Taylor

9780738585024

$24.99

El Camino Real de los Tejas, a National Historic Trail, connected the Rio Grande to the Red River Valley through the middle of Taylor on Highway 95. Moses Austin used this trail to establish a colony in Spanish Texas, and he was followed by Kit Carson, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, Sam Houston, Santa Anna, and many more. The Spanish and the French were the groups who marked the trail. Today, Taylor is restoring historical sites and preserving local history by encouraging quality growth as it protects the unique features of the community that make it an outstanding place to live, work, shop, and play. Over the years, Taylor has continued to prosper and grow, making the town truly blessed with people that made its history and await many future opportunities.

Haskell County

9780738578873

$24.99

Though the story of the land runs far back in time, Haskell County was first platted on the map of Texas on February 1, 1858. Its name honors Texas revolutionary soldier Charles Ready Haskell, who was martyred at Goliad. Cradled by two forks of the Brazos River, the county's open prairies were a favorite American Indian hunting ground. Stories of Spanish treasure buried along the river still linger. Gold seekers following Capt. Randolph Marcy's 1849 expeditionary trail camped on what came to be called California Creek, and Col. Ranald Mackenzie's trail through southern Haskell County was a key supply route for cavalry engaged in the Red River War. By the late 1870s, cattle replaced herds of buffalo, and ranching became the cornerstone of the economy. As news of this promising country traveled east, settlers arrived and established farms. In the words of historian R. E. Sherrill, "There was something about this country fresh from the hand of the Creator . . . a kind of drawing power that was irresistible." Today, as a modern agricultural region, Haskell County continues to capture the heart of its people.

Texas Bluegrass History

9781467147231

$21.99

Texas has nurtured a thriving bluegrass scene since the early 1950s. The Lone Star State boasts the country's first bluegrass college degree and even hosts a Beatles bluegrass cover band. Meet the Pickin' Singin' Professor, the Fiddle Engineer and Blanco's Bluegrass Boy. Hit the trail with cowboys like the Mayfield brothers and go backstage with Grammy-nominated acts like Wood & Wire. Jeff Campbell and Braeden Paul celebrate the musicians who contributed to the harmonious heritage of Texas bluegrass.

San Antonio Cemeteries Historic District

9781467131865

$24.99

In his Spoon River Anthology, Edgar Lee Masters uses a series of poetic monologues to have his characters finally tell their true stories from their graves. The first section lets the reader know that "all, all, are sleeping on the hill." San Antonio has its Powder House Hill about three miles from its central business district. Known as the Eastside Cemetery District, there are 31 cemeteries here, owned by different religious congregations, fraternal organizations, military groups, and the City of San Antonio. Like Masters's Spoon River, within the Eastside Cemetery District reside people of many occupations and nationalities, including soldiers and statesmen, rich and poor, as well as husbands, wives, and children. Through photographs and research, the authors hope to tell some small part of the stories and the history of this unique burial ground.

San Antonio Cemeteries Historic District

Smithville

9780738570624

$24.99

Smithville's reputation is that of a railroad town, yet it offers an even richer history. Fertile land and the Colorado River attracted pioneers with energy, dreams, and a hunger to build. After Thomas Gazley chose head-right land in Stephen F. Austin's Second Colony in 1827, area settlers joined the fray to secure a Texas free from Mexico's supremacy. Some represented Bastrop County in the new Republic of Texas's legislature. Others stayed home and built a village on the banks of the Colorado. Businessmen influenced the growth of Smithville by attracting the railroad, and soon Smithville was the largest city in the county, offering a place for businesses and families to thrive. Smithville's fortunes have risen and fallen with the railroad, the river, and the Central Texas economy, and it has again become a vital community, this time nurturing scientists, artists, filmmakers, and antique lovers.

Temple in Vintage Postcards

9780738529394

$24.99

Founded in 1881 by the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railway Company, Temple, Texas became a railroad town overnight. The company purchased 181 acres and then auctioned off parcels to prospective buyers interested in providing services for railroad equipment and passengers. Though early on Temple had several unfortunate nicknames--"Mudville," "Tanglefoot," and "Ratsville"--it soon shed its image as a muddy, rat-infested land, became a major junction for four railway lines, and offered a land of opportunity for commerce. The railway would bring flattering new nicknames like "Progressive Temple" and "Prairie Queen" as well as a chance to be part of the American Dream.

Street Railways of El Paso

9780738571140

$24.99

Spanish explorers traveling north from Mexico in 1581 crossed the Rio Grande at present-day El Paso and called the area El Paso Del Norte, or "the pass of the north." Two cities were linked together: Ciudad Juarez and El Paso. In 1881, the railroad brought even more people to El Paso. What had been a sleepy adobe town became a vibrant, bustling city. Public transportation was established with a mule-car system in 1882 and ran for 20 years. The first electric cars were introduced in 1902 and were also very successful, serving all parts of the city and establishing neighborhoods. At the zenith of the system, there were 63 miles of track, 17 routes, and over 100 streetcars. In those days, everyone used the electric cars.

Stephen F. Austin State University Jacks

9780738571805

$24.99

Stephen F. Austin State University opened its doors in 1923, and its administrators instituted intercollegiate athletics almost immediately. Over the next eight decades, the Lumberjacks and Ladyjacks--team names derived from the area's predominant forest products industries--participated successfully in the Lone Star, Gulf Star, and Southland Conferences. Such outstanding Lumberjacks as James Silas, Mark Moseley, and Jeremiah Trotter have even gone on to successful careers in the NBA and NFL. This book offers readers a retrospective look at the success of SFA's athletic programs, as well as the players, coaches, and fans that led them to victory.

Stephen F. Austin State University Jacks

White Rock Lake

9780738578835

$24.99

In 1909, Dallas city leaders approved the damming of White Rock Creek to create a new water source for the increasing needs of a growing city. As a result, so much of the life and history of Dallas has echoed through the life and history of White Rock Lake. In the early decades, the lake was home to many private summer homes and boat houses, as well as hunting and fishing clubs. Soon thereafter, a bathing beach, sailing clubs, public boathouses, and picnic facilities were added. The Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration transformed the lake with more recreational and leisure amenities. World War II brought increased military uses that included a POW camp for German officers. Those early city leaders could hardly know that the lake they were creating 10 miles outside of Dallas would become an urban oasis enjoyed by over two million visitors a year.

Huntsville

9780738571331

$24.99

Huntsville is one of the oldest and most revered cities in the Lone Star State. Founded in the mid-1830s as Texans won their independence from Mexico, Huntsville became the home of Sam Houston--the first president of the Republic of Texas and later governor of the state. Nestled among the lakes and trees of the eastern piney woods, Huntsville emerged as a vital center of education and justice in the late 19th century. Today the city remains a vibrant, growing community known for a few of its largest employers, including Sam Houston State University and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Dumas

9780738570617

$24.99

In 1891, Louis P. Dumas heard about cheap land in the Texas Panhandle. He left his successful enterprises in Sherman and chose a section of grassland in Moore County to "build a town." He had not bargained for the harsh elements that came with the territory, though. Within five years he abandoned his town, as did most of the other residents. Dumas was a ghost town three times in its first 10 years, but gradually, a quiet village developed. Oil and gas discovered in the 1920s brought about growth and continues to support the economy. Phil Baxter, who wrote the song "Ding Dong Daddy from Dumas," spoke of the friendliness and spirit of the people he met there in 1927. Today those qualities endure in the people of Dumas.

Walker County

9781467127127

$24.99

Founded in 1846, Walker County is a scenic, sprawling territory of 800 square miles located in the southeastern region of Texas. Huntsville, the county seat, serves as home to Sam Houston State University, the Texas State Penitentiary, and Huntsville State Park. New Waverly, Riverside, and other smaller towns dot the landscape, which remains rustic and beautiful, with rolling hills, open prairies, and piney woods. Visitors to the area may find museums, restaurants, shops, and sporting events to attend.

Medina Lake

9780738585475

$24.99

Surrounded by the beautiful Texas Hill Country, Medina Lake has a rich history of fortunes rising and falling as rapidly and unpredictably as the level of the lake. Completed in 1912, Medina Dam was, at the time, the largest concrete dam in Texas. The lake was initially constructed to irrigate farmlands, but its rising waters forever altered a way of life for the ranchers and farmers who lived on the land above the dam. When ranchers and farmers were faced with condemnation of their lands, the first cries of "whiskey's for drinking and water's for fighting" were heard. As a testament to the resiliency of these original families, they turned their losses into a new way of life catering to the tourists, hunters, and fishermen who flocked to the newly formed lake. As continual droughts plague the semiarid desert that surrounds the lake, a never-ending tug-of-war over water resources continues. Meanwhile, the lake's pristine blue-green waters continue to attract boaters, swimmers, fishermen, revelers, and those who have made their homes on the limestone bluffs that encircle Medina Lake.

San Antonio's Historic Market Square -- Spanish Language Edition - La Histórica Plaza del Mercado en San Antonio

9781467127363

$24.99 $12.50 Save 50%

San Antonio fue fundada en 1718, para 1730 el virrey de Nueva EspaÃ±a emitiÃ³ Ã³rdenes de trazar mapas de plazas y parques para la llegada de los isleÃ±os de las Canarias en 1731. Las plazas con sus mercados se convirtieron en centros de negocios y entretenimiento. La primera fue Plaza de las Armas y cuando los isleÃ±os llegaron, marcaron Plaza de las Islas (Plaza Principal). Plaza del Ã lamo era el centro de comercio antes de la guerra civil; al ir creciendo San Antonio los mercados se tuvieron que relocalizar. La construcciÃ³n del Mercado Municipal empezÃ³ en 1899. Ã?ste fue construido en Plaza Paschal y demolido en los 1930s pero el anexo del Mercado Municipal, construido en los 1920s, sobreviviÃ³. Los anexos se convirtieron en El Mercado y Centro de Artes. En los 1970s, un edificio permanente para el mercado de agricultores fue construido en la Plaza de Zacate. Hoy Ã©stos, con los edificios histÃ³ricos en el Ã¡rea, son conocidos como El Mercado.

San Antonio's Historic Market Square -- Spanish Language Edition - La Histórica Plaza del Mercado en San Antonio

Hearne

9780738585406

$24.99

H earne earned the title "the Crossroads of Texas" by virtue of two rail lines and two highways crisscrossing within its boundaries. A small town with an inordinate amount of heavy traffic, Hearne has always been a place where a lot of moving and shaking occurs. Indeed, "moving and shaking" characterized Hearne from its beginnings when namesake Christopher Columbus Hearne convinced the Houston & Texas Central Railroad to make a tiny, unincorporated village its terminus. Some years after, a visitor referred to Hearne as "19 saloons surrounding an artesian well." Ninety-year resident Bill Palmos described Hearne as a rough town of good-hearted people with a matching reputation. He added that when people traveled by rail, "Houston, Hempstead, and Hell" was the conductor's call. Even after saloons gave way to churches, schools, and service clubs, Hearne's reputation for roughness stuck.

Around Columbus

9780738585444

$24.99

Welcome to Columbus! The county seat of Colorado County, Columbus is the oldest surveyed and platted Anglo American town in Texas. It was first platted in 1823 by Stephen F. Austin and Baron DeBastrop as a possible site for the Texas capital. It was platted again in 1837 by W.B. DeWees and J.W.E. Wallace. Many of Austin's "Old 300" settled in Columbus and the surrounding area, including Alleyton and Glidden, which were founded as railroad towns. The area played an important role in the history of Texas, including Santa Anna's pursuit of Sam Houston's Texas army that resulted in the burning of Columbus during the "Runaway Scrape." Columbus suffered other setbacks, such as the long-running Stafford-Townsend feud and lawlessness resulting in disincorporation in the early 1900s, and enjoyed the good fortune of its reincorporation in the 1920s. However, today, it is a town of people who greatly value their heritage and seek to preserve it.

Andrews

9780738579801

$24.99

Andrews County was named for Richard Andrews, the first casualty in Texas's fight for independence from Mexico in 1835 at the battle of Concepción. Before the creation of the county in 1876 by the Texas legislature, the area had been largely ignored by state officials and avoided by ranchers and settlers because of its remoteness, scarcity of water, and attacks by local Native Americans. That all changed in 1875 after an expedition by U.S. cavalry troops led by Col. William R. Shafter opened the region up to settlers. The town of Andrews became the county seat in 1910 after a close election race with nearby Shafter Lake. Ranching was the first economic driver in the county, but the discovery of oil in 1929 changed everything. The oil boom created jobs, brought in revenue, and attracted new residents. Today Andrews is experiencing growth thanks to renewed demand for oil, nuclear-related industries, first-class sporting venues, and other amenities that have rejuvenated the community.

Yorktown and Nordheim

9780738579764

$24.99

Founded 7 miles apart in south central Texas, Yorktown and Nordheim were settled by German immigrants. These immigrants found the rolling hills and grassland full of oak trees suitable for settlement, and the rich soil helped to make farming a way of life. Yorktown was settled near the Coleto Creek as a rest stop along the Indianola Trail for teamsters delivering freight to New Braunfels. Nordheim was settled because it was a high point and beacon for settlers, and it continued to grow when the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railroad was built. As the towns grew, so did the businesses and churches. The settlers shared a love of music, and bands came together to perform at various functions. On Saturdays the farmers, their families, and hired help would come to buy supplies, visit friends, and enjoy a day away from work. Today the spirit of community is still strong, as citizens put together annual celebrations and activities that promote tourism and help to maintain local pride.

Azle

9780738595924

$24.99

Early Azle settlers began arriving in the mid-1850s and settled near Ash Creek. Azle had several names before settling down to one. An early name was Mooresville after the town's general store owner, Mr. Moore, who supplied the farmers of the community. Following several other name changes, citizens decided upon "Azle" in 1883 after Dr. James Azle Steward, who donated land for the townsite. The town remained small until the building of Eagle Mountain Lake in the 1930s spurred its growth. Further development occurred when World War II brought more people to the area. After nearly a century, the little community officially incorporated in 1957. Images of America: Azle tells the story of numerous pioneer families and their schools, churches, and early businesses. Today, Azle is a close-knit community with various social and civic organizations, as well as parades and jamborees.

The Odyssey of Texas Ranger James Callahan

9781625858771

$24.99

James Callahan entered Texas armed, a quixotic young man enlisted in the Georgia Battalion for the cause of independence. He barely survived the 1836 Battle of Refugio and the Goliad Massacre. Undaunted by the perils of his adopted home, he remained in the line of fire for the next twenty-one years, fighting to protect Texas settlers from Apaches, Comanches, Seminoles, Kickapoos, outlaws, mavericks and the Mexican army. As a Texas Ranger, he rode with the legendary men of Seguin and San Antonio. In 1855, he commanded the punitive expedition into Mexico that bears his name, a fiasco that has been shrouded by mystery and shadowed by controversy ever since. In this first-ever biography, Joseph Luther traces the tragic course of the wayfarer who crossed so much of the Texas frontier and created so much of its story.

The Odyssey of Texas Ranger James Callahan

Crane

9780738595825

$24.99

Crane is the county seat and only town in Crane County, Texas. Hot, windy, and impossibly dry, save for the Pecos River and the oil bubbling below, people still have been migrating to or passing through it for hundreds of years. In 1583, Spanish explorers traversed the Pecos at a ford known as Horsehead Crossing. In 1858, the crossing became an important stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail route. Famous adventurers Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving trekked through the crossing in 1866. Castle Gap, a mountain with castle-like boulders, offered shelter to prehistoric people. Likewise, forty-niners sought protection there while migrating to California. Legend states that the Mexican emperor Maximilian once buried vast golden treasures there. Nearby, Juan Cordona Salt Lake provided salt to Native American traders. Historically, ranching has been important in Crane County, although oil is king in the region, being one of the largest oil-producing counties in Texas. Throughout the years, the city of Crane has maintained a consistent population of approximately 3,500, subsisting primarily on the oil and gas industry.

Marble Falls

9781467130035

$24.99

The waterfalls that gave Marble Falls its name have been covered by Lake Marble Falls since 1951, when a series of dams was completed on the Colorado River to prevent flooding along the river. The possibilities offered by water power at the falls and mining at nearby Granite Mountain encouraged Gen. Adam R. Johnson and his partners to lay out the town of Marble Falls in 1887. In modern times, when the Lower Colorado River Authority lowers the level of the lake, waterfront owners can repair boat docks and guests at nearby hotels and restaurants can see portions of the ancient rocky ledges. Today's Marble Falls, with a population of over 6,000, provides services for the more than 30,000 area residents of surrounding recreation and retirement communities.

Houston's Courtlandt Place

9780738571096

$24.99

In 1906, Houston was poised to become a great city. The construction of its first skyscraper began (only eight stories); dredging commenced for the Houston Ship Channel; and Carrie Nation paid a visit and inflicted $750 damage on a saloon named after her, leaving no doubt that she wanted the name changed. Rambunctious growth, the proliferation of streetcar lines, and the emergence of the automobile pushed Houston's boundaries outward. When unrestricted commercialism encroached on the mansions of the city's elite, they abandoned downtown and formed private residential enclaves beyond the chaos. One of the earliest, fashioned after the "private places" of St. Louis, was Courtlandt Place. Developed for Houston's first big businessmen and power brokers, its story has been linked with the city's history for more than 100 years. The exceptional Courtlandt Place is on the National Register of Historic Places and remains a triumph of historic preservation.

Houston in the 1920s and 1930s

9780738571492

$24.99

Houston was already a dynamic city when it experienced an exciting period of accelerated growth in the 1920s and 1930s. The Roaring Twenties began with a national ban on alcohol and ended abruptly with the stock market crash of 1929, but the prominent and influential Jesse Jones ensured the city's part in the economic collapse was minimal. Despite the country's financial woes, Houston's downtown was booming. Skyscrapers set new records in height, forever changing the skyline and appearance of the city. The introduction and widespread use of air-conditioning tamed the stifling heat and humidity for which Houston was known. The National Democratic Convention of 1928 showed the rest of the nation what a modern metropolis Houston had become. This entertaining new book illustrates how Houstonians lived, worked, and played during both the good times and the bad in the early 1900s.

Aquarena Springs

9780738571874

$24.99

Aquarena Springs was the culmination of a dream shared by two men: Arthur Birch (A. B.) Rogers and his son Paul J. Rogers. The Spring Lake Park Hotel opened at the headwaters of the San Marcos River in 1929. Soon, Aquarena Springs would become one of the premier tourist destinations in the Southwest. Attractions such as glass bottom boats, a Swiss sky ride, Texana Village, and the world's only submarine theater delighted hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. From special events like the underwater wedding featured in Life magazine to the daily antics of nationally known Ralph the Swimming Pig, Aquarena provided entertainment and created lifelong memories for countless families. In recent years, under the auspices of the River Systems Institute at Texas State University, Aquarena has become an important center for environmental education and research.

Hemphill County

9780738571133

$24.99

From Spanish conquistadores and American Indian battles to railroads and oil booms, Hemphill County has seen it all. Located in the northeast Panhandle, Hemphill County is a land of sage-covered sand hills and rolling breaks, with towering buttes and deep canyons cut by the Canadian River. Once inhabited by the ancient mammoth and mastodon and, more recently, thundering herds of bison, Hemphill County has a rich human history too. It was home to the Kiowa, Comanche, and Cheyenne Indians and was crossed by Coronado's famous expedition in 1540. American Indian fights, such as the Battle of Buffalo Wallow, also occurred here. Canadian, the county seat, has a unique history of its own. This oasis located on the banks of the Canadian River was the site of the first rodeo in Texas and a stop on the Santa Fe Railway. Other commerce soon followed, including a successful ranching and farming culture, as well as many thriving oil and natural gas industries.

Ennis

9780738558592

$24.99

In 1871, the Houston and Texas Central Railroad reached what would soon become Ennis, Texas. A year later, the city was officially established and named for Cornelius Ennis, a Houston and Texas Central Railroad tycoon. It became home to many, including a number of Civil War veterans. Czech immigrants also made Ennis their home, adding their rich cultural heritage to this growing city. In its "Wild West" days, there were as many as 13 saloons in the city, and it became a popular train stop for as many as 10 passenger trains a day. A thriving cotton industry brought thousands to the downtown district on Trade Days. Family, tradition, and a strong sense of community have always been the foundation from which Ennis has prospered. This remains evident with yearly events such as the Bluebonnet Trails and Festival, the National Polka Festival, and the Christmas Parade of Lights.

Lampasas County

9780738558813

$24.99

About an hour's drive northwest of Austin, Lampasas County is located in the center of the state of Texas, on the northern edge of the Hill Country. Native Americans were the first to discover the area, and they told settlers about the natural sulfur springs there. In the 1850s, Moses Hughes and his ailing wife, Hannah, traveled to the region to drink and bathe in the medicinal waters of the springs. The sulfur cured Hannah, and word traveled quickly. In 1856, Lampasas County was created. The Santa Fe Railroad completed its line from Galveston to the county seat in 1882, and with hotels and bathhouses booming, Lampasas became known as the "Saratoga of the South." In towns such as Lometa and Kempner, ranchers raised goats and sheep for mohair and wool and cattle for beef. Though fires and floods struck the county on several occasions, Lampasas soldiered on and continues to thrive today.

Pharr

9781467131377

$24.99

The All-America City of Pharr was incorporated in 1916 and holds precedence as the heart of the Rio Grande Valley. The late Henry Newton Pharr, a sugarcane grower, engineer, and manufacturer, along with his partner John C. Kelly, founded the city for their interest in establishing a sugarcane empire. This borderland is located approximately eight miles from the mighty Rio Grande, and it prospered to become the ideal agricultural grounds that attracted star investors from as far as Louisiana. Pharr benefitted from the fruit and vegetable boom, the introduction of the railroad, great feats in civic progress, and success in international commerce. Now, Pharr is the only city in the state of Texas to be designated as a "Triple Crown City." Pharr's feats include the Preserve America City, National Main Street City, and All-America City awards.

Fort Worth's Oakhurst Neighborhood

9781467131162

$24.99

In 1924, civic leader and developer John P. King promoted Fort Worth's Oakhurst neighborhood as "country life for the city man." He appealed to those who wanted space for artesian water, cool breezes, gardens in a hillside setting, and a utopian atmosphere for their children. King--the creator of a confectionery company known for "King's candies for American queens"--made a park-like neighborhood in a part of Riverside just a few miles from downtown Fort Worth. Thoughtful landscape design and charming architecture are hallmarks of this all-American neighborhood, beloved for its small-town, community feel well into its 90th year.

Legendary Locals of Grand Prairie

9781467102179

$24.99

Grand Prairie is a city on the edge. Citizens have been innovators with a love for family and community. Alexander Dechmann traded land to insure a railroad depot; early settlers started schools for their families; and the police department hired one of the first women. Leaders at nonprofits such as Brighter Tomorrows not only helped the local community, but also helped develop services in surrounding communities. Business owners and volunteers have strong family traditions of giving back to Grand Prairie, and civil servants have loyalties for extended years of service, such as Ruthe Jackson and her family, who provided support for both businesses and the community. From the early settlers to today's city, Grand Prairie is built upon loyalty.

Forty Years at El Paso

9780738594590

$21.99

Recollections of war, politics, adventure, events, narratives, sketches, etc. These writings are meant to be truthful, but they are too rambling and egotistical to possess much historical value. Few subjects are treated of except such as the writer was personally connected with or in which he felt a special interest. Much that he was tempted to write has been omitted out of consideration for the living and the dead and their relations. The book will have little interest except for those who know something of El Paso or of the men and events treated of, or of the writer himself. For such only is it written.

Waco, Texas:

9780738502977

$24.99

From the 1890s through the 1920s, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication, and many of the postcards produced during this "golden age" can today be considered works of art. Postcard photographers traveled the length and breadth of the nation snapping photographs of busy
street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local townspeople only too happy to pose for a picture. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across the country, survive as telling reminders of an important era in America's history.

Cherokee County

9780738530161

$24.99

In central East Texas, the contours of the Angelina and Neches Rivers shape the natural borders of Cherokee County, and the landscape--of fertile soil and dense timber--that defines this region of the Lone Star state is as rich as its history. Now home to the cities of Jacksonville, Rusk, Alto, and their outlying communities, the area was once settled by the 12,000-year-old Clovis culture. Later, the Caddo Nation prospered here until European settlement and expansion brought the land into dispute on all sides. Despite efforts toward peace, violent instability culminated in the Killough Massacre on October 5, 1838, prompting the Cherokee War of 1839 and the eventual expulsion of the Cherokee from the area, the people who would become the county's namesake. Agricultural and economic developments over the next century have helped transform Cherokee County into an unspoiled destination for "winter Texans," while its historical significance and one-of-a-kind charm remain well guarded by the more than 45,000 citizens who call it home today.