, a rural Colorado community under siege by AMAX, a huge international mining corporation. This powerful company was accustomed to getting its way, but it met its match in the late 1970s and early 1980s when it tried to overrun a unique and undaunted adversary. The looming mine threat spurred the birth of HCCA in 1977.
 
Crested Butte was no ordinary town. This small, remote town and the community it nurtured refused the dictates of Big Business with a firm and resounding, "NO!"
 
The town stood up to the mining giant and defended its intimate sense of place, the vulnerable mountain environment in which the town is nestled, and the delicate balance of values that made the town unique and loved by its loyal townspeople. With courage, commitment, humor and derring-do, the town stood its ground for values that connected its struggle with the roots of liberty and the founding principles of democracy.

This powerful account is expertly told by renowned Colorado author, Paul Andersen. The successful culmination of the mine fight in 2024 is, thus far, the crowning achievement for High Country Conservation Advocates!