Name: The Vanished Texas Coast
Brand: Mark Lardas
SKU: 9781467149853
Price: 21.99 USD
Availability: InStock

The Vanished Texas Coast

9781467149853

$21.99

People may associate Texas with cattle drives and oil derricks, but the sea has shaped the state's history as dramatically as it has delineated its coastline. Some of that history has vanished into the Gulf, whether it is an abandoned port town or a gale-tossed treasure fleet. Revisit the shipwreck that put Texas on the map. Add La Salle's lost colony, the Texas Navy's forgotten steamship and Galveston's overlooked 1915 hurricane to the navigational charts. From the submarines of Seawolf Park to the concrete tanker beached off Pelican Island, author Mark Lardas scours the coast to salvage the secrets of its sunken heritage.

Crowley

9781467108287

$23.99

Established around 1848 as Deer Creek Settlement, Crowley grew from a small pioneering community just south of Fort Worth, Texas. When Galveston, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad Company constructed a rail line during the 1870s connecting Cleburne to Fort Worth, the settlement relocated about a mile west. The first train ran through Crowley on December 8, 1881. An integral part of Crowley's growth, the railroad provided ease of shipping cattle and crops and access to transportation. Cattle were either loaded on to railcars or unloaded and sent directly to stock pens. From there they went straight to an auction barn. A feed mill was built, and grocery and hardware stores soon opened. Records indicate that the first post office was housed in Hayes Brothers General Store and opened in 1883. Crowley was officially on the map as a thriving town. By the end of the 20th century, Crowley boasted approximately 8,000 residents. Since then, the population size has doubled.

Tombstone

9780738579337

$24.99

In the 1800s, Tombstone was a rowdy silver-mining camp and the scene of a famous gunfight that enhanced its wicked reputation. When the rich silver mines were tapped out, Tombstone managed to survive and lived up to its motto, "The Town Too Tough to Die." The movie industry enhanced this wild reputation by portraying legendary gunfights at the O.K. Corral--which never actually took place at that location. For many years, the town has used its history to attract visitors by giving them a sense of life in the Old West. This volume includes many of the postcards tourists mailed home depicting romanticized and legendary views of Tombstone.

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro

9781467106795

$23.99

El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro, the Royal Road of the Interior, is the earliest Euro-American trade route of cultures and commerce in the United States. It spanned about 1,800 miles from Mexico City, where the road originated, to Santa Fe, in New Mexico. For three centuries, this Spanish colonial road followed a network of ancient Native American footpaths and trails that followed the wide expanse of the Rio Grande valley. There were parajes, or campgrounds, along the way for travelers, and early Spanish settlements were established too. Some of the towns and villages are now modern cities, such as Las Cruces, Albuquerque, and Santa Fe. Mexico City, as the former capital of La Nueva España, New Spain, is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Center. In 2000, El Camino Real was officially designated as a national historic trail, administered by the US Department of the Interior. In 2005, the El Camino Real International Heritage Center was erected near Socorro, New Mexico. This is an interpretive learning center that presents the history and heritage of the Royal Road in the region as an integral part of Spain's global network of roads and maritime trade routes.

Griffin Memorial Hospital

9781467106979

$23.99

Griffin Memorial Hospital is located at the end of East Main Street in Norman, Oklahoma. The hospital was originally started as High Gate College, a girls' school established by the United Methodist Church, South in 1890, one year after the settlement of Norman. With competition from the University of Oklahoma, High Gate College closed its doors in early 1895 and was soon bought by the Oklahoma Sanitarium Company. In 1915, the State of Oklahoma bought the Oklahoma Sanitarium Company and renamed the institution Central State Hospital. In 1953, the hospital was renamed Griffin Memorial Hospital. Under the supervision of Dr. David Griffin, the hospital grew to over 30 buildings and three farms in its first 40 years. With a change in institutional care in the 1960s, the state built a Community Health Care Center on the hospital grounds. Today, Griffin Memorial Hospital has few institutionalized patients and little resembles the thriving establishment of the early 20th century.

Midtown Phoenix

9781467115551

$24.99

At the turn of the 20th century, downtown Phoenix was the center of commerce and government of the young city. North of downtown, the homes of business and civic leaders, along with farms and ranches, lined Central Avenue, informally known as "Millionaires' Row." As the city grew, houses and agricultural operations eventually yielded to subdivisions, commercial buildings, and high-rises. While midtown Phoenix changed dramatically over the years, it has retained much of its historic character and is continuously evolving to meet the needs of the community.

Pearce and Sunsites

9780738584737

$24.99

Discovery of gold in 1895 brought fortune seekers to the Sulphur Springs Valley, once the stomping ground of Cochise and Geronimo. A lawman turned train robber, an Arizona Ranger murdered by his wife, and a famous artist were just a few of the people who settled in Pearce. The Commonwealth Mine provided resources for a flourishing community until the Depression and the mine's decline. In the early 1960s, the Horizon Corporation began marketing Valley land as a utopian retirement destination for the World War II generation. Bit by bit, Sunsites sprang up just 2 miles from sparsely populated Pearce. Today the residents of Pearce and Sunsites share amenities, a quiet lifestyle, and views of the spectacular Chiricahua and Dragoon mountain ranges.

Murder and Mayhem in Houston:

9781626195219

$23.99

When the Allen brothers sold Houston's first lots, the city became a magnet for enterprising tycoons and opportunistic crooks alike. As the young city grew, a scourge of crime and vice accompanied the success of oil and real estate. The Bayou City's seedy side--flashing Bowie knives, privileged bad boys, hardened prostitutes and unchecked serial killers--established its hold. From a young Clyde Barrow to the Man Who Killed Halloween," Houston's past is filled with bloody tales, heartbreaking loss and despicable deeds. Authors Mike Vance and John Nova Lomax shine a light on these dark days."

Thurber

9781467105569

$24.99

Once a busy industrial town of nearly 10,000, Thurber now boasts a residency of less than 10. For approximately 50 years, from 1886 to 1936, migrants from the United States, Mexico, Russia, Britain, and Eastern and Western Europe mined bituminous coal, manufactured bricks, and provided the labor for all of the residual businesses in an entirely company-owned town. The rich history of Thurber includes big-city investors, Texas Rangers, labor unions, railroads, sports, opera, diversity, tragedy, triumph, and the everyday lives of men, women, and children.

Harvey Houses of New Mexico:

9781626198593

$21.99

The Santa Fe Line and the famous Fred Harvey restaurants forever changed New Mexico and the Southwest, bringing commerce, culture and opportunity to a desolate frontier. The first Harvey Girls ever hired staffed the Raton location. In a departure from the ubiquitous black and white uniform immortalized by Judy Garland in 1946's Harvey Girls, many of New Mexico's Harvey Girls wore colorful dresses reflective of local culture. In Albuquerque, the Harvey-managed Alvarado Hotel doubled as a museum for carefully curated native art. Join author Rosa Walston Latimer and discover New Mexico's unique history of hospitality the "Fred Harvey way."

Glendale

9780738578958

$24.99

More than a century ago, the building of a canal allowed a barren and dry area to flourish. Soon settlers were drawn to the canal, and they created a thriving community. From those early beginnings, Glendale has become one of the fastest growing cities in the country.

The Port of Houston

9781467130769

$24.99

To reach the Port of Houston's Turning Basin, a ship must travel 50 miles along a narrow and twisting channel that passes through Galveston Bay, the San Jacinto River, and Buffalo Bayou. Despite this improbable location, Houston has the world's largest landlocked port. Measured by annual tonnage shipped, the Port of Houston is the second-largest port in the United States. Its docks, wharves, and facilities cover more than 25 miles. The port starts its second century as a seaport in 2014. Its transformation from a crowded river port into an industrial giant is fascinating. It is a tale of technology, geography, politics, hard work, and Texas brag--mixed with a little luck.

Tall Tales and Half Truths of Billy the Kid

9781626199965

$21.99

While many respectable books on Billy the Kid aim to demystify his illusory life, this one-of-a-kind collection proudly has no such intention. Find all of the untold and potentially true--but very unlikely and highly embellished--stories of the Kid's life, death and enthralling life thereafter. Be thrilled by sightings of Billy's ghost riding through old Fort Sumner and marvel at his search for the fabled Lost Adams Diggings. Wonder at the mysterious thefts of his tombstone and discover the famed desperado's dozen or so doppelgangers who posthumously popped up all across the Southwest. Courtesy of yarn-spinning raconteurs of yore, author John LeMay unveils the many forgotten and discarded tales of the legendary William H. Bonney, an everlasting emblem of the American West.

Tall Tales and Half Truths of Billy the Kid

Fort Davis

9780738579863

$24.99

Established and named for US secretary of war Jefferson Davis in 1854, Fort Davis was key to the eventual settlement of the Davis Mountains' rich grasslands. Camels once grazed at the fort. It served as home to the African American regiments known as the Buffalo Soldiers, and Lt. Henry Flipper, the first African American to graduate from West Point, was court-martialed at this post. Present-day visitors to the town of Fort Davis can gaze at the stars and imagine the immensity of the universe at the University of Texas McDonald Observatory, stay the night at the Civilian Conservation Corps-built Indian Lodge at Davis Mountains State Park, or visit with a living-history volunteer or park ranger at Fort Davis National Historic Site.

Hidden History of Tulsa

9781626195790

$21.99

The story of Tulsa's transformation from a nineteenth-century cow town into the "Oil Capital of the World" has been above ground for years, but a great reservoir of Tulsey Town's heritage has remained beneath the surface. These neglected tales include the dirigible flyover of 1929, the Hominy Indians' victory over the New York Giants and the legendary final performance of Spade Cooley, convicted killer and the self-proclaimed "King of Western Swing." From the horrors of the city's early race riot and the proud legacy of Greenwood (aka Little Africa or Black Wall Street) to Tulsa's iconic landmarks and unforgettable personalities, Steve Gerkin provides an evocative and enjoyable voyage through T-Town's hidden history.

Texas Singularities

9781467140867

$21.99

Texas, that most singular of states, conceals an entire parade of peculiar events and exceptional people in the back pages of its history books. A Lone Star man once (and only once) tried to bulldog a steer from an airplane. One small Texas town was attacked by the Japanese, while another was "liberated" from America during the Cold War. Texan career choices include goat gland doctor, rubbing doctor, striking cowboy and singing cowboy, not to mention swatter, tangler and dunker. From gunslinger Sally Skull to would-be rainmaker R.G. Dyrenforth, Clay Coppedge collects the distinctive odds and ends of Texan lore.

The Coast Guard on the Texas Border

9781467150125

$21.99

The Revenue Cutter Service, which later merged with the U.S. Life-Saving Service to form the Coast Guard, patrolled South Texas as early as 1846. In 1852, the first lighthouse was built in Point Isabel, followed by the first lifesaving station in 1881. Salute the heroes who responded to the devastating hurricane of 1919 and stand watch with Chief Pablo Valent, the first Hispanic American to command a rescue station. From Commander Charles R. Wilson's oral history of World War II boot camp to the legacy of station keeper Wallace L. Reed, the longest-serving officer in charge, Dr. Jackie Kyger preserves the heritage of the men and women whose unofficial motto was "Law and Order, on the Border."

Preston Hollow

9781467149389

$21.99

It takes only a brief drive past the stately homes that line Preston Hollow's winding tree-lined streets to understand the neighborhood's appeal. Glimpse the rich farmland that stunned Ira DeLoache on his fortuitous 1922 flight over the countryside. Revisit the early days of the pre-annexation town, when citizens relied on septic tanks and a volunteer fire department. Stop by institutions like Lobello's Bar-B-Que or the Northwest Hi-Way Drive-In Theatre and attend Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church's first service. From the architectural legacy of Charles Dilbeck to the destructive path left by the 2019 tornado, author Jack Walker Drake relates the heritage of a premier Dallas neighborhood.

Houston Beer

9781609495374

$21.99

From the early days, and long before Americans had ever heard the term "craft beer," settlers in the Bayou City excelled in the art of ales, stouts and lagers. In 1913, it was a Houston brewery that claimed the distinction of "the world's finest bottled beer" after winning an international competition in Belgium. The unfortunate rise of Prohibition put the industry on hold, but recent years have seen a strong resurgence. At the beginning of 2008, Saint Arnold Brewing Company was the only craft brewery in Houston. Just a few years later, there are five and counting within an hour's drive of downtown. Journalist and "Beer, TX" blogger Ronnie Crocker chronicles Houston's long and surprising history of brewing, tracing everything from the grand legacy of Anheuser-Busch to the up-and-coming craft beer makers and those brewing it right at home.

Muskogee

9780738590509

$24.99

On New Year's Day in 1872, a Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad (Katy) track crew reached a point just a few miles south of the confluence of the Arkansas, Grand, and Verdigris Rivers in Indian Territory and established a depot it called Muscogee Station. A ragtag settlement quickly developed nearby, and the name was eventually changed to Muskogee. By the turn of the century, Muskogee became the center of political and commercial activity in the territory. Nicknamed the "Queen City of the Southwest," Muskogee was a boomtown, and expectations were high that the city would develop into a large metropolitan area. However, by the 1920s, after the oil boom in nearby Tulsa, Muskogee's growth waned, and it became a working-class Oklahoma town. The city was thrust into the national limelight in the 1960s by country music star Merle Haggard and his song "Okie from Muskogee," which described Muskogee "as a place where even squares can have a ball." An ethnically diverse community, Muskogee has a rich history of developing artists, musicians, politicians, and entrepreneurs.

Prohibition in Dallas & Fort Worth

9781609499723

$21.99

A place with wild men and wilder women," 1920s Dallas boasted one bar for every one hundred people, and a thirsty Texan could find a drink nearly anywhere. Although home to the Texas Anti-Saloon League, drinks never stopped pouring in Dallas and Fort Worth, fueled by the likes of Jack Ruby, Benny Binion, saloons and dance halls. Homegrown moonshine and bathtub gin yielded specialty recipes that today's barkeeps have honed into tasty concoctions for a contemporary palate. Join Rita Cook as she explores prohibition in Dallas and Fort Worth and learn from Jeffrey Yarbrough and his band of local mixologists about their modern takes on classic drinks so readers can step back in time, drink in hand."

Fort Stockton

9780738584942

$24.99

In 1859, the US military established Fort Stockton to gain control of Comanche Springs, which formed an oasis in the midst of arid West Texas. In the town that grew up beside the fort, a colorful mix of hardy pioneers--Peter Gallagher, Cesario Torres, Frank Rooney, Father Jose Ferra, Annie Frazier Johnson Riggs, and others--struggled (and sometimes fought) to construct a viable farming and ranching community in the vast, isolated terrain of Pecos County. Later, railroads, highways, air bases, oil, natural gas, and wind farms joined water as forces shaping the city's history. A century and a half after its founding, Fort Stockton is an innovative city with high-tech dreams, yet the traces and tales of its Old West heritage remain vividly alive along the banks of Comanche Creek.

Texas Panhandle Tales

9781609496111

$21.99

The Texas Panhandle is like a whole 'nother country. The area stretching from just south of Lubbock all the way north to Oklahoma is filled with ranch land, oil fields, windy plains, and some of the Lone Star State's most unique history. Meet the duck that started a gun battle in Oldham County and find out how Kate Polly's pancake flipping saved her life. Or witness Gene Autry's days as a performer in Childress and a different sort of gold rush" in Palo Duro Canyon as historian Mike Cox shares his favorite pieces of the Panhandle's past."

Texas Pistoleers

9781609490003

$23.99

The Vaudeville Theater Ambush of 1884 went down in history as one of the most famous gunfights in San Antonio, but the killing that night of Ben Thompson and John King Fisher, two of the most notorious pistoleers of the day, became something of a mystery. The two men entered the theatre just before midnight on March 11, and less than an hour later, both lay dead, shot down in what for all accounts was a true massacre. The responsible gunmen never were prosecuted for their crimes, and Thompson and Fisher--a mere mention of either man's name was enough to put the fear of death in any opponent--have been widely ignored since. Now, historian G.R. Williamson brings to light the mystery and the myths surrounding these men and their infamous deaths in Texas Pistoleers.

Camp Bullis

9781467127493

$24.99

For more than a century, soldiers have marched, ridden, driven, and flown to Camp Bullis to practice tactics and marksmanship. Camp Bullis was established in 1906 because the modern artillery and small arms could not be fired safely within Fort Sam Houston. The camp expanded during both world wars to accommodate even more powerful artillery and the tens of thousands of troops being mobilized. Between these two wars, the movies Wings, The Big Parade, and The Rough Riders were filmed there. The Army's changing needs would transform the type of training conducted at Camp Bullis. Today, soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines still go to Camp Bullis to practice not only tactics and marksmanship on state-of-the-art ranges and simulators but also lifesaving medical techniques, demonstrating once again that a good range is essential.

The Texas Nutcracker

9781455623310

$16.99

In this Texas-themed retelling of the classic Nutcracker story, historical details blend with fiction and magic warps reality at Fort Davis. It's December 24, 1883 and Colonel Grierson has brought Centennia a nutcracker who looks just like a Texas soldier! When the clock strikes midnight the goose feather tree grows as she and the broken nutcracker are transported to a magical realm, where the Rattlesnake King attacks and the Bluebonnet Fairy invites her to a fabulous celebration. Dancing denizens of the Land of the Wildflowers entertain them before the nutcracker soldier tucks her under a cozy quilt. An author's note gives a bit of historical context to this charming version of a familiar holiday tale.

Killing Albert Berch

9781455623556

$19.95

A dark historical reality exposed.

In 1923 Marlow, Oklahoma, at the hotel belonging to Albert and Lula Berch, Albert is murdered trying to protect his African-American porter from an angry mob. After his death, the case unravels, and the truth of Albert Berch and his murderers emerges.
Tracing his own family history, Dr. Alan Berch Hollingsworth discovers that it's not just the Marlow townspeople who have something to hide. Why did his grandfather insist on hiring an African-American porter, violating the era's Jim Crow segregation laws? How is the KKK involved in this gruesome crime? Unlocking the secret to his grandfather's murder, he uncovers a true crime story of racial violence in 1920s Oklahoma.

The Twelve Days of Christmas--in Texas, That Is

9781589809246

$16.99

Told with a Texas twang, this tale features a dozen icons of the Lone Star state. Clever rhymes count down the days of Christmas, revealing such surprise gifts as silver spurs, oil wells, and armadillos. Festive illustrations fill the pages of this western romp.

The Twelve Days of Christmas--in Texas, That Is

Brief History of Fort Worth, A

9781609491758

$21.99

It began as a true fort on the Old Chisolm Trail, a location that put Fort Worth in the direct path of the cattle drives of the Old West, making it the perfect spot for the growing ranch industry of the day. The city has experienced many changes, from the 1800s, when shootings and muggings in the aptly nicknamed "Hell's Half Acre"' were everyday occurrences that caught the attention of folks like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, to becoming one of the country's "Most Livable Communities, "' proud of its strong cultural heritage. Join Rita Cook as she tells the fascinating story of Fort Worth's past and evolution into the urban center it is today.

Haunted History of Old San Antonio

9781609499792

$19.99

As the saying goes, "dead men tell no tales." Or do they? From its humble beginnings as a Spanish settlement in 1691 to the bloody battle at the Alamo, San Antonio's history is rich in haunting tales. Discover Old San Antonio's most haunted places and uncover the history that lies waiting for those who dare to enter their doorways. Take a peek inside the Menger Hotel, the "Most Haunted Hotel in Texas," and just a block away, peer into the Emily Morgan Hotel, one of the city's first hospitals and where many men and women lost their lives. Explore the San Fernando Cathedral, where people are buried within the walls and visitors claim to see faces mysteriously appear. Uncover the legends behind Bexar County Jail. Join authors James and Lauren Swartz and decide for yourself what truly lurks behind the Alamo City's fabled past.

Apache Sunrise

9781626198616

$21.99

In July of 1970, a red Volkswagen bus pulled into the dirt parking lot of the Bureau of Indian Affairs' offices on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona. It was 113 degrees as Sonja and Richard David, with their three children, stepped into a new world. On a job reassignment, the family left the turbulence of Chicago for a new start on the expansive high desert where the Apache leader Geronimo fought for his freedom against the United States Cavalry a century earlier. Over five years, the family immersed themselves in the community and formed deep bonds, some of which remain strong. In this poignant collection of true stories, author and activist Sonja White David vividly describes those years at San Carlos with delicacy and respect for the local Apaches.

Top O' Hill Terrace

9780738585277

$24.99

If the saga of Top O' Hill Casino becoming Arlington Baptist College were written as fiction, readers would dismiss it as improbable and impossible. The story of a tearoom evolving into the gambling hot spot of North Central Texas that was then acquired by a fiery gospel preacher, who foretold its transformation into a Baptist seminary and ultimately an accredited Bible college, is stranger than fiction yet absolutely true. The rich and famous enjoyed rubbing shoulders with the mysterious and notoriously infamous, and if large amounts of money were involved, so much the better. Stir in fabulous racehorses, flashy stage and screen stars, singers, dancers, well-known bandleaders and bands, and the tale becomes enthralling.

Pecos Bill Invents the Ten-Gallon Hat

9781455615025

$17.99

A wacky spin on an Old West favorite. This tall tale about a famous American cowboy takes readers on a romp into the Wild West. When Pecos Bill cannot seem to find the best hat to fit his head, he searches for creative ways to keep his noggin covered. His often humorous ideas lead to the invention of the cowboy hat. A glossary includes cowboy terms.

Sierra County

9781467128568

$24.99

In 1884, Sierra County was formed in the Middle Rio Grande Corridor of the New Mexico Territory out of the existing counties of Grant, Doña Ana, and Socorro. Not everyone was pleased with the new county, and the courthouse was said to look like "a dance hall." From the fortunes and misfortunes of the miners in the historical towns of the Black Range to the comings and goings of the railroad towns, Sierra County is rich in history. The town of Hot Springs (later renamed Truth or Consequences) came into existence when entrepreneurs decided that the naturally occurring mineral springs could cure arthritis, neuritis, rheumatism, and alcoholism. The Carrie Tingley Hospital for Crippled Children, built to take advantage of the natural warm springs to help in the treatment of polio, is now the current New Mexico State Veterans' Home. Sierra County is also home to Elephant Butte Dam and Caballo Dam, both of which have history with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps.

The Alamo from A to Z

9781455614615

$16.99

The patriotic sacrifice of Texas remembered. This tribute to the famous 13 day siege gives the stories of real-life heroes including David Crockett, Sam Houston, and William King (who, at 15 years old, was the youngest defender to die during the conflict.) These accounts, lacking in sensationalism, reveal the true characters in one of the most important events in Texas history. This reference includes a timeline of events.