Name: Apache Trail
Brand: Richard L. Powers
SKU: 9780738558622
Price: 18.74 USD
Availability: InStock

Apache Trail

9780738558622

$24.99 $18.74 Save 25%

Pres. Theodore Roosevelt once referred to the Apache Trail as "one of the most spectacular best-worth-seeing sights of the world." The once narrow, ancient foot trail built as a supply road for the construction of Roosevelt Dam has now evolved into a state highway with majestic scenic vistas and historical grandeur. Even in the 1920s, the Southern Pacific Railroad touted this road as a "must-see side trip." Each year, thousands of people venture along the trail to take a step back in time and relish the breathtaking experience of this fabulous journey. The Fish Creek Hill section remains much as it was back in the early 1900s, a narrow one-vehicle passage on an extremely steep incline that drops 900 feet within a mile along the edge of a steep cliff. Although several miles of the road are now paved, dirt portions remain that allow tourists a sense of perilous adventure.

Camp Bowie Boulevard

9781467130493

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In the early 1890s, Humphrey Barker Chamberlin installed a lifeline to his namesake suburb west of the city. A trolley connected to Arlington Heights Boulevard at the Trinity River's Clear Fork and chugged across prairie land to reach Chamberlin Arlington Heights. Camp Bowie, a soldiers' city, sprawled over both sides of the road from 1917 until 1919. At the Great War's end, the stretch west of present-day University Drive became the commemorative Camp Bowie Boulevard. The 1920s brought twin ribbons of cordovan-colored brick pavement, the prestige of inclusion in the Bankhead Highway network, and westering developers of another elite village: Ridglea. Midway through the Great Depression, the Will Rogers complex arose on a farm tract, visible from the thoroughfare, to host Texas Centennial celebrations and a special livestock exposition. Museums began claiming adjacent space in the 1950s. By the second decade of the 21st century, Camp Bowie Boulevard bisected a built environment both modern and historic.

Detour New Mexico

9781467118507

$21.99 $16.49 Save 25%

New Mexico's rich and varied history is easily accessible via detours down obscure backroads and overlooked off-ramps. By taking the road less traveled in any direction, visitors can experience ancient landmarks, cultural heritage sites and striking vistas. Stop at places along the old Route 66, sample the world's best chiles by the Rio Grande or soak in geothermal water flowing under Truth or Consequences. Ancient dwellings in remote canyons, the town where the first atomic bomb was secretly assembled and the grave of Billy the Kid all lie off the beaten path in the Land of Enchantment. Authors Arthur and David Pike map out these and many more worthwhile points of interest for the curious traveler.

Detour Texas

9781467154338

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Texas has a tight cohesiveness perhaps stronger than any other section of America. Rich, poor, Panhandle, Gulf, city, country, Texas is the obsession, the proper study and the passionate possession of all Texans. —John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

Although occasionally long and roughly paved, roads less traveled reveal cultural gems in every region of the state. From the peaks of the Guadalupe Mountains to the valleys of the Rio Grande, find the best food you’ve ever indulged in, the kindest people you’ve ever met and stories that’ll last a lifetime. Make time for Texas’s wineries and historic churches. Explore true crime and paleontology specific excursions, and relish natural wonders and landmarks of human ingenuity. Author Raegan Scharfetter leads a tour through some of the most rewarding destinations in the Lone Star State.

Cover image for Detour Texas, isbn: 9781467154338

El Camino Real de los Tejas

9781467131940

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The Royal Road of the Tejas Indians, El Camino Real de los Tejas, was born hundreds of years ago when the Native Americans followed routes used by buffalo and other animals, realizing that these early creatures knew the best paths to take. Also known as Kings Highway, it later became a major thoroughfare used by travelers from the East coming to Louisiana, Texas, and Mexico. In 2004, El Camino Real de los Tejas took on new meaning when the historical road was designated as the 19th National Historic Trail in the United States. Development is guided by El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail Association housed in Austin, Texas.

Expedition Texas

9781467155267

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If the weathered landmarks and forgotten trails of the Lone Star State could talk, this is what they might say. The TV show Expedition Texas brings to life stories of abandoned buildings, ghost towns and other lost Texas history locations. Hit the road with Bob Mauldin and his crew and hear the stories behind the stories. Venture deep beneath the surface to explore a missile launch site. Climb crumbling stairs high above the ground to the top of amazing historical hotels. There's lost history all over Texas. And, on Expedition Texas, we're gonna find it.

Cover image for Expedition Texas, isbn: 9781467155267

High Road to Taos

9781467116053

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The High Road to Taos, listed in the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties in 1975, covers 52 miles from just north of Santa Fe to Ranchos de Taos at the southern boundary of the town of Taos. In addition to spectacular mountain scenery, the High Road contains Pueblo Indian settlements dating back to the 1300s and Hispanic settlements dating back to the 1600s. Historic adobe Catholic churches can be seen in each village, with the church at Las Trampas having been constructed in 1760. Today, artist communities have grown in and around the villages. Photographers from the federal Farm Security Administration extensively photographed the villages along the High Road in the 1930s and 1940s. These photographs provide an exceptional record of Hispanic village life in northern New Mexico and will be of interest to travelers along the High Road as a basis of comparison to what they are viewing today.

Cover image for High Road to Taos, isbn: 9781467116053

Route 66 in Arizona

9780738579429

$23.99 $17.99 Save 25%

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 New Mexico

9780738580296

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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.

Route 66 in Oklahoma

9780738590516

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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.

Route 66 in Texas

9781467130042

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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.

Santa Fe’s Fonda

9781467151153

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For the first two centuries of Santa Fe's history, weary wayfarers were out of luck. Not only did the Spanish authorities enforce a strict travel ban on foreign visitors, but there was also no place to stay in the territorial capital. That all changed in the 1820s. When Mexico gained independence, a flood of traffic cascaded down the Santa Fe Trail, and the Plaza became a hub of hospitality and trade. From the Exchange Hotel to La Fonda, the inn on the corner of San Francisco Street represented one of the most welcome landmarks in the West. Author Allen Steele recounts stories of trailblazing pioneers and the lodging on which their daring depended.

Sixth Street

9780738586694

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Now listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Sixth Street began more than 170 years ago as the only level pathway into the town of Austin from the east. Originally called Pecan Street, throughout its history the street was also a level playing field for merchants and minorities, for moneyed dynasties and little mom-and-pop places. When Austin was a segregated society, Sixth Street was a standout exception where people of all races lived and worked. By 1871, the arrival of the railroad kindled the explosive development of Pecan Street into Austin's first mercantile center. It was home to Austin's first hotel, Bullock's at Congress Avenue and Pecan Street; the first fight with the government of the new Republic of Texas; and the first brothel. In the 1970s, the commercial district suffered some deterioration. Then, as it has done before, Sixth Street was reborn, this time as the Sixth Street Historic Entertainment District. Loved by Austin residents and visitors alike, Sixth Street is Texas's most famous thoroughfare.

The Jefferson Highway in Oklahoma

9781467136334

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Oklahoma's central location makes it a natural crossroads, and the trails of yesterday became the superhighways of today. Perhaps the best example is Route 69, also known as the Jefferson Highway. The paved highway was begun in 1915, but its course was heavily traveled for centuries before that. Engineers could map no better path than the generations who cut it through the wilderness out of necessity. Author Jonita Mullins leads a journey along this ancient way that recalls some of Oklahoma's most important history and celebrates some of its most fascinating characters.

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The Turquoise Trail

9780738596556

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The Turquoise Trail is a quirky, alternative road stretching between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. Before horses trod the route, it linked three Native American pueblos. The earliest mining activity in North America took place along the trail; local Native Americans mined a huge vein of turquoise that was visible on the surface. In the age of horses and wagons, the road ran through dusty Wild West towns, mining districts, and mountains, which were once roamed by thousands of prospectors with dreams of finding the mother lode. When mining became unprofitable, the inhabitants packed whatever they could into their cars and pulled out, seeking employment elsewhere. But a time came when people realized there was still potential in these old ghost towns. The buildings that once housed miners and the businesses that supported them are now occupied by art galleries, boutiques, and modern pioneers. The route still has a flavor of the Wild West, but instead of cowboys and miners, it now attracts motorcycle enthusiasts, movie crews, and day-trippers who appreciate authenticity and local color.

Williamson Valley Road

9780738579870

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Centuries ago, Williamson Valley Road began as a game trail for native inhabitants. In the 1400s, ancestors of the Yavapai and Hualapai hunted along ancient footpaths. Later explorers widened these paths for horses. The 1800s brought military wagons transporting supplies between the Rawlins, Hualapai/Tollgate, and Fort Whipple camps while traders and settlers followed in stagecoaches. The fertile lands of Mint Valley, Williamson Valley, and Walnut Creek were ideal for raising stock and produce. Farmers sailed from Europe and up the Colorado River before traversing the Hardyville Toll Road. Ranchers imported the fittest stock and exported the finest meat with the expertise of Mexican ranch hands. Camp Wood timbermen met the demand for lumber. Eastern store owners set up shop as railroaders laid far-reaching plans but short-reaching rails. Residents in the early 1900s arrived at rodeos, camp meetings, concerts, and dances in their Model Ts using this road. Present-day suburbanites, schoolchildren, and contractors commute on Williamson Valley Road, which was designated as a Scenic and Historic Route in 2010.