The Llano Estacado, or "Staked Plain," of Texas and eastern New Mexico spreads two hundred miles across what early visitors called "an ocean of land." No other place on Earth is quite like it. Humans first inhabited the area more than twelve thousand years ago. Subsequently, settlers came to convert the grassland to ranches and then to sprawling farms. Every new generation performed its duty at this cultural crossroads, from the trade routes established by the comancheros to the fateful meeting between Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley at Lubbock's Cotton Club. Noted West Texas historians Paul H. Carlson and David J. Murrah compiled and edited fifty-six brief stories presenting the Llano Estacado's heritage at its liveliest and most unfamiliar.
Paul H. Carlson, PhD, is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters and the Philosophical Society of Texas. As emeritus professor of history at Texas Tech University, he is the author of numerous books and articles and an editor of others. A fellow of both the Texas State Historical Association and the West Texas Historical Association, he is also the recipient of several university teaching awards. He lives with his wife, Ellen, in Ransom Canyon at the very edge of the Llano Estacado.
David J. Murrah, PhD, is a museum and historical consultant. He served for twenty-five years as archivist and director of the Southwest Collection at Texas Tech University before entering the museum exhibit/design field with Southwest Museum Services of Houston. He has written or edited six books and numerous articles on Texas history and is a fellow of both the Texas State Historical Association and the West Texas Historical Association. A native of the high plains (Gruver, Texas), he and his wife, Ann, now live on the Texas coast at Rockport.