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$24.99
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The towns that the Spaniards of colonial Mexico planted on their northern frontier were organized around the ideal of a close interaction between church, missionary outreach, and military. San Antonio was the most successful realization of this dream in Texas. The pattern of this tripartite approach has continued to shape the rich culture of the city down to the present. With this selection of photos, San Antonio's Churches takes a snapshot visit back through religious development throughout the three centuries of San Antonio's history.
Pflugerville
9781467128292
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$24.99
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The Henry Pfluger Sr. family emigrated from Germany, eventually homesteading on the Blackland Prairie northeast of Austin in the early 1850s. As families grew and more people settled in the area, a post office named Pflugerville was established in 1893. By 1965, the century-old agricultural community was ready to incorporate. From that point, it has grown from a city of a few hundred residents to one of the fastest growing areas in the country. To track this transition over the past 50 years, this book chronicles the extraordinary growth of the population, schools, services, events, robust business centers, and spirit of volunteerism. Preserving the quality of life in Pflugerville has always been a common goal of the community.
Mexican American Baseball in El Paso
9781467126601
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$24.99
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Mexican American Baseball in El Paso chronicles the vibrant and colorful history of baseball in the El Paso–Juárez border region. For more than a century, baseball along the border has served as a means of bringing together people of all backgrounds, races, and nationalities, from the fly-by-night teams of the Pancho Villa era to the fabled semiprofessional clubs of the Lower Valley League. For the area's Mexican and Mexican American citizens, storied teams like the Juárez Indios, Fabens Merchants, 1949 Bowie Bears, and El Paso Diablos served as both community rallying points and signposts of cultural identity. From the legendary semiprofessional players of decades past to the most recent major leaguers, this book presents the photographic history of baseball in America's largest border community.
Lake Worth
9780738578620
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$24.99
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The history of Lake Worth begins in 1909 when two young boys accidentally set a fire that destroyed many buildings in Fort Worth. Fighting the fire nearly drained the city's wells dry, so city leaders reconsidered an earlier suggestion from engineer John Hawley to create a surface reservoir. The enormous hole filled in just three weeks after heavy rains, instead of the predicted three years. Completed in 1914, Lake Worth became the largest reservoir in the Southwest. Fort Worth now had a better water supply, and local beach development brought water recreation to millions and greatly impacted the small community nearby. Through the years, silt and contaminants have infiltrated the lake, and the City of Fort Worth has temporarily stopped the slow process of dredging the lake because of the economy. But the community's collective hope soars with the possibility that the lake and beaches eventually will be restored to their original condition.
Plano
9781467160339
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$23.99
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Between 1960 and 1970, Plano, Texas experienced a population increase of 384 percent. Enrollment for new students skyrocketed, and the Plano Independent School District soon needed more schools. Plano became more progressive, African American students at Douglass High moved to newly integrated Plano High School. In both 1965 and 1967, the Plano Wildcats won the State Championship in football. In 1971, the Wildcats won the State Championship again, followed by one more in 1977. Herbert Hunt continued to build North Texas housing divisions, planning a 3,959 acre development which allowed for the rise of residential and commercial interests in Plano. By 1975, Plano's last cotton gin closed its doors. The city completed the transition from small farming community to bustling urban center. By the end of the decade, Plano's population exceeded 72,000 citizens. Plano has experienced periodic growth since its founding, in no small part due to the transportation systems that have carved their way through the city. Native American trails, stage coach lines, railways, and highways have intersected this area to support heavy expansion and make Plano what it is today. Plano has transformed from a rural, predominately white community to a diverse international city. In fact more than 25% of Plano residents were born outside of the United States.
Historic Bridges of Milam County
9781467124911
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$24.99
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Milam County, located in the heart of Central Texas, is home to 18 historic bridges that were constructed through the years to accommodate the growth of the county. One bridge, Worley Bridge, has been fully restored in a cooperative effort between Milam County and the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT). TXDOT is an important partner in the preservation of these historic structures. Memories of some bridges will be preserved in a bridge park, which is being constructed in Rockdale. Other bridges simply stand in mute testimony to the passing of time and the changing of human needs and habits. This book tells the story of these bridges and their important role in our history. It provides knowledge and understanding of these structures.
Plano's Historic Cemeteries
9781467132350
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$24.99
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The Plano of today would not be recognizable to the pioneers who settled this section of the blackland prairie. Arriving in the early 1840s, these colonists from Tennessee and Kentucky were captivated by Sam Houston's stump speeches about the rich, fertile farmland of North Texas. All of their frontier cemeteries, large and small, are now surrounded by golf courses, subdivisions, and commercial development. The final resting places of Plano's pioneers still exist because of the hard work of cemetery associations, civic groups, concerned citizens, the City of Plano Parks Department, and the Plano Conservancy for Historic Preservation. These silent spaces hold a wealth of history that helps tell the story of Plano's beginnings as a rural farming community.
Leon Valley
9780738585130
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$24.99
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Surrounded by the city of San Antonio and bisected by Texas State Highway 16, Leon Valley is known as the City of the Lions. In the early 1800s, European and Mexican immigrants homesteaded and raised their families here. Joseph Huebner, an Austrian immigrant, built a limestone house that became a stagecoach stop, providing a change of stock and overnight accommodations for weary travelers. Stories about strange noises and hauntings told by former homestead residents were thought to be related to the circumstances of his death. In the mid-1930s, a building boom attracted many to the quiet countryside. By the 1940s, dairy farming was the main occupation. From its beginnings, Leon Valley residents have chosen to preserve and celebrate its history, and concern for the well being of its citizens has remained a priority. This small community offers the advantages of a big city but retains its small-town atmosphere.
Progreso
9780738579474
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$24.99
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Spanish for progress, Progreso is famous for the millions of tourists, known as Winter Texans, who drive through the town to visit Mexico. Rumor has it that Al Capone did the same thing during Prohibition. Perhaps the first visitor captivated by the Rio Grande was Juan Jose Hinojosa, as he asked the Spanish crown for rights to the land that is now Progreso on July 4, 1776. But it was Florencio Saenz, founder of the iconic Toluca Ranch, who requested a U.S. post office in 1896. Connecting to the Spiderweb Railroad in the 1920s gave the town a short-lived commercial farming boom that attracted prominent investors. In the late 1940s, though, two disastrous freezes killed the citrus industry, and farmers switched to vegetables and cotton. After the Progreso International Bridge was built in 1953, growers gained access to the Mexican market, an advantage that continues to attract people to this small town along the Rio Grande.
Cotton on the South Plains
9780738595856
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$24.99
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Today's cotton production on the South Plains barely resembles the cotton culture of 100 years ago. When cotton first came to the South Plains it was very labor intensive, with every stage of production depending on large amounts of hand labor. The planting, cultivating, and picking or pulling of cotton were all done by hand. Often, the harvested cotton was transported to gins in wagons pulled by teams of horses or mules. Today, due to the many improvements in the industry, most cotton is grown without ever being touched by human hands. The story of cotton on the South Plains is the story of continuous change, improvement, and mechanization.
Denton
9780738585185
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$24.99
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Founded in 1857 as Denton County's fourth county seat, Denton, Texas, has changed from a frontier community to a thriving city at the apex of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. This book documents the historical landmarks that remain and those that exist only in photographs and in the hearts and minds of citizens.
Snyder and Scurry County
9780738596969
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$24.99
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Everything is bigger in Texas. From ranches that cover more acres of land than Rhode Island to 10-gallon hats, monster belt buckles, and heart-attack barbecue, even the most remote corners of the state are bold, proud, and full of character. Scurry County is one such place. Following trails blazed by Comanche chief Quanah Parker and the US Army, settlers began moving to this part of West Texas in the 1870s. The town of Snyder was founded as a trading post on Deep Creek, which was made famous when buffalo hunter J. Wright Mooar shot a white buffalo there in 1876. Believed to be sacred by many Native American tribes, white buffalo are rare--only one out of every 10 million. Like the white buffalo, the town of Snyder is an anomaly, a strange combination of tradition and transition. Families who have farmed and ranched here for generations live in close proximity to an increasing transient population of oil field workers, college students, engineers, and electricians. Cattle still graze where buffalo once roamed, but today, many of their former pastures are filled with futuristic wind turbines.
Southlake
9780738578750
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$24.99
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Of the settlers who journeyed to North Texas 165 years ago, 12 families from Missouri traveled in oxen-drawn wagons to the Eastern Cross Timbers. These families laid claim to land in Peters Colony that was promised by the Republic of Texas's first empresario. The hardscrabble colonists built log cabins and the Lonesome Dove Church, the first church in Tarrant County. Their village came to be called Dove. Later settlements included White's Chapel, Old Union, and Jellico. The Depression hit local farmers and cattlemen hard, and newspaper accounts tell of small-time outlaws passing through, including members of the infamous Bonnie and Clyde gang who shot and killed two state troopers near Texas Highway 114. In 1956, a handful of neighbors voted to incorporate, and the town of Southlake was born. A decade later, city leaders from nearby Dallas and Fort Worth agreed to the construction of a regional airport east of Southlake, and the Dallas–Fort Worth Airport brought many families and prosperity to an area that flourishes today.
Around Sanger
9780738585055
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$24.99
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Originally incorporated in 1886, the city of Sanger began as a watering station for the railroad. The Gulf, Colorado, and Santa Fe Railway purchased land from Elizabeth Bullock Huling and laid tracks that went to Kansas City. Area ranchers could now ship their cattle to market rather than drive them up the Chisholm Trail, which lay a few miles to the west. Among the well-known people who called Sanger home were Marijohn Melson Wilkin and Perle Mesta. John Chisum had a ranch north of Bolivar. Additionally, local citizens such as Dr. Roma Alva King, an acknowledged scholar on Robert Browning; Lt. Gen. James F. Hollingsworth; and Fulbright scholar Dr. Diane Hughes Barentine received recognition. Sam Bass was a known outlaw who found a haven nearby. A 520-foot mural painted in 2008 at the southernmost exit of Interstate 35 illustrates bits of Sanger's past as well as its present.
Weatherford
9780738585499
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$24.99
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The early years of Weatherford yield stories of trials and triumphs as a rowdy frontier town that matured and became known as the "City of Churches" and the "City Beautiful." Created in 1856 as the county seat of newly formed Parker County, Weatherford was lush with grasslands, timber, and fertile soils. In 1858, the two-story brick courthouse was surrounded by log cabins, frame buildings, and tents. For nearly two decades, the town was the principal supply center for points west and a safe haven for settlers seeking refuge from Indian raids. Stalwart men and women nurtured the development of religious, educational, and cultural refinements. But when the Texas & Pacific Railway arrived in 1880, it spurred Weatherford's stature as an agricultural, banking, and commercial center and opened national markets to local cotton and prize-winning watermelons. The historic City Beautiful is still evident today in Weatherford's picturesque courthouse square and quaint tree-lined residential districts.
Fort Worth Parks
9780738578668
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$24.99
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Fort Worth sits on a blend of timber and prairie land that is transected by the Trinity River and its tributaries. These physical attributes invited the creation of parks to preserve scenic landscapes and to provide Fort Worth residents with access to nature. Generous land donations as well as the foresight of city leaders allowed for the acquisition of park land, particularly after the formation of the park department in 1909. Local architects and such well-known names as George E. Kessler, Hare and Hare, Philip Johnson, and Lawrence Halprin have left a rich legacy of nationally recognized parks and recreational amenities. These include the Fort Worth Zoo, Fort Worth Botanic Garden, the Water Gardens, Heritage Plaza, Fort Worth Nature Center and Refuge, and Fort Woof, the city's first dog park.
African Americans in Amarillo
9780738571287
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$24.99
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Amarillo became a town in 1887 when merchants opened stores to cater to railroad workers. The first African Americans in the area were Jerry Callaway, who came to the area in 1888 with a white family, and Mathew "Bones" Hooks, a highly respected cowboy who moved to Amarillo in 1900 and later worked for the railroad. By 1908, five African American families had moved to Amarillo. The black community grew and people established churches, businesses, and schools. With the 1950s and 1960s, Amarillo citizens participated in ending segregation and bringing about equality. Today African Americans in Amarillo are still bound together by their churches but have access to many opportunities both locally and nationally. They are justifiably proud of their rich heritage.
Borger
9780738585413
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$24.99
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When A.P. "Ace" Borger came from Oklahoma to the Texas Panhandle's high plains in 1926, he saw what others had seen: a barren landscape, populated sparsely, with cattle and wildlife. However, through the experienced eyes of a town builder, Ace envisioned a booming, growing, all-American city. They laughed when he bought 240 acres thinking the attraction of black gold would bring enough people to make a profit. Borger was a true boomtown with all the appendages--fugitives, drug dealers, gaming houses, dance halls, prostitutes, and dishonest officers--though one could say boomtown hysteria ended with the assassination of Ace. Virtuous people, each with a vision, came to Borger to start churches, hospitals, and schools, raise families, profit from honest businesses, and restrain criminals. As citizens worked together, Borger became a 1970 All-America City. Now in its 86th year, Borger is a quiet, conservative Texas city towering above its epitaph of "the wildest town in America."
Elgin
9780738595191
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$24.99
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Elgin is located in northern Bastrop County and recognized as the "Sausage Capital of Texas" and "Brick Capital of the Southwest." Beginning as a watering stop for the Houston & Texas Central (H&TC) Railroad Company, the town was named for Robert Morriss Elgin, an official in the railway company. The town was incorporated on May 31, 1873. Swedish, German, and Czech emigrants soon turned it into some of the best farming land in the state. With the growth of cotton farming, coal-mine work, and a local brick-making business, more jobs were becoming available. An influx of Mexican and African American citizens came to the area looking for work and often kept the languages, religion, and customs of their homelands. William Moon began making hot sausage in 1882. The business continues as Elgin "Hot Guts," and its sausages are shipped all over the United States. The proximity to the state capital, the agricultural influence, the natural resources, and the availability of technology substantiate the current city motto of "Perfectly Situated."
Bridgeport
9780738584614
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$24.99
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In 1860, John Butterfield rerouted his famous stage line over the west fork of the Trinity River, and soon a small community sprang up along the banks near the new toll bridge. The settlement became known as Bridgeport, and its pioneers found themselves in the middle of both Texas and American history. Since then, Bridgeport's contributions to history have been achieved through the area's land, as well as the rich oil that flowed beneath the rugged, cactus-dotted country. Recognizing the importance of the earth and what lay below took the skill of entrepreneurs and the hard work of many people. The cast of pioneer characters included a young, well-educated New Yorker seeking adventure in the new republic, a stern but generous engineer from Pennsylvania, and a billionaire wildcatter from Houston. Not forgotten are the stories of immigrants from all over the world whose lives have enriched Bridgeport's historic past. Today Bridgeport continues to utilize natural resources while developing its local heritage and ecotourism sites.
Luling
9780738571454
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$24.99
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One historian described Luling in the 1870s as the toughest town in Texas. Along with the railroad came notorious gamblers who were ready to take a man's hard-earned money any way they could. But when settlers enforced what laws there were and established permanent homes, churches, and a school, the rougher crowd sought greener pastures. In the southern corner of Caldwell County, Luling had at first an agrarian-based economy, but that changed with the discovery of oil, which boosted the population from a few hundred residents to several thousand. The oil industry and related businesses kept the population steady. Luling soil also proved beneficial to crops such as cotton, but the area's prize crop became watermelons. Today oil and watermelons keep Luling on the map, and the annual Watermelon Thump attracts thousands. At the crossroads of three important highways, businesses flourish, especially barbecue, which is considered by some to be the best in the state.
Dallas, TX:
9781439600672
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$11.99
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Do you know... WHAT unusual exhibit celebrates the work of many famous people at the Baylor University Medical Center? (Hint: The exhibit is a real "hands-on" display!) WHO claims the title of the "Tallest Cowboy in Texas?" (Hint: He's a regular at the State Fair!) Find these answers and more in Cool Stuff Every Kid Should Know--an interesting little book about a very special place on the planet!
Arcadia Kids is a new series of fun, colorful, easy-to-read books for children ages 7-11 featuring attention-grabbing cover art, inviting conversational style content, and vivid full-color images of landmarks and geography. Parents, grandparents, and savvy shoppers will appreciate the feel good factor of purchasing books that are both fun AND educational.
Navasota
9780738595023
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$24.99
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Navasota is named for the nearby Navasota River. The naming of the river is linked, most plausibly, to an encounter on its banks in the 1540s between Indians and a Spanish expedition led initially by the then-deceased Hernando de Soto. Indians believed that spirits of the dead were associated with rivers. Accordingly, though he was interred earlier in the Mississippi River, the Indians saw de Soto's spirit reborn in their river, hence the legendary term "Nativity de Soto," shortened to Navasota. As this book shows, the history of Navasota has revolved around the theme of birth. It stands in the Cradle of Texas, associated endemically with the founding of Spanish Texas and later with the birth of the Republic of Texas. At the crossroads of Texas, Navasotians have pioneered new industries while moderating equilibrium between a genteel society bent on expanding the mind and a ruffian element tamed only at the hands of an icon in American folklore.
Austin's Pemberton Heights
9780738595894
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$24.99
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One of the first automobile suburbs in Austin, Pemberton Heights was developed from former plantation land on a limestone bluff overlooking the city. Neighborhood development began in 1927 with a castle created from an old water tower, which originally served as the land office, and encompasses diverse architectural styles, such as Tudor Revival, Colonial Revival, Monterrey Revival, and Art Moderne. Many homes were designed by leading architects of the day. The neighborhood showcases a mixture of straight and curving streets; magnificent large homes; and cozy bungalows on what was once farmland. Historic bridges crossing Shoal Creek connect the suburb to Austin. With its proximity to downtown and the University of Texas, the neighborhood attracted prominent citizens and accomplished professionals such as Sen. Ralph Yarborough, Mayor Roy Butler, Rebekah Baines Johnson, and Amb. Ed Clark.
Medina County
9780738579894
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$24.99
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Medina County was founded in 1848 by settlers from Europe and the eastern United States. At the time, Native Americans still lived on that land, which they called "Comancheria." Full of hope for a better life, settlers tamed an unfamiliar landscape that was filled with prickly pear cactus, rattlesnakes, coyotes, mountain lions, bison, armadillos, pecans, persimmons, and mustang grapes. The first settlements in Medina County were Castroville, Quihi, Vandenburg, and D'Hanis. New Fountain, New D'Hanis, LaCoste, Rio Medina, Hondo, and others were established later. The settlers worked hard growing cotton and grain and raising cattle, and they retained their old-world customs and religious faith in the face of many challenges. With the building of the Medina Dam, farming changed for the better, and new immigrants arrived to help establish schools and communities. Today the proximity to San Antonio allows people to work in the city while maintaining their homes, farms, and ranches in Medina County.
Colleyville
9781467133944
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$24.99
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Ranked by multiple magazines, including Money and D Magazine, as one of the Best Places to Live in the United States, it is easy to forget where Colleyville came from. A rural farming outpost that started out as six different parent communities, residents eventually banded together and incorporated to become Colleyville in 1956. While Colleyville is named for Dr. Lilburn Howard Colley, entire generations of Colleyville citizens have displayed his spirit of hard work, determination, and caring for this city. From a few clusters of pioneering families to a close-knit community known for its dairy farms and horse racing track to becoming one of the nation's premier cities, Colleyville's population has grown from about 1,500 in 1960 to more than 24,000 today.
Midland
9781467134460
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$24.99
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Midland was a young farming and ranching community on the southern edge of the Llano Estacado when the real-photo postcard era began near the opening of the 20th century. Businesses, residents, and promoters embraced this new technology to produce images capturing Midland's unusual rural-and-cosmopolitan mix. As postcards changed to linen and chrome, Midland also underwent dramatic changes. The city on the plains worked hard to become an indispensable part of the vast 1920s Permian Basin oil industry. In post–World War II years, Midland grew into an urban center of West Texas, positioned strategically at the midpoint of Interstate 20's path from Fort Worth to El Paso.
Historic Downtown Rosenberg
9781467133333
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$24.99
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Rosenberg was created and thrived with the expansion of the railroad. From the first house in 1883, the city grew to become the "Hub of the Gulf Coast." Rosenberg was the center of commerce for settlers of all nationalities attracted here by fertile land and economic opportunity. In just 30 years, 56 businesses, including banks, loan and land development companies, merchants, doctors, and lawyers, were in the four-block area of the original Downtown Rosenberg Business District. Even celebrities came. For instance, outlaws Bonnie and Clyde ate their last meal at the Eagle Café in 1934. Also, actors John Wayne, Shirley Temple, and Roy Rogers could occasionally be found outside the Cole Theater, and while campaigning, Lyndon B. Johnson had his helicopter land on a downtown roof.