Name: Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch
Brand: Jayme Lynn Blaschke
SKU: 9781467153935
Price: 23.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch

9781467153935

$23.99

Thanks to the classic Dolly Parton film The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas and ZZ Top’s ode “La Grange,” many people think they know the story of the infamous Chicken Ranch. The reality is more complex, lying somewhere between heartbreaking and absurd. For more than a century, dirt farmers and big-cigar politicians alike rubbed shoulders at the Chicken Ranch, operated openly under the sheriff’s watchful eye. Madam Edna Milton and her girls ran a tight, discreet ship that the God-fearing people of La Grange tolerated if not outright embraced. That is, until a secret conspiracy enlisted an opportunistic reporter to bring it all crashing down on primetime television. Drawn from exclusive interviews and expanded with newly uncovered information, Jayme Lynn Blaschke’s revelatory exposition of the Ranch illuminates the truth and lies surrounding this iconic brothel.

Atascosa County

9781467108836

$24.99

A rural area in Texas, Atascosa County is located directly south of San Antonio. The old roads traveled through this land were en route to missions, forts, and places of importance to natives, explorers, settlers, wildlife, and battle-tested armies. Atascosa County was created in 1856 by the Texas Legislature, and since the land grants were distributed in the late 1800s, the population has increased substantially as settlers dealt with Indian raids, drought, and the hardships of farming and ranching. As the rest of America embraced the machine age and technical wonders, Atascosa County has evolved along in stride. Initially, wagons, plows, and mules toiled for rural Atascosa County; today, vehicles, tractors, and modern machinery keep the county moving forward. Coined “The Birthplace of the Cowboy” by historian Dr. Ben Parker, the land continues to be dominated by the cattle industry. In modern history, country stars such as Willie Nelson and George Strait have blazed a path through Atascosa County with deep ties and humble beginnings.

Martin Gonzales is the chairman of the Atascosa County Historical Commission. He and his fellow volunteers have carried on the great work of appointed commissions of the past by recognizing and continuing to study local history. This publication was made possible with contributions from Atascosa County citizens who gladly answered the call for historical pictures and the stories that went with them.

Cover image for Atascosa County, isbn: 9781467108836

The Manhattan Project Trinity Test

9781467144421

$21.99

At 5:29 a.m. on July 16, 1945, the Trinity Test explosion of the first atomic bomb changed the world forever. The dropping of the bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan followed soon after, but it was the first blast in what is now known as White Sands Missile Range that marked the beginning of the end of World War II. In southern New Mexico, although the Manhattan Project was still top secret, everyday people witnessed the test, experienced its light and power, felt the earth move and knew the world had changed. Author Elva K. Österreich shares the stories of their experience and how their lives were transformed.

Lady Undertakers of Old Texas

9781467154277

$24.99

Author Kathy Benjamin accompanies the pioneering women of the Lone Star State's funeral business.

The intimate task of caring for the dead had long fallen under women's sphere of responsibilities. But after the Civil War, the sudden popularity of embalming offered new financial opportunities to men who set up as undertakers, pushing women out of their traditional role. In Texas, from the 1880s to the 1930s, women slowly regained their place by the bier. Many worked while pregnant or raising children. Most shouldered the additional weight of personal tragedies and persistent sexism. All brought comfort to the bereaved in the isolation of the Texas frontier, kept its cities free of deadly disease and revolutionized an industry that was just coming into its own.

African Americans of Round Top

9781467160742

$24.99

Round Top's African American pioneers came into Texas in 1825 when Stephen F. Austin brought in 300 Anglo-Americans, and the people they enslaved, for the purpose of colonizing the area. Soon afterward, more slaves were bought in from other slaveholding states. After the Civil War ended, the descendants of these original Round Top pioneers began building their own community. Many earned money by toiling away in the cotton fields for the very men who had once enslaved them. Others earned money working as cowboys, washerwomen, barbers, or blacksmiths. In 1867, the group founded the Concord Missionary Baptist Church as a communal space for them to come together and pool their resources to buy their own land, build their own homes, and hire teachers, which led to the creation of the Concord Missionary Baptist Church Colored School. For generations, this school successfully educated freedmen, their children, and their descendants before finally closing its doors due to desegregation. Despite many challenges, they overcame obstacles that grew into a prosperous community.

White Sands Missile Range

9780738558783

$24.99

Since the official flag raising on July 9, 1945, the White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) has become an integral part of global defense for the United States. A mere week after formation, Project Trinity tested the first atomic bomb at an isolated site, which was 100 miles north on what was then part of the Alamogordo Bombing Range--a test site for B-17 pilots. Back at White Sands Proving Ground, as it was then named, personnel were unaware of the massive new weapon tested to their north. Instead their focus was upon the arrival of what would be 300 railroad cars of captured German V-2 rockets and associated equipment. Later that year, over 100 captured German scientists, among them Werner von Braun, would arrive at White Sands to assist in V-2 technology, launching America's race to space; tens of thousands of rockets and missiles have since been fired on the range. Thousands of family members also lived and worked at the range, and their stories can be found inside as well.

Flagstaff’s Walkup Family Murders

9781467147156

$21.99

In the summer of 1937, the mountain town of Flagstaff emerged from the Great Depression with an eye toward the future. Few people were better positioned for success than JD Walkup, a handsome young mover and shaker who served as chairman of the board of supervisors and a happily married father of four. The city was alive and bustling, tourism thrived and cultural endeavors blossomed. But JD's life changed forever one cool summer evening when his wife, Marie, and their children were found dead. The murders shook the town to its core, along with the disturbing knowledge that Marie was the culprit. Join author Susan Johnson as she explores the tragic history of a once-happy Flagstaff family.

John F. Kennedy Sites in Dallas-Fort Worth

9781467130332

$24.99

November 22, 1963, is a date that will forever live in the minds and hearts of those who were witness to or touched by the assassination of Pres. John F. Kennedy in Dealey Plaza. Surprisingly, the majority of sites associated with events surrounding that day still stand along the streets and in the neighborhoods of the greater Dallas-Fort Worth region. From Fort Worth's Hotel Texas to the Texas Theater and the Old Municipal Building in Dallas, John F. Kennedy Sites in Dallas-Fort Worth explores and documents the buildings, neighborhoods, and places with a direct connection to the assassination and its figures, both major and minor, in one of the darkest chapters in American and Texan history.

John F. Kennedy Sites in Dallas-Fort Worth

Route 66 in Texas

9781467130042

$24.99

Route 66 stretches across 178 miles and through seven counties in the Texas Panhandle. To a traveler on Interstate 40, the road may seem like an endless expanse, with the horizon interrupted only by the occasional grain elevator. But there is history, scenery, and adventure waiting on Route 66, which follows the trail of the Native Americans, conquistadors, cattle and oil barons, cowboys, and Dust Bowl refugees. With such sites as the blazing neon sign at Shamrock's U-Drop Inn and the quiet ruins of Glenrio, Route 66 in Texas is still "The Main Street of America." The traveler who leaves the franchised blandness of the interstate will see motels with Western and Native American imagery, good old-fashioned tourist traps, some bizarre sculptures (such as cars stuck in the ground at Cadillac Ranch), and beautiful Art Deco structures. These images and stories tell of mom-and-pop establishments that still thrive today and those that are crumbling in the swirling dust and tumbleweeds of the notorious Jericho Gap.

Route 66 in Arizona

9780738579429

$23.99

Route 66 in Arizona is a ribbon tying together spectacular natural attractions such as the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, the Painted Desert, and the Meteor Crater. There were plenty of man-made diversions along the way, too. Roadside businesses used Native American and Western imagery to lure travelers to fill up their gas tank, grab a meal, or spend the night. Roadside signs featured shapely cowgirls and big black jackrabbits, or warned of killer snakes and prehistoric monsters. Between wails of "Are we there yet?" children pleaded to stay at motels shaped like wigwams, explore the Apache Death Cave, or pick up a rubber tomahawk at a trading post.

Route 66 in Oklahoma

9780738590516

$24.99

Oklahoma is where East and West collide on Route 66, where the rolling hills that reach across its borders from Missouri and Arkansas give way to red earth and Big Sky Country. It is a land of agriculture, oil, and Native America. Route 66 stamped itself into the landscape here in 1926, extending from the state's northeast corner through Tulsa and Oklahoma City to the Texas Panhandle in the west. It was Oklahoma Highway commissioner Cyrus Avery, now known as the "Father of Route 66," who originally championed a major route stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles. Today, its pathway in Oklahoma is rich with small-town ambiance and landmarks, including many of the route's most popular attractions. From the magnificent Coleman Theatre in Miami to the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, the Mother Road across the Sooner State is an explorer's feast.

Los Alamos

9780738529738

$24.99

Forever linked with World War II and America's entrance into the Atomic Age, Los Alamos was a small ranching community and the site of an exclusive boys' school until 1943. As the Manhattan Project unfolded, Pvt. J.J. Michnovicz--first assigned to Los Alamos as a photographer by the military but later working as a civilian--recorded the everyday spirit of the people and the events that shaped this mountain town into a home . . . and secret scientific hotbed. This comprehensive view of the social and professional world of Los Alamos is the photographic journal of a singular period, as seen through the eyes of one soldier.

The Deadly 1940 Alamo Train Crash

9781467155106

$24.99

On March 14, 1940, a train heading west along Highway 83 from Donna to Alamo struck a truck driver turning north from the highway onto Tower Road. The horrific crash killed twenty-nine of about forty-five farmworkers who were on the truck. A one-day investigation faulted the truck driver and led to meager court settlements for the devastated families. In the wake of these events, several of the victims' children and grandchildren became lawyers and some of the first Mexican American judges in South Texas. Juan Carmona and Taylor Seaver De La Fuente revisit the deadliest traffic accident in Texas history, while seeking to preserve the stories of Mexican and Mexican American farmworkers and their relatives whose backbreaking contributions continue to feed our country to this day.

Cover image for The Deadly 1940 Alamo Train Crash, isbn: 9781467155106

Death at Papago Park POW Camp

9781467135764

$21.99

World War II came to Arizona via two significant avenues: prisoner-of-war camps and military training bases. Notorious for its prisoners' attempted escape through the Faustball Tunnel, Papago POW Camp also had a dark reputation of violence among its prisoners. An unfortunate casualty was Werner Drechsler, who supplied German secrets to U.S. Navy authorities after his capture in 1943. Nazis held there labeled him a traitor and hanged him from a bathroom rafter. Controversy erupted over whether the killing was an act of war or murder, as well as the lack of protection Drechsler received for aiding in espionage. Ultimately, seven POWs were hanged for the crime. Author Jane Eppinga examines the tangled details and implications of America's last mass execution.

The Battleship Texas

9781467123938

$24.99

The USS Texas was built when dreadnought battleships were kings of the seas. It was the world's most powerful battleship when first commissioned in 1914, and for over a century it fought many battles. Some took place while the Texas served as a warship in the US Navy in World Wars I and II. Since becoming a museum ship and war memorial in 1948, it has fought a longer and more difficult struggle as it combats the ravages of time for its very survival. Throughout its existence, the Texas has made history, leaving a wealth of fascinating stories in its wake.

Dallas's Radio Station WRR

9781467161749

$24.99

Radio station WRR, the United States’ first fire and police dispatch network, originated in 1920 thanks to the innovative thinking of Dallas police and fire signal superintendent Henry Garrett, who realized the potential of communicating via the then brand-new medium of wireless radio transmission. When dispatchers began broadcasting music between fire alarms, citizens listened on their homemade sets, and the Dallas, Texas, radio station was born. In August 1921, operating with 50 watts, WRR became the first federally licensed radio station west of the Mississippi River and the second in the United States. During the last 103 years, the WRR call letters have been at the heart of both an AM and an FM station, and North Texas listeners eagerly tuned in to both frequencies.

Oklahoma Freedmen of the Five Tribes

9781467154772

$23.99

Explore accounts of Oklahoma's Freedmen as told by their descendants in these stories of resistance and resilience on the Western frontier.

The Freedmen of Oklahoma were black people, both enslaved and free, who had been living among the Indian nations. After the official abolition of slavery in 1866, they forged an identity as their own people as they faced the challenges of the western frontier. By 1906, before Oklahoma statehood, over 20,000 people were classified as "Freedmen" from Five Tribes: Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek and Seminole Nations. For decades, their descendants have been rediscovering their family history and restoring its place in the larger narrative. Angela Walton-Raji has compiled this collection of stories, told by descendants from all five tribes, to ensure that the Freedmen of Oklahoma claim their vibrant part of the state's heritage.

Texas Gunslingers

9781467132718

$24.99

Images of America: Texas Gunslingers presents the concept of Texas as the Gunfighter Capital of the West. Indeed, after the cowboy--a Texas creation--the most colorful and romanticized frontier figure is the gunfighter. Nothing is more dramatic than life and death conflict, and the image of men in big hats and boots brandishing six-shooters and Winchesters has been portrayed in countless Western novels, movies, and television shows. Texas made an enormous contribution to gunfighter lore. Texas Rangers were responsible for the evolution of Sam Colt's revolving pistol, key weapon of gunfighters. More shoot-outs occurred in Texas than in any other state or territory. More gunfighters were from Texas, including kill-crazy Wes Hardin and Killin' Jim Miller, the West's premier assassin. There were more blood feuds in Texas than in any other state. Frequently, gunplay erupted in towns such as Tascosa, El Paso, Fort Worth, and Lampasas, where four lawmen were killed in an 1873 saloon battle.

White Sands Missile Range

9780738570532

$7.99

White Sands Missile Range boasts a rich history.

Route 66 in New Mexico

9780738580296

$24.99

New Mexico is "The Land of Enchantment," offering a fascinating blend of Native American, Spanish Colonial, and Western American cultures. The travelers from the East knew they had arrived in the great Southwest when they entered New Mexico--the towns along Route 66 were ablaze in neon, and the motels lured travelers with Western themes, Pueblo Revival architecture, and Native American trading posts. An adventure still awaits the traveler today who takes the time to exit I-40 and leave the franchised blandness behind. The neon still flickers at the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, on Central Avenue in Albuquerque, and at the El Rancho Hotel in Gallup. The "Fat Man" still smiles at Joseph's Bar and Grill in Santa Rosa. The stories behind those landmarks are here, as well as the stories behind establishments that are lost forever or slowly crumbling to dust among the tumbleweeds.

The Texas Rangers

9780738579825

$24.99

The Texas Rangers. The words evoke exciting images of daring, courage, high adventure. The Rangers began as a handful of men protecting their homes from savage raiding parties; now in their third century of existence, they are a highly sophisticated crime-fighting organization. Yet at times even today the Texas Ranger mounts his horse to track fugitives through dense chaparral, depending on his wits more than technology. The iconic image of the Texas Ranger is of a man who is tall, unflinching, and dedicated to doing a difficult job no matter what the odds. The Rangers of the 21st century are different sizes, colors, and genders, but remain as vital and real today as when they were created in the horseback days of 1823, when what is today Texas was part of Mexico, a wild and untamed land.

Indian City USA

9781467161336

$24.99

Dr. Bobbie Chew Bigby (Cherokee) and Randy Palmer (Kiowa/Choctaw) have collected colorful photographs showcasing one of the earliest, longest-running, and most cherished American Indian cultural attractions in the country, Indian City USA.

Located in Anadarko, Oklahoma, Indian City USA was open from the mid-1950s through the end of the 2000s. Drawing on vibrant postcard images, family photographs, and maps, together with the oral histories of those who worked and lived there, this book provides a unique view into Indian City USA and what made it so special for so many people.

Cover image for Indian City USA, isbn: 9781467161336

Brief History of Greenlee County, A

9781467155021

$24.99

Home to the largest open pit copper mine in North America, Greenlee County boasts a colorful and fascinating history.

Mining, ranching, and farming have sustained generations of area families, including Blue River rancher Freddie Fritz, once the head of the Arizona Cattle Growers Association, and Robert Hannagan, who lent his name to the popular Hannagan Meadow along the Coronado Trail. Discover the fate of Metcalf, a town no longer standing, and the devastating Clifton flood of 1906. Learn about the labor strike of 1903, one of the most violent conflicts in Greenlee's history.

Join area natives Robert A. Chilicky and Gerald D. Hunt as they explore the past of one of the most interesting places in Arizona.

Cover image for Brief History of Greenlee County, A, isbn: 9781467155021

Tucson, Arizona

9780738507743

$24.99

The history of Tucson and its people is long and distinguished. Archaeological records demonstrate that Tucson was inhabited from about 300 to 1300 A.D. by a people called the Hohokam. Through the centuries the flags of Spain, Mexico, the Confederacy, and the United States have flown over Tucson. Images of cowboys and Indians, preachers and gamblers, miners and gunslingers, ladies of the night and churchmen, leave an indelible imprint on the history of this town. From remote Spanish presidio outpost, to Mexican village, to modern metropolis, Tucson has endured. After Mexico's revolution against Spain in 1821, Tucson became part of Mexico. With the 1853 Gadsden Purchase, Tucson joined the United States as part of the Arizona Territory, achieving statehood in 1912. After California's gold rush, many disappointed prospectors (the famous "49ers") stopped and stayed in Tucson. The expansion of the railroad brought many more immigrants. After World War One, many veterans with tuberculosis sought relief in Tucson's warm dry climate. After World War Two, veterans remembered their training during warm winters and moved to Tucson permanently.

Jerome

9780738558820

$23.99

The rugged mining community of Jerome has thrived by the hard work and hard play of tough men and women pitted against an equally hard mountain. William Murray solicited funding for the Black Hills mining camp from his uncle, a New York lawyer and financier named Eugene Murray Jerome, who reportedly was not interested. However, his independent wife was delighted at the prospect and raised $200,000 in development capital for Murray. In 1882, Frederick F. Thomas, Jerome's first postmaster, named the mining camp "Jerome" in honor of the family. Jerome boomed, ultimately reaching a reported population peak of 15,000 in the 1920s, then dwindling to a ghost town after the mines closed. In 1967, the town was designated a National Historic Landmark, and today it is a flourishing artist community, as well as a motorcycle and travel destination.

Tombstone

9780738520964

$23.99

Tombstone sits less than 100 miles from the Mexico border in the middle of the picturesque Arizona desert and also squarely at the heart of America's Old West. Silver was discovered nearby in 1878, and with that strike, Tombstone was created. It soon grew to be a town of over 10,000 of the most infamous outlaws, cowboys, lawmen, prostitutes, and varmints the Wild West has ever seen. The gunfight at the O.K. Corral made Wyatt Earp and John Henry "Doc" Holliday legendary and secured Tombstone's reputation as "The Town Too Tough to Die." In this volume, more than 200 striking images and informative captions tell the stories of the heroes and villains of Tombstone, the saloons and brothels they visited, the movies they inspired, and Boot Hill, the well-known cemetery where many were buried.

Cover image for Tombstone, isbn: 9780738520964

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.

Dallas Love Field

9781467160599

$24.99

Dallas Love Field Airport, established in 1917 as an Army flight training field, was the site of the first commercial aviation flights in the state of Texas. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the airport's reputation as one of the nation's best attracted many well-known aviators of the day to take advantage of its excellent facilities and services. At one time the 10th busiest airport in the world, Love Field has been the headquarters of two major airlines (one of which is now the airport's largest tenant) and has a strong reputation for exceptional leadership and passenger satisfaction while processing more passengers per gate than any airport in the country. The repeal of a legislative amendment limiting nonstop flights at the airport resulted in a 100 percent increase in passenger traffic from 2010 to 2019 and significantly impacted the airport's relationship to the community.

The Downfall of Galveston's May Walker Burleson

9781467139663

$24.99

Jennie May Walker Burleson was envied for having everything a woman of her time could want--the privileged upbringing, the dazzling good looks, the dashing war hero husband. She was admired for demonstrating that a woman could want more, from the front of the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession to the bottom of a Mesoamerican archaeological dig. But as she stood over the body of her husband's second wife, gun in hand, society's envy and admiration quickly hardened into pity and scorn. T. Felder Dorn examines the complicated trajectory of her life as socialite, suffragist and shooter.

The Downfall of Galveston's May Walker Burleson

The Grand Canyon: Native People and Early Visitors

9780738500317

$23.99

Unlike appreciating America's other natural wonders such as waterfalls, glaciers, mountains, or prairies, one must struggle to absorb, assimilate, and comprehend the Grand Canyon's tremendous scale. Captured here in over 250 vintage images is the human drama of survival and coexistence in the canyon, from the native tribes who struggled with life on the rim, to the pioneers who came to foster and manipulate the early tourist industry in America's oldest natural resource. Covering the tribes that called the canyon home and the seekers who flocked to the area to find their fortune in gold and tourism, author Kenneth Shields exposes the human layers so often overlooked. Seen here are the native tribes who survived the harshest conditions of the canyon, including the Hopi, Havasupai, Navajo, and Paiute. Readers will recognize the images of popular tourist spots like the El Tovar Hotel and the Navajo Bridge, as well as the early conservationist faces of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft.

The Grand Canyon: Native People and Early Visitors

Frontier Forts and Outposts of New Mexico

9781467140782

$23.99

The frontier spirit of New Mexico is celebrated in this memorable history of over two dozens forts and military outposts.

Life in early New Mexico was often perilous. Geographic isolation attracted outlaws and ruffians, and skirmishes often arose between the indigenous tribes and settlers. In response, the U.S. government set up military forts and outposts to protect its new citizens. These strongholds include Fort Craig, where logs were made to look like cannons to fool Confederate troops. Kit Carson, John Pershing and Billy the Kid all called Fort Stanton home, before it became the first federal tuberculosis sanatorium and later a detention center for German prisoners of war. Author Donna Blake Birchell relates little-known yet highly important Civil War battles, the tragedies of the Navajo and Mescalero Apache internments and other dramatic frontier stories.

Frontier Forts and Outposts of New Mexico

Georgetown

9780738584508

$24.99

Before 1840, the land along the three forks of the San Gabriel River attracted trappers, traders, and frontiersmen. The town of Georgetown, situated at the confluence of these forks, was founded and named the Williamson County Seat in May 1848. It quickly grew as an agricultural center. Well-known cattlemen such as future Nevada governor John Sparks and the Snyder Brothers lived in Georgetown, and thousands of cows were driven right through downtown to the famed Chisholm Trail. Economic forces lined up favorably for this small village as cattle, cotton, and railroads combined to set off a boom in growth. Southwestern University, established here in 1873, further influenced the character of Georgetown. The wild cowboy town full of saloons and gambling halls soon developed great opportunities for education and business. Today the courthouse square from that earlier era is one of the most intact Victorian town squares in Texas. Georgetown is now recognized for its outstanding quality of life, vibrant business community, and award-winning historic preservation efforts.

Murder & Mayhem in Tombstone

9781467156516

$24.99

Desire, Deceit and Debauchery

Tombstone was a wild place during Arizona's territorial era, with violence and criminal activity running rampant. It wasn't just the Earp brothers' iconic gunfight at the O.K. Corral that left behind a trail of death and destruction--lawlessness and vigilante justice reigned throughout the Old West era. Driven by tension between the sheriff's office and the local Deputy Marshal, daily life for infamous outlaws, corrupt civil servants, and even ordinary customers of the saloons and brothels was apt to devolve into chaos at any moment.

Join author Cody Polston as he brings to life the characters who walked the dusty streets and left their mark on Tombstone's bloody past.

Cover image for Murder & Mayhem in Tombstone, isbn: 9781467156516

Dallas Landmarks

9780738558738

$7.99

Dallas boasts a rich history.

Cover image for Dallas Landmarks, isbn: 9780738558738

Portal of the Chiricahuas

9781467115148

$24.99

Coronado scorned this region as unpopulated when he labored through southeastern Arizona in 1540, but he could have found 12,000-year-old spear points in the remains of giant bison near Cave Creek Cienega, grinding hollows in boulders, and shamanic figures in high caves of the Chiricahuas towering above valleys and grasslands. Searing drought forced people to abandon their villages by 1400, but Apaches wandered down from Canada about the time Spaniards passed by. Thousands of forty-niners traveled in sight of the mountains on their race to California. The Chiricahua Apaches were exiled to Florida in 1886; even earlier, their lands were opened to settlement. Portal began in 1902 as a rest stop between the railroad and the boom town of Paradise. Since 1956, the Southwestern Research Station of the American Museum of Natural History has attracted countless researchers. The present community is a vibrant mix of biologists, birders, astronomers, writers, artists, and ranchers, united by love for this unique canyon.