Name: Wicked Western Slope
Brand: D.A. Brockett
SKU: 9781609495701
Price: 21.99 USD
Availability: InStock

Wicked Western Slope

9781609495701

$21.99

Early promoters of Colorado's Western Slope would have had settlers believe the area was one of proper behavior and upstanding morality. But this was not the case. Hot tempers led to quick trigger fingers and Main Street shootouts. Drinking, gambling and thieving were popular pursuits, and law breaking of all kinds thrived in this wild land. From Charles Graham, whose jealous rampage in Grand Junction is still talked about today, and the mysterious Friday the thirteenth murder of Jeanette Morris to Abe C. Ong, the mischievous pioneer bootlegger of De Beque, and Riverside's Mrs. Barnes and her foul crime, "History Sleuth" D.A. Brockett reveals some of the most outrageous and remarkable crimes in Western Slope history.

Hidden History of Alexandria, D.C.

9781609492816

$21.99

Go inside the long-forgotten 19th century period when Alexandria left Virginia and incorporated itself into the fledging Distric of Columbia.

This groundbreaking history uncovers the time in the 19th century when Alexandria left the commonwealth of Virginia and became incorporated into the emerging District of Columbia. It was an experiment that failed after half a century of neglect and a growing animosity between North and South. However, it was a fascinating time when cannon were dragged onto city streets for political rallies, candidates plied their voters with liquor and devastating fires ravaged the city.

Rabbit Hash, Kentucky:

9781609494353

$21.99

Folks gave this small town its peculiar moniker as early as 1847, and they've been doing things their own way ever since. Beginning as an important stop for commerce along the Ohio River, the tiny town has endured floods, ice, economic upheaval and all manner of modernization, remaining a beacon of bygone ways in the present day. Always bucking trends, people here elected their first dog for mayor in 1998, sparking a tradition that led to three more successful canine campaigns. So pull up a chair at the general store and join local historian Donald Clare as he presents the first book-length history of Boone County's most celebrated river town.

Tennessee Literary Luminaries:

9781609498306

$21.99

The Volunteer State has been a pioneer in southern literature for generations, giving us such literary stars as Robert Penn Warren and Cormac McCarthy. But Tennessee's literary legacy also involves authors such as Peter Matthew Hillsman Taylor, who delayed writing his first novel but won the Pulitzer Prize upon completing it. Join author Sue Freeman Culverhouse as she explores the rich literary heritage of Tennessee through engaging profiles of its most revered citizens of letters.

Wicked Puritans Essex County

9781596295667

$21.99

Wicked Puritans of Essex County is a unique report on Puritan criminality that shatters the stereotype of the Puritan (someone striving, above all, to achieve moral purity). With a ground breaking, eye opening level of detail, this book reveals that a surprising number of Puritans were prone to kick the dog, skip church, disrespect the minister, steal a keg of nails, shortweight your grain, turn swine into your corn, burn your barn, or perform any number of wicked and vicious acts. Lesson learned? The Puritan crowd was not, after all, much different from any other, then or now. Author Tom Juergens may not be the first to drive nails into the coffin of Puritan moral superiority, but he has found a hefty hammer to wield in the record they left behind.

New Mexico Cocktails

9781467135566

$21.99

New Mexico may appear to be the land of a thousand Margaritas, but its distilleries and historic cocktails are complex enough to satisfy even the most discerning palate. Cowboys and banditos alike distilled and drank their way to infamy. Prohibition drinkers masked the questionable spirits with cocktails at local joints like the legendary triple-level speakeasy of Santa Fe that was so secret, it had no name. Though the state had no legal distilleries for several decades following Prohibition, Arturo Jaramillo created the quintessential New Mexican cocktail in 1965. When Don Quixote Distillery opened in 2005, it set the stage for a cocktail revolution. Cocktail enthusiast Greg Mays explores a boozy history spiked with anecdotes and garnished with over one hundred simple recipes for the home bartender.

Texas Dames

9781609498122

$21.99

These are the Texas Dames, women who sallied forth to run sprawling ranches, build towns, helm major banks and shape Lone Star history. These "Dames" broke gender and racial barriers in every facet of life. Some led the way as heroines, while others slid headlong into notoriety, but nearly all exhibited similar strands of courage and determination to wrest a country, a state and a region from the wilds. From Angelina of the Hasinai, interpreter for the Spanish, and sharpshooter Sally Scull to Dr. Claudia Potter, America's first female anesthesiologist, and Birdie Harwood, first female mayor in the United States, historian Carmen Goldthwaite has been profiling Texas women and their accomplishments in her popular "Texas Dames" column. Here are their stories, from early Tejas to the twentieth century.

Wicked Shreveport

9781596298187

$21.99

In the rough-and-tumble days of the nineteenth century, Shreveport was on the very edge of the country's western frontier. It was a city struggling to tame lawlessness, and its streets were rocked by duels, lynchings and shootouts. A new century and Prohibition only brought a fresh wave of crime and scandal. The port city became a haunt for the likes of notorious bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde and home to the influential socialite and Madam Annie McCune. From Fred Lockhart, aka the "Butterfly Man," to serial killers Nathanial Code and Danny Rolling, Shreveport played reluctant host to an even deadlier cast of characters. Their tales and more make up the devilish history of the Deep South in Wicked Shreveport.

University Park, Los Angeles:

9781609499600

$21.99

University Park is one of Los Angeles's most diverse and historic neighborhoods. Beginning with the founding of the University of Southern California in 1880, the area has hosted two Olympic Games and numerous presidents and been featured as a backdrop for dozens of movies, along with countless other events of cultural and historical significance. Few areas in Southern California boast such a wide variety of historic buildings--residential, educational and commercial--dating to LA's earliest days. With USC as its anchor, University Park thrives as a microcosm of LA's culture, architecture and development from an outpost accumulating settlers into one of the world's great cosmopolitan metropolises. Join author Charles Epting on this historical inventory of University Park's significant moments and lasting legacy.

A Culinary History of Florida

9781626196575

$21.99

Florida cuisine: twelve thousand years in the making, discover the the state's unusual and distinctive food influences and dishes.

From the very first prickly pears harvested by Paleo-Indians more than twelve thousand years ago to the Seminole tribe's staple dish of sofkee, Florida's culinary history is as diverse as its geography. Influences as diverse as French, Creole, Spanish, Cuban, Greek, Mexican, Caribbean, and more season Florida's eclectic flavors. Learn how Florida orange juice changed the look of the American breakfast table and discover the state's festival-worthy swamp cabbage. Through syllabubs, perloos, frog legs and Tupelo honey, author Joy Sheffield Harris serves up a delectable helping of five hundred years of Florida cuisine--all with a side of key lime pie, of course.

Strange Tales of Crime and Murder in Southern Indiana

9781596297722

$19.99

Prepare to take a tour of some dark, strange moments of southern Indiana's history.

From the scheming wife who wanted her dull husband out of the way to make room for a young love affair and the husband who stomped his wife to death because she wouldn't stop singing an irritating song, to the man who murdered an entire family to pay off some farming equipment and the case of a mistaken-identity murder, author Keven McQueen relates the sinister (or not so) motives and gruesome details of nine murders that occurred in southern Indiana between 1880 and 1912. With a detailed, if macabre, look at each story as well as the ambiguities surrounding the criminals and punishments, McQueen illuminates the darker side of Hoosier history.

Strange Tales of Crime and Murder in Southern Indiana

Tales from the South Carolina Upstate

9781596293458

$19.99

Far from the sweltering heat of South Carolina's storied Lowcountry--setting of author Nancy Rhyne's best-selling 2006 novel Edisto Island--lies the rugged Upstate region. It is a classic setting, replete with enchanted forests, natural waterfalls, mineral springs, fresh air, farm stands, caves, illicit stills and lakes that make fishing as much fun as catching. Sprinkled in the less mountainous zones are towers of inspiration, such as the Shriners Hospital for Children in Greenville, Spartanburg's institutions of learning, Walhalla's cloggers and Gaffney's Peachoid. Using oral history excerpts compiled by the Depression-era Federal Writers' Project, Nancy Rhyne chronicles the natural and human history of this spectacular area.

A History of Alma College

9781626193321

$21.99

Come along with authors Gordon Beld and David McMacken on a trip down memory lane to Alma College, a mid-Michigan school with a fascinating past, rich heritage and impressive influence. Look on as thousands of spectators flock to the campus for the annual Highland festival. Sit in the front row while a yet unknown young performer introduces you to a new song, Take Me Home, Country Roads." Peek into a voting booth to see the ballot listing two former Alma students who are candidates for the U.S. vice presidency--in the same election. Learn how Alma students reached out to make a difference here at home and around the world.."

Vanishing Charleston History

9780738503585

$19.99

This charming collection of original watercolor scenes depicts the people, places, and happenings that years ago had a presence in Charleston but have, unfortunately, since disappeared.

A History of Charleston's Hampton Park

9781609496241

$21.99

Most visitors to Charleston never venture far enough north to discover what residents claim as the most appealing public open space on the peninsula. Hampton Park is completely unexpected in this city famous for highly manicured gardens with clipped lawns, sculpted shrubs and precise designs hidden behind massive walls and iron gates. Hampton Park's naturalistic character was created as an antidote to the cramped conditions of the lower peninsula, and it still offers open fields of grass, walking trails, shade trees and overflowing flower beds. But the story is not that simple--it began more than three hundred years ago with Native Americans and involves early plantation life, Revolutionary War battles, horse racing, the Civil War, industrial development, civic spectacle, professional baseball, a zoo and disco.

Union County's Black Soldiers and Sailors of the Civil War

9781596294462

$23.99

In Union County, New Jersey, many soldiers and sailors of African ancestry answered President Lincoln's call for troops during the Civil War and enlisted in regiments organized in Union County, the United States Colored Troops (USCT), out of-state-regiments and the United States Navy and Marine Corps. ¬They fought not only for country but also for their comrades in chains in the South and for the promise of equality that they had for so long been denied. ¬ rough their stories, never-before-seen photographs, documents and service records, local historian Ethel M. Washington tells a largely overlooked but riveting history of patriotic black servicemen in the North who defended the nation's ideals on the battle field even as they faced discrimination in the ranks and back home.

Union County's Black Soldiers and Sailors of the Civil War

Wicked Washtenaw County

9781596299122

$21.99

Washtenaw County has a dark and sordid history, filled with unexplained murders and vicious crimes. Venture into the dead of night with medical students from the University of Michigan as they snatch bodies from fresh graves. Discover how Irene Walling Smith, born and raised in Ypsilanti, became known as the "Bandit Queen" of the despicable Kozak Gang. Head back to Ann Arbor in 1878, when Howard Williams was found dead in his home with an empty bottle of morphine by his sidewas it murder, suicide or overdose? Revisit the puzzling details of the unsolved 1913 murder of seventy-three-year-old Elizabeth Stapish, something of an eccentric in Chelsea, who was strangled and buried under a pile of cornhusks in her barn. Join local history author and columnist James Mann as he reveals the enigmatic history of this Michigan county.

Wicked Ulster County

9781609497163

$21.99

Uncover Ulster County's hidden history of unsavory characters and stories of its wicked past.

Situated in the scenic Hudson Valley, Ulster County is a lovely location to make a home and raise a family, but it wasn't always so pleasant. Unsavory characters and immoral events have sullied its name. In the 1870s, the Shawangunk Mountains inspired fear rather than awe, as groups like the Lyman Freer and Shawangunk gangs robbed and terrorized locals, descending from the protection of the wooded peaks. Kingston was torched, arson blazed in Kerhonkson and even the Mohonk Mountain House was threatened by flames. In 1909, the Ashokan Slasher's bloody crimes and sensational trial captured headlines across the country. Discover these and other salacious stories buried in Ulster County's history.

Wicked Waterbury

9781596296299

$21.99

In its early days, Waterbury was a muddy swamp, a breeding ground for pestilence and mosquitoes. Yet the town's early settlers rarely strayed from the path of Puritan righteousness. By the turn of the twentieth century, however, this rigorously policed, morally upright community had become what one politician called a "crossroads of slime and evil." Headlines boasted tales of corrupt politicians and love scandals, union strife and industrial sabotage. For sixteen years, Waterbury was the hideout for "Mad Bomber" George Metesky, and in 1974 the town witnessed the double homicide that provoked the longest-running trial in Connecticut's history. From the controversial opening of a birth control clinic to the corruption of Mayor T. Frank Hayes, authors Edith Reynolds and John Murray document the major episodes that gave Waterbury the nickname "Sin City."

Swan's Island Chronicles

9781626193178

$21.99

The small Downeast Maine community of Swan's Island has seen summer people come and go, but it has held on to its stories. Author Kate Webber illustrates island life with humor, affection and the voices of islanders--from the first settlement and 1950s hijinks to courtship and commerce. Explore the first and last one-room schools, island romance in sock-hop days and coastal celebrations. No one kicks up their heels on the third of July like Swan's Islanders. From spooky haunts to local legends, the island's history is all its own. Join Webber on this historic romp set against the backdrop of modern island living, and get acquainted with the island that comes alive after the last ferry has pulled away.

World War II Richmond, Virginia

9781626190269

$21.99

The effects of the war raging across Europe were visible in Richmond as early as 1939, and Richmonders are always ready to fight for their cause. In that year, the city saw its first parking meters on the streets and began to collect aluminum scrap for use in war industries. In 1940, pursuant to the new draft law, Richmond's sons between the ages of twenty-one and thirty-five registered for the draft. While bomb shelters were put up all over the town, dances were held to maintain local morale. Even as local German families faced discrimination, Richmonders strived for a sense of unity and solidarity. Author and historian Walter Griggs Jr. revives this conflicted spirit, memorializing the sorrow and celebrating the triumphs of a resilient southern city through world war.

Exploring Colonial Williamsburg from A to Z

9781467137614

$19.99

Explore the grounds of Colonial Williamsburg with this unique seek-and-find alphabet book offering beautiful photographs with hidden animals on every page.

Discover everything from sheep pastures and underground ice houses to walled gardens and winding hedge mazes. Included are fun facts about Colonial Williamsburg's history in an illustrated glossary and a kid-friendly map for planning your journey. Whether you use this book as a guide for an upcoming visit to Colonial Williamsburg or as a souvenir to commemorate your stay, a magical adventure awaits you and your family!

Exploring Colonial Williamsburg from A to Z

Writings of the Islands:

9781596290044

$14.99

The islands and Lowcountry history are virtually synonymous. Here were the earliest watchtowers of the 1670s when pirates roamed the coastline. Here rang out the sounds of the great Revolutionary War victories won from the palmetto parapets of Fort Sullivan. It was from the inlet that separates the two islands that the Hunley sailed on its fateful mission against the Housatonic and into legend. And here, in the glory days of the late nineteenth century, the trolley line brought visitors from the world over to the islands' majestic resort hotels. Indeed, Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms are unparalleled for the role they have played in the development of the Lowcountry and of our nation. Here are hurricanes, wars, the famous and the infamous--presented delightfully, sometimes with poignancy, and always with a reverence for the history of these extraordinary islands.

Hidden History of Civil War Charleston

9781609495749

$21.99

Forgotten tales of Charleston's Civil War history have been collected into this new compendium for today's history lovers.

In a city as old as Charleston, it's only natural for some stories to become less well-known over time, but the Palmetto State's history should never be forgotten entirely. Author Margaret Middleton Rivers Eastman recounts some of Charleston's amazing Civil War stories that have faded from memory, including the shady story of how an association of Charleston elites conspired to push South Carolina toward secession in 1860, and the Stone Fleet of old whaling ships that were sunk in Charleston Harbor in an attempt to choke out Confederate blockade runners, as well as a cast of real-life characters such as Amarinthia Yates Snowden, William Richard Catheart, and Tom Lockwood, just to name a few.

Wild Women of Washington, D.C.

9781626193673

$21.99

Fiery suffragettes, unconventional first ladies, and rebellious socialites turning up their noses at ladylike behavior, these pioneering women of Washington, D.C., shattered the expectations of a tightly-corseted society.

Escaped slave turned spy Mary Touvestre risked it all to scuttle Confederate plans to break the Union blockade. Trading petticoats for trousers to work at the Union hospitals, Dr. Mary E. Walker was both the only female Medal of Honor recipient and the possessor of a police record for impersonating a man. During Prohibition, First Lady Florence Harding hosted jazz soirees and served up cocktails in the White House gardens. From pioneering photographers and newspaperwomen to enterprising madams and soldiers in disguise, author Canden Schwantes introduces readers to the decidedly daring and wild women of the capital.

Wicked Ottawa County, Michigan

9781609491741

$21.99

Prepare for a harrowing ride into the seedy side of Ottawa County history as author Amberrose Hammond unearths morbid tales of sin, scandal and crime. The lovers you find here become enemies, and the jilted, jealous and mistreated favor weaponry to verbal resolution. Ku Klux Klan members don white gowns and leave fiery crosses blazing against the backdrop of night. In this Ottawa County, Eddie Bentz, Baby Face Nelson and a crew of thugs are spraying machine gun fire outside the People's Savings Bank in Grand Haven, arguments end in miserable fashion and the missing often turn up without the capacity to out their wrongdoers.

Wilmington's Carolina Heights:

9781596292598

$21.99

Nearly 100 years ago, outside the old city limits of Wilmington, N.C., Mary Bridgers began a novel experiment in residential development now known as Carolina Heights.

The neighborhood she began has grown and matured, but remains a jewel-box settlement of only 12-blocks, rich in a variety of turn-of-the-century architecture. Each street and throroughfare offers glimpses of magnificent mansions as well as smaller dwellings whose designs were directly influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Home to a diverse culture of Wilmington residents, Carolina Heights has resisted the trends to change the appearance of her old homes, churches and buildings. As such, the neighborhood serves as a hidden treasure of preservation, architecture, and historic homes and gardens.

Haunted Wausau

9781609491109

$21.99

Walk through the "Gateway to the Northwoods" into a place teeming with apparitions, electrical disturbances, physical manifestations and veiled forces. Glide among the praying whispers in the basement of Rogers Theater or the unmanned piano music floating through the halls of the Hotel Wausau and gaze upon the unusual acorn pyramid at the Gillett home. Join Wausau Paranormal Research Society members Shawn Blaschka, Anji Spialek and Sharon Abitz as they present what they have discovered about Annie and the Blue Cowboy, the Bat-Man and the Mosinee poltergeist. This chilling collection of ghost lore searches out the dark secrets of Wausau's most public places.

Willow Creek History

9781609496449

$21.99

It's the same Willow Creek that flows into Bass Lake and moves through five powerhouses generating twenty-seven kilowatts of electricity for California. It's the same Willow Creek that rises at eight thousand feet in the Sierra Forest, crashes through narrow granite canyons and meanders through serene mountain passes on its journey to its confluence with the San Joaquin River twenty-five miles below. Logging railroads have carried their loads alongside and over Willow Creek. Native tribes made their homes along its banks. Each year, thousands of people swim and boat and fish in its waters. In this history of Willow Creek, local author Marcia Penner Freedman shares the amazing story of these moving waters and the people whose lives have been touched by Willow Creek.

Wicked Philadelphia

9781596297876

$21.99

Historian Thomas Keels tells many ribald stories in his book, ""Wicked Philadelphia: Sin in the City of Brotherly Love,"" including various methods of body snatching and murder. --Marty Moss-Coane, WHYY-FM

Prim and proper Philadelphia has been rocked by the clash between excessive vice and social virtue since its citizens burned the city's biggest brothel in 1800. With tales of grave robbers in South Philadelphia and harlots in Franklin Square, Wicked Philadelphia reveals the shocking underbelly of the City of Brotherly Love. In one notorious scam, a washerwoman masqueraded as the fictional Spanish countess Anita de Bettencourt for two decades, bilking millions from victims and even fooling the government of Spain. From the 1843 media frenzy that ensued after an aristocrat abducted a young girl to a churchyard transformed into a brothel (complete with a carousel), local author Thomas H. Keels unearths Philadelphia's most scintillating scandals and corrupt characters in this rollicking history.

Wicked Women of Northeast Ohio

9781609490263

$21.99

In Wicked Women of Northeast Ohio, author Jane Ann Turzillo recounts the misdeeds of ten dark-hearted women who refused to play by the rules.

They unleashed their most base impulses using axes, guns, poison and more. You'll meet Perry's Velma West, a mere slip of a girl who was unfortunately too near a hammer during an argument. New Philadelphia's Ellen Athey, no lady herself, had a similar problem with an axe. Ardell Quinn, who operated the longest-running brothel in Cleveland, would simply argue that she was a good businesswoman. Grim? Often. Entertaining? Deliciously so.

Wicked Winston-Salem

9781609494582

$21.99

The famed Piedmont Triad city of Winston-Salem has a history filled with depraved people committing untoward acts. From Libby Holman, the singer with a sultry, smoky voice accused of murdering her millionaire husband to the man caught with hundreds of gallons of beer, liquor, and a tin lizard" whiskey still, residents of Winston-Salem were no strangers to depravity. And leave it to a band of organized tobacco thieves to break into dozens of warehouses and steal the livelihood of law-abiding citizens, or a group of drunkards threatening to spread smallpox when they were confined to quarantine to wreak havoc throughout the city. Join prolific local author Alice Sink as she recounts tales of the dastardly denizens and rakish residents of this North Carolina town."

The Story of Historic Fort Steuben

9781596299085

$21.99

Fort Steuben was built in 1786 for the protection of surveyors who had been sent by the Continental Congress to map the Northwest Territory. Dr. John Holmes reveals the incredible history behind this structure, from the original construction in the eighteenth century to its rebuilding at the end of the twentieth. Find out why it took 150 soldiers more than a month to finish the fort and how the surveyors followed the stars to plan out the future of America. In the present, hundreds of people fought bureaucracy and skeptics to bring this piece of history back to life. Called a model for sharing regional history and American heritage, "? Fort Steuben is a wonderful bridge to the American frontier. Come with Dr. Holmes as he shares the story of this fascinating fort."

Stories of Old Currituck Outer Banks

9781626193161

$21.99

The Outer Banks of Currituck County are home to large mansions and see thousands of tourists each year. The islands weren't always populated, however. Much of the land was purchased to raise cattle before larger homes were constructed. In 1857, the Currituck Shooting Club became one of many early hunting clubs that dotted the islands. The area endured complex political battles in the 1970s over the construction of roads and residential development that would eventually exchange the hunting clubs for housing communities. Follow lifetime Currituck native and prolific author Travis Morris as he retells the history of development through newspaper articles and personal anecdotes and offers an insider's glimpse into the movers and shakers who made the islands the popular getaway they are today.

Texas Adoption Activist Edna Gladney

9781626193512

$21.99

In 1941, Greer Garson earned an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Fort Worth's Edna Gladney in Blossoms in the Dust." All eyes turned toward the small yet mighty Gladney and her fight for children's rights and adoption reform. Born in 1886, Edna Gladney was labeled as "illegitimate" from birth and, as an adult, lobbied for that label's removal from all birth certificates. During World War I, when many women left the home to work, Edna opened an innovative daytime nursery to care for the children of these workingwomen. What became the Gladney Center for Adoption has changed the lives of families and children the world over. Author and Gladney parent Sherrie McLeRoy tells Edna's amazing story alongside the making of the movie that launched Edna and adoption reform beyond Fort Worth's borders to national recognition.."