Goliad

9780738578736

$24.99

The battle cry shouted at the Battle of San Jacinto--"Remember Goliad!"--cemented Goliad's place in its importance to the Texas Revolution. In fact, every schoolchild learns about the significance of this special town in Texas history courses. Goliad is also famous for originating the Texas cattle industry, due in large part to the thousands of cattle raised at nearby missions. After the Texas Revolution, Goliad became a prosperous Texas ranching town, with the businesses, services, and social organizations appropriate to such a community. Since that time, the town has harkened back to its Spanish colonial and Texas Revolutionary past, to ranching, and to that original late-19th, early-20th century town, continually reinforcing and celebrating those periods. Much remains from those earlier eras, which makes Goliad one of the most visited and loved towns in Texas.

Sheppard Air Force Base

9781467134644

$24.99

The history of flight for the US Army Air Corps became increasingly important during World War I. Wichita Falls, Texas, was determined to be a fair weather flying location for training cadets to become aviators. Wichita Falls was the gracious host not only for World War I pilots training at Call Field, located near the city, but when World War II came along, the city also hosted the opening of Sheppard Field, adjacent to the municipal airport. Thousands of personnel were trained there during World War II, and later, the field was redesigned as Sheppard Air Force Base. The base has been a hub for pilot training as well as technical training for many Air Force specialties. Wichita Falls, therefore, has a rich history as a host for decades of military training. Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, has trained hundreds of thousands of military men and women from within the United States, as well as thousands of men and women from allied countries around the globe. Sheppard Air Force Base became the largest training base in the Air Force and continues actively today with its primary mission of training military personnel.

Texas Shipwrecks

9781467116176

$24.99

The Texas coastline and offshore waters are flat, shallow, featureless, and filled with shoals. Texas waters are subjected to extreme weather, not just hurricanes and tropical storms but also northers and seasonal gales. This, combined with two centuries of naval warfare off Texas waters, produced many shipwrecks of all sorts, from Spanish treasure fleets to simple working boats. The ships of pirates, navies, cotton traders, immigrants, fishermen, and oil shippers line the Texas coast, cover the sea bottom off Texas, and blanket the bottom of Texas rivers. Each wreck has a story, romantic or repellent, prosaic or unusual, but all intriguing.

Temple

9780738580234

$24.99

The Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad founded the town of Temple in 1881. Named in honor of the railroad's chief engineer, B. M. Temple, the town lies in the finest agriculture belt in Texas. Prior to the arrival of the railroad, farmers of Bell County transported cotton, grain, and produce to the nearest railroad terminus at Waco, Cameron, Calvert, or Rockdale on a difficult three-day trip. Moving these goods became much easier with the arrival of the railroad, and Temple became an important center for trade. By 1912, Temple was the most important revenue-producing station on the Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railroad south of Kansas City. Early on, the railroad established a hospital for employees, and by 1900, there were three hospitals: St. Mary's Sanitarium, Santa Fe, and King's Daughters. Temple's importance as a trade center contributed to an early and sustained population growth. The city of Temple promotes the community's history with the annual Pioneer Day celebration.

Mason County

9780738579313

$24.99

When an army scouting party headed north from Fredericksburg in 1851 to select a site for a new military post, they found an area of remarkable natural beauty on the northwestern edge of the Texas Hill Country. This land of clear streams, rocky hills, live oak thickets, and abundant wildlife had long served as a hunting ground for Comanches, Kiowas, and Lipan Apaches. A few German farmers had already settled along the Llano River, and a town soon sprang up in the shadow of Fort Mason. By the 1920s, Mason County's population included German Americans, descendants of old families from the southeastern states, Mexican immigrants who had fled the revolution, and African Americans whose ancestors had arrived in the 1850s. For decades, the region has attracted hunters, river enthusiasts, naturalists, and geologists. The town of Mason features one of the most picturesque courthouse squares in Texas. Its old-time storefronts and handsome sandstone houses make it a popular tourist destination today.

Nacogdoches

9780738578613

$24.99

Nacogdoches derives its name from the Caddo tribe that once lived in central East Texas along Banita and LaNana Creeks. Franciscan father Antonio Jesus de Margil established a mission for the Caddo people there in 1716. In 1779, Antonio Gil Y'Barbo founded the puebla of Nacogdoches and built the Stone House, or Stone Fort, the town's most enduring symbol of European influence. Nacogdoches served as headquarters for one of three administrative districts in Texas under Mexican authority and played a significant role in the Texas Revolution before stabilizing into a predominately rural and agricultural society. Two notable 20th-century developments--the selection of Nacogdoches as the home of Stephen F. Austin State University and the founding of Texas Farm Products, the city's first major industry--changed the community into a regional education, medical, and commercial center.

Tyler

9780738548418

$24.99

Nestled in the beautiful Piney Woods of East Texas, Tyler is known as the "Rose Capital of America." While the moniker is well-deserved given the local rose industry, the Rose Festival, and its claim to America's largest municipal rose garden, Tyler's history is just as colorful as any rose. From the days when it hosted the largest Confederate prisoner-of-war camp west of the Mississippi River, through the years when cotton, fruit trees, and then roses became the local cash crops, to the time when the East Texas oil field was discovered and launched a new economy, Tyler boasts a fascinating past.

College Station

9780738579559

$24.99

The first land-grant college in Texas--called the Agricultural and Mechanical College--was predominantly a military school, built in 1876 in a then-remote area of Central Texas. Like other developments, the institute was a result of the expanding railroad, so a station named "College" was erected to service the new school. Drawing newcomers to the area, the city of College Station was incorporated in 1938, and its size soon rivaled that of neighboring Bryan--the Brazos County seat. The College Station area offers a surprisingly diverse mix of attractions, including the George Bush Presidential Library, the Texas Motor Speedway, and Kyle Field. During the last century, the college has grown from a few hundred students into a major university with more than 49,000 students, making Texas A&M the seventh-largest school in the nation. Today College Station is home to some 100,000 people.

Lost Galveston

9780738566849

$24.99

For nearly 200 years, a permanent settlement at the mouth of Galveston Bay has welcomed pirates, sailors, immigrants, and visitors from around the world. As Galveston grew, its buildings were visible signs of the city's prosperity and the talent of its craftsmen. For many, this city was a gateway to America and an inspiration of what other communities in Texas and the Southwest would become. Although Galveston has thousands of historic buildings remaining, many have been lost to the elements and development over the years. Buildings such as the ones found within these pages define the character of our city and its culture.

Fort Hood in World War II

9781467134712

$24.99

On January 14, 1942, Col. Andrew D. Bruce announced that the location of the new Tank Destroyer Tactical Training and Firing Center was to be near Killeen, Texas. This announcement put into motion a whirlwind of activity and construction that resulted in the creation of one of the largest military bases in the world. On September 18, 1942, Camp Hood was officially opened. Eight short months after the opening of Camp Hood, the base nearly doubled in size. Building from scratch, the spirit of a black panther, as depicted on the tank destroyers shoulder patch, was channeled into anti-tank combat teams. These teams were trained to fight the formidable might of Germany's panzer divisions.

Crosby

9781467106177

$24.99

The town of Crosby is one of the oldest settlements in Texas and has a rich history that began in 1823, when Humphrey Jackson built a cabin on Jackson Bayou near the San Jacinto River. Humphrey was a lawyer readying for a position in the Irish parliament. His family was part of the Irish aristocracy and had supported a bloody rebellion that lost to Great Britain. Like Humphrey, many of his family members fled to America. His cousins included US president Andrew Jackson and state senator James Jackson, the wealthiest man in Alabama. Humphrey faced tremendous challenges in his dream to build a new settlement in what would be East Harris County. The Karankawa Indians, who often cannibalized their enemies, occupied much of the area. Unfortunately, the early death of his wife and the eventual premature death of Humphrey himself ended the dream. The settlement he started sat virtually idle for over a decade until 1860, when one of the state's earliest railways renamed the settlement Gentry.

Alpine

9780738578941

$24.99

Alpine was born a railroad town, but long before the whistle of the steam locomotive broke the silence of Alpine Valley, the nearby spring was a favored campground for prehistoric nomads and later for Spanish explorers and freighters along the Chihuahua Trail. When the Southern Pacific unfurled its line down from Paisano Pass in 1882, landowner Thomas Murphy saw opportunity and platted the town. In 1887, Alpine was chosen as the county seat, and with the opening of Sul Ross Normal College in 1920, the town became the academic hub of the region. Following a decade of prosperity, the Great Depression and recurrent droughts triggered a slow decline. But since the early 1990s, Alpine has enjoyed a surge in regional art and culture, allowing it to reclaim its former glory as a proud little cosmopolitan cowtown perched at the top of the Texas Big Bend.

McKinney

9780738586670

$24.99

McKinney's very first settlers began arriving from Kentucky, Arkansas, and Tennessee in the early 1840s. Collin County was created by the Texas legislature on April 3, 1846, and due to a provision violation requiring the county seat to be within 3 miles of the center of the county, McKinney replaced Buckner as the seat in 1848. The vote deciding the new seat, however, went in McKinney's favor primarily because flooding kept many citizens from casting ballots. On March 16, 1848, the state legislature passed an act to name the new town in honor of Collin McKinney, one of five original draftees of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Today McKinney is one of America's fastest growing cities and has seen a population boom from approximately 16,000 residents in 1985 to more than 120,000 in 2010.

Brenham

9781467108621

$23.99

While "Born in Brenham" is a local badge of honor, thousands of people who are not originally from the area have been welcomed into the charming city and nearby rural communities of Washington County. Visitors and newcomers will discover a relaxed atmosphere infused with the better aspects of the past. Even in the face of modern change and growth, history occupies a place of value, and traditions in Brenham still reign. Maifest, the spring celebration spawned by German immigrants, has been an annual tradition since 1881, and young and old alike line downtown streets to cheer on the royal courts. The Washington County Fair is the oldest in Texas, honoring the family farms and ranches that still abound. The streets surrounding the courthouse square have remained largely intact for the past century. Once fueled by cotton and railroads, Brenham's economy now reflects a diversity that ranges from artists to ice cream, and historic buildings are seen as treasures to be adapted and reused.

Historic Movie Houses of Austin

9781467117180

$24.99

Motion pictures came to Austin on October 10, 1896, debuting at the Hancock Opera House. Since then, movies have continued to enchant, entertain, and inform the citizens of the capital of Texas. And, the places--the movie houses and theaters--where people saw motion pictures played just as important a role in the moviegoing experience as the movies themselves. As the city's population grew and motion picture technology changed, so too did Austin's movie houses, from the first kinetoscope parlor on Congress Avenue to the city' s first four-plex, the Aquarius 4, in southeast Austin. While most of these places are long gone, some withstood the test of time and are still showing movies or have been repurposed for other uses. Through the rich archival collections of the Austin History Center, Historic Movie Houses of Austin explores the stories of these important historic spaces and of the lives of those who were connected with them.

Glen Rose, Texas

9780738519425

$24.99

Charles Barnard, a Connecticut entrepreneur, settled in the Brazos Valley in 1849, running an Indian Trading Post. He built a gristmill in 1860 near the confluence of the Brazos and Paluxy Rivers, around which the town of Glen Rose sprang up. Captured here in over 200 vintage photographs and postcards is the history of this quintessential little Texas town, from its origins as a mill town, to the bedroom community of Fort Worth that it has become today. In its earliest days, settlers flocked to the region from the war-torn South during the Civil War. By the 1900s, both Somervell County and Glen Rose established fame as a tourist resort, offering springs and artesian waters to heal the body and spirit. Naturopathic and magnetic healers built sanitariums, while locals built tourist parks to entertain the crowds that came for rest and relaxation. Showcased here are images of the Hill postcard collection, which relay the intriguing story of Glen Rose as a recreation mecca, the Moonshine Capital of Texas during Prohibition, the discovery of the infamous dinosaur tracks, and its development as it enters the 21st century.

Warships at Seawolf Park

9781467102629

$24.99

The summer of 1944 was the turning point of World War II. Operation Overlord, the landing at Normandy, had begun, and naval battles raged on in the Pacific. In the midst of the war, the USS Cavalla, an attack submarine out on its initial patrol near the Philippines, became the only submarine to gain revenge on a Japanese carrier that attacked Pearl Harbor. The destroyer-escort USS Stewart protected Allied convoys from German U-boat wolf packs patrolling the North Atlantic. Today, these heroic and historic American warships continue to serve side by side, predator and protector, at the American Undersea Warfare Center at Seawolf Park in Galveston, Texas. For nearly 75 years, stories abound about these warships that served to preserve our liberty in World War II, provide technology improvements postwar, and battle time and weather as they educate our youth.

West University Place

9781467161350

$24.99

The real estate development called West University Place was part of a trend in the early 20th century of building affordable neighborhoods away from city centers; it was never meant to be a city on its own.

Early residents wanted Houston to annex their land, but when Houston declined, A.D. Foreman raised enough money to supply electricity, water, and phone service. Lewis and Mae Ryon took the next step by petitioning their neighbors to apply for a city charter, which was granted on January 2, 1924. Slowly, over the next century, West University Place evolved from treeless farmland into one of the most livable small towns in Texas—but the journey was not easy. More than once, the enterprise could have failed. If not for the actions of visionary leaders and dedicated residents, things may have turned out quite differently.

Freelance science writer Richard Cunningham is on the City of West University Place Parks and Recreation Board. In 2021, he originated research into the location of the 1894 Harris County Poor Farm, which led to the approval of a historical marker on the Edloe Street pathway. Richard and his wife, Lily Ann, live on Ruskin Street in a 1948 cottage that they remodeled in 2007.

Cover image for West University Place, isbn: 9781467161350

Franciscan Friars of Hebbronville

9781467160728

$24.99

The arrival of Franciscan friars of the Jalisco Province in Mexico escaping religious persecution in 1926 to Hebbronville, a rural community in South Texas, is an enduring story that still resonates in the hearts of many. Since then, Franciscans have been dedicated to the cultural, educational, and spiritual needs of Hebbronville and surroundings communities that have supported them over the years.

One of the many remarkable contributions of the Franciscan legacy in Hebbronville is the Scotus College, a majestic four-story seminary building considered a Texas historic treasure and a preeminent local architectural landmark. This book is the pictorial account of these events that led a group of Franciscans to offer their lives, full of unwavering faith and boundless hope, to a community that embraced them. It is an inspiring story that becomes a lesson about love, devotion, and sacrifice in appreciation to the people of Hebbronville that helped persecuted Franciscan friars survive.

Fr. Juan Jose Ibarra, OFM, founder of the Franciscan Museum of Hebbronville whose archives have contributed to this book, has worked closely with the Archivo Histórico Franciscano de Zapopan in Mexico and the Jim Hogg County Historical Commission. He currently serves as pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and guardian of the Franciscan Friary in Hebbronville, Texas.

Cover image for Franciscan Friars of Hebbronville, isbn: 9781467160728

Historic Dance Halls of East Central Texas

9781467131506

$24.99

Texas dance halls are iconic structures that have played a prominent role in the state's culture from its earliest stages. They became central institutions in the earliest European settlements and provided these immigrant communities with a common, central space in which to build new ways of life in a new land. The settlement patterns of the mostly German, Czech, Polish, and other central European migrants of this period gave East Central Texas the state's greatest concentration of dance halls. Thousands of these halls were built throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, but at present, their numbers have dwindled considerably, and many are at risk.

Historic Dance Halls of East Central Texas

African Americans of Houston

9780738584874

$24.99

Texas is a Southern state, and in many ways, Houston is a typical Southern city. While Houston did not experience the types or degrees of racial violence found in other Southern cities during the Jim Crow era, black Houstonians nonetheless found themselves often relegated to the margins of society. For decades there were two distinct Houstons: one white and the other black. However, Houston's black community created businesses that flourished and schools that educated children and developed a culture that celebrated the accomplishments of their parents while eagerly anticipating the accomplishments of future generations. Images of America: African Americans of Houston captures the many facets of black Houston. From churches to nightclubs; city parks to city hall; and political giants Barbara Jordan, Mickey Leland, and Sheila Jackson Lee to the driving beats of Archie Bell and the Drells, the Ghetto Boys, and Beyoncé, black Houston is alive with a determination that past injustices will never dampen the future opportunities for greatness.

Early Beaumont

9781467131957

$24.99

Beaumont was born when the thickly wooded banks of the Neches River were settled in the 1820s. Businessmen and adventurers stayed in the area once they saw the advantages of the river and the region's abundance of timber and other agricultural resources. By 1880, Beaumont was a lumber, ranching, farming, and shipping center. The railroad spurred population growth from 2,500 to 5,000, then Providence intervened: the Lucas Gusher at Spindletop blew in on January 10, 1901, and suddenly more oil than had ever been seen ushered in a new world. The Rockefeller Standard Oil monopoly may have ended in the courts, but Spindletop's oil dwarfed the known world supply, creating companies like Humble Oil (now ExxonMobil), Gulf, and Texaco. Beaumont continued to grow, and with a second boom in 1925, flowing oil brought more people and the building of a gracious city.

Corpus Christi

9780738558530

$24.99

Latin for "Body of Christ," Corpus Christi is a popular vacation destination, military town, and thriving seaport. Legend has it that Spanish explorer Alonso Álvarez de Pineda discovered and named Corpus Christi Bay in 1519. Henry L. Kinney, a trader who arrived in the area around 1838, is credited with starting the trading post that eventually grew into one of Texas's largest cities and became home to one of the nation's busiest ports. This "Sparkling City by the Sea" balances growth and industry with an appreciation for the air, water, and wildlife that attract both sportsmen and environmentalists. Corpus Christi is a bilingual, bicultural community that embraces both its Mexican and American roots.

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park

9780738579610

$24.99

Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson took pride in his heritage and in the Texas Hill Country roots of his pioneer ancestors. He delighted in showing guests the ancestral settlement, and his birthplace, boyhood home, and the family treasure: the LBJ Ranch and the home that became known as the Texas White House. LBJ generously gifted these cherished assets to the people of the United States. Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park holds more assets significant to an American president than any other U.S. presidential site. Visitors may stroll through the Johnson Settlement, stepping back in time to the 1860s, when President Johnson's ancestors helped settle Johnson City, which was named after James Polk Johnson, nephew to LBJ's grandfather. The Boyhood Home and Visitor Center are located close to the Johnson Settlement, and visitors can tour the reconstructed Birthplace and enjoy a scenic drive through the LBJ Ranch before touring the Texas White House. This book illustrates the significance of LBJ's heritage and the circle of life represented by what is both a birthplace and a final resting place.

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park

Hutto

9780738578606

$24.99

In 1854, a freed slave named Adam Orgain settled in an area of Central Texas that would later become known as Hutto. Soon after, James Emory Hutto and his family followed, and the town was founded in 1876 when he donated land to the International-Great Northern Railroad. The growing town attracted many immigrants of Swedish, German, and Danish descent. Through the years, Hutto has been known for its agriculture, the railroad, and the diversity of its settlers and immigrants. Today the city is known for the old town area, the schools, the Hutto Co-op, the hippo, and the hospitable residents. Since 2000, Hutto has been recognized as the fastest growing city in Texas.

Bryan

9780738579573

$24.99

Cotton was king during Bryan's early history. Many prominent planters and farmers lived on the high ground between the Brazos and Navasota Rivers in the market town of Bryan, and the cotton crop thrived in the fertile Brazos River Bottom. The railroad's arrival after the Civil War provided a link to textile mills in other parts of the world via the nearby ports of Houston and Galveston. Land availability and economic opportunity attracted settlers not only from the southeastern United States, but also from Italy and Eastern Europe. When cotton's economic dominance began to wane, other agricultural crops, livestock, a strong commitment to education, and oil and gas production diversified the local economy. As the seat of county government, and with its close proximity to Texas A&M University, Bryan today is a vibrant community strategically located in the heart of the Texas Urban Triangle.

Dalhart

9780738584669

$24.99

In 1882, the Fort Worth and Denver City Railway made its way to Dalhart, and by 1901 two railroads crossed tracks in the northwest corner of the Texas Panhandle. The twist of tracks was located at what is now the intersection of Highway 87, running north and south, and Highway 54, running east and west, in Dalhart. The second railroad, the Rock Island and Chicago Railway, along with the first, gave rise to Dalhart's first name, Twist Junction, but right away a new name was chosen and Dalhart was soon established as a center of commerce at the beginning of the 20th century. Dalhart flourished with only a short interruption in growth during the Dust Bowl years. Many families left Dalhart during those years but returned later to dig the city out from the devastation of the 1930s and begin again. Dalhart quickly recovered and thrived as it once had and continues as a main thoroughfare for travelers crossing the United States, whether by rail, semitruck, or passenger car.

Will Rogers Coliseum

9780738585482

$24.99

Few buildings in Fort Worth are more iconic than the Will Rogers Coliseum and Auditorium. Built in 1936 as a part of the Texas Centennial celebrations, it stands as a tribute to the spirit of patriotism and pride with which it was constructed and to the optimism that it represented. The list of events that have been held at this venue includes World War II bond drives, Golden Gloves boxing competitions, the symphony, the opera, rock concerts, high school graduations, the Ice Capades, evangelical gatherings, and, of course, the Fort Worth Stock Show. As each decade passes, new demands challenge the role the complex may serve in the future. It is hoped that this book will contribute in some small way to the preservation of this amazing structure.

Fort Worth's Rock and Roll Roots

9780738584997

$24.99

On the evening of February 9, 1964, Ed Sullivan introduced the Beatles to America. Across the country, teens were glued to their TV sets and witnessed a turning point in rock and roll history. Vibrant and creative teen scenes sprang up all across the country. The scene in Fort Worth, Texas, produced an exceptional burst of creativity in songwriting and musicianship. Weekend concerts and battles of the bands drew thousands of fans. Primitive teen recordings were pressed into 45s and received radio airplay in rotation with national acts. Local television shows featured live bands; fashions changed with go-go girls' skirts growing shorter; long hair became the style for women and men; and the seeds of the counterculture were planted and flourished. The music of this generation birthed every rock subgenre for the next 40 years (acid rock, heavy metal, punk, new wave, grunge), and today's musicians still reach back to these recordings for inspiration.

Paris

9780738585260

$24.99

Paris and Lamar Counties were first settled by Americans during the Republic of Texas period, but their history stretches back into dim antiquity--as local Indian mounds testify. Although it was never a cow town, Paris was once home to one of the Old West's most famous cattle barons. It was never as lawless as other Western towns, but Frank James, whose brother was the infamous Jesse, at one time called Paris home. Although Paris has undergone a number of devastating natural and economic tragedies, its citizens have never given up on themselves or their city.

Parkland Hospital

9781467134002

$24.99

In 1890, Dallas was a frontier town with medical care delivered by doctors on horseback. The poorly funded city hospitals were ill equipped and had no real medication or nurses. It is difficult to look back on history and define the moment when modern medicine began, but for Dallas, that moment was in 1894 with the building of Parkland Hospital. As Dallas grew and felt the pain of the polio epidemic, world wars, and the Kennedy assassination, Parkland Hospital was there. This is the story of Parkland Hospital and its 120-year journey from frontier medicine to becoming one of the world's premier medical centers.

Building Modern Houston

9780738585246

$24.99

Founded in 1836, Houston is now the country's fourth-largest city. In the early 20th century, Houston's economy shifted from agriculture to oil, fueling the city's explosive growth in the following decades. Houston grabbed the reins and saw a building boom in commercial, residential, and civic architecture redefine the city and skyline. Modernism was a new and fresh architectural expression and the perfect complement to the city's can-do entrepreneurial spirit. The 1960s brought ground-breaking ceremonies for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) headquarters, while residents and tourists alike lined up to tour the revolutionary new Astrodome. Building Modern Houston tells the story of Houston's architecture during its transformation from "Bayou City" to "Space City."

Huntsville Penitentiary

9780738599618

$24.99

The state of Texas, home to one of the largest prison systems in the country, opened its first penitentiary in 1849. The Walls Unit in Huntsville was the genesis of a prison system that became the home of notorious convicts and the focus of much debate about incarceration and the death penalty in the United States. The Walls Unit housed gunslinger John Wesley Hardin, members of the Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker gang, and infamous drug cartel leader Fred Carrasco. Built using convict labor, the Walls Unit was heralded as a modern approach to incarceration in Texas. The prison dominated the landscape of the town of Huntsville when it was built and remains central to that community today.

Weatherford

9781467130110

$24.99

Weatherford was settled in the 1850s, when the pioneers and Indians came for its rich soil and water sources. The mark of fame for Weatherford is the Goodnight-Loving Trail, which was driven by two cattle drivers, Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving. Charles Goodnight, who was killed in an Indian attack, is buried in Weatherford, and a historical marker is placed at his grave in the historic Greenwood Cemetery. Cotton and watermelon were the popular industries, and watermelon festivals still bring crowds to the Courthouse Square. Over 150 images highlight Weatherford's historic town square buildings, the courthouse, homes, and cemeteries. Take a journey back into the 1800s with this photographic walking tour from the Courthouse Square to far and away. These images will bring back to life how Weatherford was built, how it survived, and the pioneers who kept its rich history alive.

Big Bend National Park and Vicinity

9780738578538

$24.99

The Rio Grande makes a large bend into Mexico and forms the "boot heel" of Texas that is the Big Bend. Big Bend National Park nestles inside this meander, and its history is as much a part of Mexico as it is of Texas. The remote border location is historically replete with rich cultural diversity, including nomadic bands of Native Americans, Spanish explorers, Mexican and Anglo farmers, ranchers, miners, military men, and entrepreneurs. In the 1930s, a handful of people saw the Big Bend's majestic ruggedness as a place where all Americans could touch the Creator in nature and appreciate the alien qualities that both test and console the human spirit. This remote frontier still draws the souls of those seeking wide-open vistas and crystal-clear night skies.