Name: Historic Ranches of Northeastern New Mexico
Brand: Baldwin G. Burr
SKU: 9781467115490
Price: 17.49 USD
Availability: InStock

Historic Ranches of Northeastern New Mexico

9781467115490

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

In 1866, Charles Goodnight and his partner Oliver Loving began rounding up feral cattle in Texas, forming herds to be driven north into the immense unoccupied grazing land in northeastern New Mexico. The counties of Colfax, Mora, Harding, Union, and San Miguel became the location of some of the great historic ranches of the West. From the 11,000-acre Chase Ranch in Colfax County to the 650,000-acre Bell Ranch in San Miguel County, these ranches have been home to several generations of ranching families. Pioneer ranchers such as Manley M. Chase, Frank and Charles Springer, Samuel Watrous, and Albert K. Mitchell established a tradition of perseverance, self-sufficiency, and sustainable range management that continues to the present day.

Cover image for Historic Ranches of Northeastern New Mexico, isbn: 9781467115490

Enchanted Legends and Lore of New Mexico

9781609495725

$19.99

Beginning in the seventeenth century, townsfolk and rural dwellers in the remote Spanish colonial city of Santa Fe maintained a provocative interest in mysterious and miraculous visions. This preoccupation with the afterlife, occult forces and unearthly beings existing outside the natural world led to early witch trials, stories about saintly apparitions and strange encounters with spirits and haunted places. New Mexican author Ray John de Aragón explores the time-honored tradition of frightening folklore in the Land of Enchantment in this intriguing collection of tales that crosses cultures in the dark corners of the southwestern night.

Cover image for Enchanted Legends and Lore of New Mexico, isbn: 9781609495725

New Mexico and the Civil War

9781609491376

$21.99

Although the New Mexico Territory was far distant from the main theaters of war, it was engulfed in the same violence and bloodshed as the rest of the nation. The Civil War in New Mexico was fought in the deserts and mountains of the huge territory, which was mostly wilderness, amid the continuing ancient wars against the wild Indian tribes waged by both sides. The armies were small, but the stakes were high: control of the Southwest. Retired lieutenant colonel and Civil War historian Dr. Walter Earl Pittman presents this concise history of New Mexico during the Civil War years from the Confederate invasion of 1861 to the Battles of Valverde and Glorieta to the end of the war.

Cover image for New Mexico and the Civil War, isbn: 9781609491376

The Grand Canyon

9781467160841

$24.99

The Grand Canyon is one of the most inspiring and accessible natural wonders in

the world. More than a century ago, visionaries developed it as a tourist destination, and today, it sees more than five million visitors per year to experience its geology, cultural history, and wildlife. Relying on historic images primarily from the Grand

Canyon Museum Collections, historian Kevin S. Schindler traces the development of the Grand Canyon as a bucket-list destination for people of all ages.

Comparing our present to our past is how we understand our history. Arcadia’s

Past & Present series makes such local comparisons available. Books in this series

offer a special view of American life by placing historical images side by side with

contemporary photographs.

Cover image for The Grand Canyon, isbn: 9781467160841

Bisbee

9780738528946

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

In the early 1900s, it was the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco, bustling with the raw material of Wild West legends. Bisbee's infamous Brewery Gulch once supported 47 saloons and was considered the "liveliest spot between El Paso and San Francisco." By the 1970s, opportunists had relieved Bisbee's Mule Mountains of billions of pounds of copper, 102 million ounces of silver, 2.8 million ounces of gold, and millions of pounds of zinc, lead, and manganese. The ore reserves were depleted, and when the last pickaxe struck plain old dirt, a mass exodus of miners collapsed the real estate market. But the lure of cheap land was a magnet for retirees, hippies, and artists. Boarding houses were converted into charming bed and breakfasts. Antique stores, galleries, cafes, and restaurants replaced the saloons. These days, a vibrant and eclectic community of ranchers, politicians, and free spirits; a well-preserved architectural and historic heritage; and "the most perfect year-round climate" make Bisbee, the county seat, a one-of-a-kind gem.

Cover image for Bisbee, isbn: 9780738528946

Arizona's Haunted Route 66

9781467146661

$21.99

Arizona claims one of the longest segments of the famous Route 66. Along the nearly four hundred miles of road are stops filled with legends, history, superstitions and spirits of travelers who experienced untimely accidents and murders. Meet Leorena Shipley, an aspiring actress whose career was cut short by tragedy. Discover how the Apache Death Cave became the haunted site of a mass grave. Visit the Monte Vista Hotel, one of the most haunted hotels in Arizona. Learn how the Grand Canyon Caverns were discovered and became a favorite attraction. Travel to Oatman, a ghost town with a multitude of spirits. Join author and paranormal historian Debe Branning on a haunted road trip across Arizona and discover the spooky history of the Mother Road.

Arizona's Haunted Route 66 cover depicting a desert highway with a large moon and a Route 66 sign

Arizona’s Historic Trading Posts

9781467132497

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

On the sparsely settled Arizona reservation lands, trading posts were important centers for commerce as well as social gathering destinations. With a subsistence economy, the posts offered opportunities to trade sheep, wool, and crafts for necessities such as flour, coffee, sugar (known as "sweet-salt"), and tools. Most often, traders were Anglos, living as partners among their Indian neighbors. They often were the only contact with the outside culture, and their stores provided an outlet for local arts such as rugs, pottery, baskets, and jewelry. Traders helped with correspondence, transportation, and sickness, and they even buried the dead. Trading posts were the sites of marriages and murders; they were destinations for artists, scientists, and adventurous tourists. With the coming of roads and automobiles, trading posts have all but disappeared, but the stories and photographs shared in this volume offer a glimpse into a vanishing time in the Southwest.

Cover of Arizona’s Historic Trading Posts with a woman surrounded by pottery and woven textiles

Mesa

9780738548425

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

From the prehistoric Native Americans to the first wave of pioneers in 1877 and all who came later, the desert lands east of Phoenix have been a rich and fertile home to a wide diversity of people. Surmounting the early challenges of settling the mesa top and moving water uphill gave rise to a resilient agricultural community famous for cotton, citrus, grapes, and other crops. The boom years that began in the 1950s ushered in a new wave of industry and change to the city of Mesa. Large corporations created jobs, new freeways formed a corridor into the heart of the community, educational and health care facilities improved and expanded, and the advent of air conditioning brought tourists from all over the world. Now boasting a population of over 450,000, Mesa has truly evolved from its pioneer beginnings to a modern city in the Valley of the Sun.

Vintage sepia cover for Mesa from Images of America showing a historic wagon and people on a street.

Lighthouses of Texas

9781467130912

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Not long after winning their independence from Mexico in 1836, Texans began clamoring for lighthouses. Hundreds of miles of barrier islands, shifting sandbars, and shallow bays made the Texas coast treacherous at a time when few overland routes provided access to the new republic. Beginning in 1852, twenty-eight lighthouses were built along the Texas coastline, on land and over water. Lighthouse service was often a family affair, with husbands, wives, and children working together as keepers and assistants. For nearly 70 years, construction continued as coastal erosion, hurricanes, and wars regularly damaged or destroyed those lighthouses already built. These "sentinels of the sea" lessened but did not eliminate the chance of shipwreck, so lifesaving stations, manned by able seamen with unsinkable surfboats, were established as well. As Texas's lighthouses were gradually automated throughout the 20th century, many were sold to private owners or abandoned. Today, several have been restored, and two--at Aransas Pass and Port Isabel--still function as aids to navigation.

Sepia cover featuring a coastal Texas lighthouse with keeper houses along the shore.

Texas Mass Graves

9781467152488

$23.99

Every mass grave in Texas offers morbid proof that at one time, in that place, something went very, very wrong.

Texans have resorted to mass graves out of necessity, desperation and appalling indifference. These sites mark natural disasters or hide unnatural crimes that tested the limits of human endurance and empathy. Because of this, memorializing those who lie in mass graves can be controversial. Not everyone wants to dig up the darkness of the past, much less admit that the dirt is still fresh. Nevertheless, to honor those whose bones lie mixed with others, their stories must be told. In so doing, Kathy Benjamin exhumes essential shards of Lone Star history, from the Alamo to the present day.

Book cover featuring a large red Texas silhouette on black with the title Texas Mass Graves

The Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate

9781467129244

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

For 125 years, the Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate served the poor and, in particular, people of color. They are the first order of sisters founded in Texas. Their foundress, Margaret Mary Healy Murphy, built the first Catholic African American school and church in San Antonio, the second in the state of Texas. The sisters carried their mission and work beyond the Lone Star State's borders and included most of the South and a few metropolitan areas of the North. They crossed the Rio Grande and had several missions in Mexico and traversed a new continent when they opened a learning center in Zambia. The sisters were primarily known as educators and, in later years, worked in religious education and pastoral ministry. They have also operated orphanages and nursing homes and served in hospitals, homeless shelters, incarceration facilities, and immigration residences. The school they built over 100 years ago, now known as the Healy Murphy Center, serves the community as an alternative high school, and the sisters still teach there.

Cover image for The Sisters of the Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate, isbn: 9781467129244

Lubbock

9780738596082

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

For 12 millennia, people were drawn to a water source located in the region Spanish conquistadores named the Llano Estacado, a vast plateau 3,000 feet above sea level and 300 miles long and wide. Near this site in 1890, settlers combined two fledgling communities to create the town of Lubbock. Finally incorporated in 1909 and soon promoted as the Hub City, Lubbock doubled its original population of 1,900 in each of its first six decades, nurturing growth through civic cooperation, small business enterprise, higher education, and health care services. Today, almost 240,000 people call Lubbock home, and the city serves as the socioeconomic center of the Llano Estacado.

Cover image for Lubbock, isbn: 9780738596082

McKinney

9780738586670

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

McKinney's very first settlers began arriving from Kentucky, Arkansas, and Tennessee in the early 1840s. Collin County was created by the Texas legislature on April 3, 1846, and due to a provision violation requiring the county seat to be within 3 miles of the center of the county, McKinney replaced Buckner as the seat in 1848. The vote deciding the new seat, however, went in McKinney's favor primarily because flooding kept many citizens from casting ballots. On March 16, 1848, the state legislature passed an act to name the new town in honor of Collin McKinney, one of five original draftees of the Texas Declaration of Independence. Today McKinney is one of America's fastest growing cities and has seen a population boom from approximately 16,000 residents in 1985 to more than 120,000 in 2010.

Cover image for McKinney, isbn: 9780738586670

Laughlin Air Force Base

9781467107099

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

Today, Laughlin Air Force Base is one of the busiest pilot-producing bases in the world. Named after Jack Thomas Laughlin, the base traces its history back to 1942. During World War II, the base was called Laughlin Field and trained bomber pilots in the B-26 Marauder. The base closed in 1945, after the war, but reopened again as an Air Force base in 1952 to train fighter pilots for the Korean War. It then took on a Cold War mission from 1957 to 1963. During this time, the base was home to the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, which flew the U-2 spy plane. The 4080th played a key role in the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. From 1961 onward, however, Laughlin has served primarily as an undergraduate pilot training base, helping hundreds of brave men and women, every year, earn their wings as military aviators.

Line of air force personnel in dress uniforms standing at attention outside a building during a parade

Fort Bliss

9781467129152

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

Established as one of many frontier Army posts in 1849 following the Mexican-American War, Fort Bliss, Texas, has endured as an Army installation when most other frontier posts have faded from memory. From a small collection of adobe buildings, it has seen growth, decline, two closures, and ultimately survival as the major Army maneuver post that it is today. The post, named for West Point math prodigy and soldier William Wallace Smith Bliss, has served many roles in America's conflicts and has seen the march of technology in war fighting. Its role today includes training for the Army's only armored division, known as 1st Armored Division; training for major Army air and missile defense forces; serving as a mobilization platform for Army soldiers and civilians to deploy to support America's missions overseas; and testing of major equipment to be adopted for military use.

Cover image for Fort Bliss, isbn: 9781467129152

Lost Dallas

9780738585086

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Although founded in 1841, Dallas did not experience significant growth until 1873 when the Texas and Pacific (T&P) Railroad crossed the Houston and Texas Central Railroad (H&TC) near downtown. Securing these railroads led to a prolific building boom that has never fully ended, even during the Great Depression and subsequent world wars. Dallas's ability to sustain growth and development as a banking and commercial center led to the demolition of much of the early built environment, a trend that continues even today. Lost Dallas explores and documents those buildings, neighborhoods, and places that have been lost and even forgotten since the city's modest antebellum beginning.

Lost Dallas book cover features a man sitting on a ledge overlooking a vintage Dallas skyline.

Texas Shipwrecks

9781467116176

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

The Texas coastline and offshore waters are flat, shallow, featureless, and filled with shoals. Texas waters are subjected to extreme weather, not just hurricanes and tropical storms but also northers and seasonal gales. This, combined with two centuries of naval warfare off Texas waters, produced many shipwrecks of all sorts, from Spanish treasure fleets to simple working boats. The ships of pirates, navies, cotton traders, immigrants, fishermen, and oil shippers line the Texas coast, cover the sea bottom off Texas, and blanket the bottom of Texas rivers. Each wreck has a story, romantic or repellent, prosaic or unusual, but all intriguing.

Cover image for Texas Shipwrecks, isbn: 9781467116176

Ellington Field

9781467104807

$24.99

Ellington Field was one of 32 training airfields authorized by Congress in 1917. During World War I, it became one of the most highly regarded training fields in the United States, reaching a peak of 250 aircraft and 5,000 troops. From that peak, it experienced many ups and downs. Closed by 1940, it was reopened for World War II to conduct advanced aviation training. Closed again in 1946, it reopened for the Cold War as a combat and training air base. It then became NASA's airfield for Johnson Space Center. As the Cold War wound down, in 1984 Ellington became Houston's third municipal airport. From Jennies to jets, Ellington's story mirrors America's aviation history from 1917 to the 21st century.

Vintage sepia photo of United States Air Force personnel boarding a plane at Ellington Field.

Gunfights & Sites in Texas Ranger History

9781626199712

$24.99

Since colonizer Stephen F. Austin proposed hiring ten rangers for the common defense in 1823, the Texas Rangers have protected the Lone Star State from its enemies with dedication and fortitude. All across Texas are places where Rangers made history. From the Alamo to nearly forgotten graves and battle sites, important landmarks in the story of these legendary lawmen lie in every corner of the state. Historian and author Mike Cox reveals history hiding in plain sight and true tall tales of the world-famous Texas Rangers.

Cover image for Gunfights & Sites in Texas Ranger History, isbn: 9781626199712

University of Texas at Austin

9781467104777

$24.99

The University of Texas (UT) opened in 1883—38 years after Texas became a state and 7 years after the Texas Constitution called for the creation of a university of the first class. UT started off with 40 acres just north of Austin and with 221 primarily rural and local students. But since its founding, it has grown extensively and acquired worldwide prominence. Now, UT has 431 acres on its main campus and over 51,000 students enrolled from all 50 states and, at least, 124 different nations. UT is recognized as a top-rated state university, providing high-quality instruction and research. The university has also acquired architecturally interesting buildings, cherished traditions, and exciting sports programs over the years.

Cover image for University of Texas at Austin, isbn: 9781467104777

Murder & Mayhem in Houston

9781626195219

$23.99

When the Allen brothers sold Houston's first lots, the city became a magnet for enterprising tycoons and opportunistic crooks alike. As the young city grew, a scourge of crime and vice accompanied the success of oil and real estate. The Bayou City's seedy side--flashing Bowie knives, privileged bad boys, hardened prostitutes and unchecked serial killers--established its hold. From a young Clyde Barrow to the Man Who Killed Halloween, Houston's past is filled with bloody tales, heartbreaking loss and despicable deeds. Authors Mike Vance and John Nova Lomax shine a light on these dark days.

Cover image for Murder & Mayhem in Houston, isbn: 9781626195219

Hello, Texas!

9781938700453

$9.95

Welcome to Texas! Parent and child Armadillos tour the Lone Star State in best-selling author-illustrator Martha Day Zschock's Hello! board book series for children. In Hello, Texas! join the pair as they explore Big Bend National Park, spend the day at the State Fair of Texas, discover the Alamo and splash at the beach. Along the way they stop for some yummy barbecue, pretend to be astronauts at Space Center Houston, wave to prairie dogs, watch bats fly in Austin, and end their day floating on a river boat in San Antonio! For ages 0-3. Made in the USA.

Cover image for Hello, Texas!, isbn: 9781938700453

J.M. Davis Arms and Historical Museum (50th Anniversary Edition)

9781467104043

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

In 1929, a transplanted Arkansas sawmill owner named J.M. Davis decided to put his collection of 99 firearms on display in the lobby of his Claremore, Oklahoma, hotel. Some 40 years later, on Davis’s 82nd birthday, the artifacts found a permanent home at the Claremore’s J.M. David Arms and Historical Museum, an internationally known tourist attraction celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019. Today, thousands of visitors a year marvel at exhibits featuring statuary, knives, swords, saddles, American Indian artifacts, political buttons, World War I posters, and many other items—all in addition to the most extensive private collection of guns on the face of the earth. With words and pictures, this book tells the behind-the-scenes story of the museum and John Monroe Davis—the man, his times, and his amazing acquisitions.

Cover image for J.M. Davis Arms and Historical Museum (50th Anniversary Edition), isbn: 9781467104043

Carlsbad and Carlsbad Caverns

9780738578842

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Created by the visionary Charles B. Eddy, Carlsbad rose from the humble beginnings of a tent city to become a vital community on the banks of the Pecos River. One of the largest irrigation projects known at that time made the transformation possible. The Carlsbad Caverns, discovered by James Larkin White and documented by local photographer Ray V. Davis, introduced the world to the wonders that lay beneath the desert surface. World War II saw Carlsbad members of the 200th and 515th Coast Artillery units being thrown into the midst of the Bataan Death March. With the discovery of a large deposit of potash east of town, agriculture flourished nationwide and prosperity returned to the town. As the country moved into the nuclear age, Carlsbad once again played a significant role. The detonation of the Gnome Project in 1961 and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant of the present day have provided the country with vital knowledge and nuclear waste storage.

Cover image for Carlsbad and Carlsbad Caverns, isbn: 9780738578842

Holloman Air Force Base

9780738595283

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Since its initial construction as a British overseas training base on February 6, 1942, Holloman Air Force Base has been at the forefront of cutting-edge technology for national defense. Throughout the last 70 years, Holloman has been known to push the envelope in regards to training, research, and military operations. Some of the amazing accomplishments performed at Holloman include the Fastest Man Alive, Col. John P. Stapp's record-setting runs down the rocket test track; the Highest Step in the World, taken by Capt. Joseph Kittinger at 102,800 feet over the New Mexico desert, and training for the first chimpanzee in space, Ham, in preparation for manned spaceflight. The isolated desert base would also become identified with the F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter, made famous during the opening hours of Operation Desert Storm.

Cover image for Holloman Air Force Base, isbn: 9780738595283

Lost Arizona Treasure

9781467159319

$24.99

The vast mountains and deserts of Arizona hide a multitude of buried treasures and forgotten mines just waiting to be rediscovered.

The Aztecs reportedly hid gold and other valuables worth millions across the Southwest to keep it from the Spaniards hundreds of years ago, but nothing has ever been recovered. The famous Lost Dutchman mine has captured attention and claimed multiple lives since its discovery in the Superstition Mountains, and it’s just one of many mines lost to history and shifting landscapes. More recently, rumors spread that more than $1 million in cash from the 1977 robbery of Marjorie Jackson is still hidden somewhere north of Phoenix.

Author W. Craig Gaines maps out the potential paths leading to lost fortunes.

Cover image for Lost Arizona Treasure, isbn: 9781467159319

Early Phoenix

9780738548395

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Like the mythical bird it is named after, Phoenix rose from the desert heat to become a prosperous and vital city. Settled on the lands of the ancient Hohokam Indians, Phoenix began as an agricultural community in the 1860s. It was appointed county seat
of Maricopa County in 1871 and territorial capital in 1889. By 1900, town boosters were calling Phoenix an "Oasis in the Desert" and the "Denver of the Southwest." By 1920, Phoenix was on its way to being a metropolitan city with a population of 29,053 and sporting an eight-story "skyscraper." Many farsighted individuals documented this development through photographs, allowing today's residents to see the community's amazing growth from small town to big city.

Early Phoenix book cover showing a vintage photo of men standing at a brick construction site.

Lost Galveston

9780738579047

$7.99

Galveston boasts a rich history.

Cover image for Lost Galveston, isbn: 9780738579047

Military Architecture at Fort Clark

9781467155564

$24.99

Take a comprehensive tour of Fort Clark, Texas, one of best-preserved districts on the National Register of Historic Places. Thomas Jefferson recognized that a morsel of genuine history is a thing so rare as to be always valuable. The Fort Clark Historic District, in Kinney County, Texas, is far more than a morsel. It is a full-course buffet of U.S. Army architecture, with more than one hundred well-preserved structures from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, some built to Quartermaster model plans, and many the only remaining examples in the nation. While most other Texas Indian War–era forts are long abandoned and reduced to nothing more than stark chimneys on the prairie, Fort Clark’s wide-ranging military architecture has survived virtually unchanged. Author William Haenn surveys the landmark site that represents nearly a century of active service to Texas and the nation.

Cover image for Military Architecture at Fort Clark, isbn: 9781467155564

Lost Restaurants of Fredericksburg

9781467155113

$24.99

From soda fountains to beer gardens, celebrate the founders of Fredericksburg's feasts.

Fredericksburg's heritage of dining hospitality is full of unforgettable corner booths and legendary roadside stands. The Crown Saloon gave pioneer teamsters a welcome chance to wet their whistle, while the Manhattan Cafe brought pickled herring and other delicacies of the 1920s to the Hill Country frontier. At the state's first wine festival, Haversack Winery treated guests to a 2,100 lb. chunk of cheddar cheese along with performances from The Ballet Folklorico España and Pehl's Old Time Band. The Wild Game Dinner raised a healthy chunk of change for worthy Gillespie County causes. Michael Barr lines up a buffet of iconic Fredericksburg eateries that will have readers smelling Noble's brisket through the butcher paper and hearing the sizzle of Oma Koock's Schnitzel.

Cover of Lost Restaurants of Fredericksburg featuring vintage Fredericksburg storefront photos

Fort Worth Stockyards

9780738558745

$7.99

The Fort Worth Stockyards boast a rich history.

Vintage postcard cover titled Fort Worth Stockyards with a wagon and a line of horses

Mineral Wells

9780738579856

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

The family of James Alvis Lynch headed west from Denison, Texas, to find a dry climate that would alleviate Lynch's symptoms of malaria and his wife Amanda's rheumatism. They traveled as far as the Brazos River, where U.S. 180 crosses today, when one of their oxen drowned, and the other was struck by lightning. To make matters worse, the Lynches learned of hair-raising tales of the struggles between Comanches and settlers. So on Christmas Eve in 1877, the Lynch family decided to settle 4 miles east of the Brazos in the beautiful valley between what are the East and West Mountains in present-day Mineral Wells. There, the Lynch family discovered the mineral-rich water that mended their maladies and brought tourists from far and wide to take the healing cure. The geology of the area also brought oil, gas, and brick plants, while the attacks on local settlers brought a military presence to the region. The history of Mineral Wells is alive today, as many descendants of early pioneers still live and work in the community, full of pride for their families' contributions to the area.

Group of people around a large outdoor water pump at Mineral Wells with a small building in the background.

San Marcos

9781467133500

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

San Marcos, Texas, permanently settled in 1846, was founded by former members of John C. Hays's company of Texas Rangers. The town was designated the county seat of Hays County by the Texas legislature in 1848 and was formally laid out in 1851. A center for local commerce associated with cattle and cotton production, San Marcos became an educational center with the chartering in 1899 and subsequent opening in 1903 of the Southwest Texas State Normal School. The normal school is now Texas State University, the fourth largest university in Texas with more than 36,000 students. This volume tells the story of a formerly sleepy college town on the edge of the Texas Hill Country that has become the fastest-growing city in the United States.

Cover image for San Marcos, isbn: 9781467133500

Bowie and Montague County

9780738596501

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Bowie, the "Little Wonder of the West," grew from a tent city to the largest town in Montague County in just one year's time. This entrepreneurial spirit led to ideas such as the Chicken and Bread Boys, the M. Johnson Poultry Ranch, and Second Monday Trade Days. Bowie, Montague, Saint Jo, Nocona, Ringgold, Sunset, and Forestburg, along with the other hundred or so communities that made up Montague County, offered a unique slice of Americana and individualism. Their history collectively provides a unique look at the taming of the Western frontier, including a proud Native American culture, the Chisholm Trail, the Butterfield Stage, and promises of streets paved with gold. Over time, the smaller communities of the county faded and merged with the larger ones, leaving only memories of places such as Uz, Gladys, and Rip.

Sepia toned cover for Bowie and Montague County showing a farmer and men with baskets of eggs beside a wagon.

Dealey Plaza

9781467130226

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Dealey Plaza is famous for many things, both locally and nationally. Considered "the front door of Dallas," the park rests on a bluff near the Trinity River, where Dallas's founder, John Neely Bryan, identified a natural low-water crossing in 1841. This ford was the site of Bryan's cabin and was also the site of the first ferry and bridge over the Trinity River. Home to several Dallas County buildings and other historic structures, Dealey is not just the birthplace of Dallas; it is also the site of Dallas's first large-scale city planning solution, a traffic diverting triple underpass, and a beautiful downtown park built in the 1930s. The park was launched into national history when Pres. John F. Kennedy was assassinated here on November 22, 1963. Today, the site is visited by over two million annually. To preserve Dealey Plaza and its surrounding buildings, the federal government designated it a National Historic Landmark District in 1993.

Cover of Dealey Plaza with a sepia aerial view of downtown Dallas and a dark blue title banner reading Dealey Plaza

Fort Worth Stockyards

9780738558608

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

As early as 1867, Fort Worth held promise as an ideal stockyards. Making their way to northern markets, cattle passed through the city on what became the Chisholm Trail. By 1876, local businessmen urged railroad development, and the establishment of local packing facilities and animal pens followed in the 1880s. The first stockyards opened in 1889. It was not until the nation's two largest meatpacking giants, Armour and Swift, bought into the local market in 1902, however, that the stockyards began to thrive. Fort Worth became the largest stockyards in the Southwest and ranked consistently from third to fourth nationwide. Most major stockyards have now closed, including Fort Worth in 1992. Of these, only Fort Worth has successfully turned its former livestock market into a tourist site, attracting nearly a million visitors annually.

Book cover Fort Worth Stockyards from Images of America with a vintage cattle scene

Historic Tales from the Texas Republic

9781609499389

$23.99

Though the Republic of Texas existed as a sovereign nation for just nine years, the legacy lives on in the names that distinguish the landscape of the Lone Star State. Austin, Houston, Travis, Lamar, Seguin, Burnet, Bowie, Zavala, Crockett--these historical giants, often at odds, fought through their differences to achieve freedom from Mexico and Santa Anna, establishing a republic fit to be the twenty-eighth state to join the Union. In nineteen historical tales, Jeffery Robenalt chronicles the fight to define and defend the Republic of Texas, from revolutionary beginnings to annexation.

Cover image for Historic Tales from the Texas Republic, isbn: 9781609499389

Camp Wolters

9781467153577

$23.99

Discover how a World War transformed a small Texas town. Located in Mineral Wells, Camp Wolters was the U.S. Army's largest Infantry Replacement Training Center during World War II. From 1941-1946, the camp trained an estimated 250,000 soldiers, including Medal of Honor winner Audie Murphy and the infamous Eddie Slovik. The camp was more than just a training facility--it also held German POWs and brought a cascade of changes to its corner of Texas. With millions of dollars being pumped into the local economy, the population of Mineral Wells surged from 6,303 to 25,000 in four months. Some growing pains accompanied these changes, but the Army and town worked together to lay the foundation for a long lasting, mutually beneficial system cementing military history in Mineral Wells.

Camp Wolters book cover with red title and black-and-white photos of marching soldiers.

The Texas League Baseball Almanac

9781626190658

$19.99

Since forming in 1888, the Texas League has produced some of the most beloved American baseball players and seen more than its fair share of colorful events. In 1931, Houston pitcher Dizzy Dean pitched and won both ends of a double-header in Fort Worth, throwing a three-hit shutout in the second game. In 1906, center fielder Tris Speaker pitched for Cleburne to beat Temple 10-3. In 1998, Arkansas' Tyrone Horne hit for the homer cycle" in San Antonio, finishing to a standing ovation. "The Texas League Baseball Almanac" delivers day by day the record-breaking events, personal triumphs and memorable games that helped to shape baseball in the region. Join authors David King and Tom Kayser on a nine-inning trip down one of minor-league baseball's most historic institutions, both in season and off. ."

Collage cover for The Texas League Baseball Almanac with vintage players and a blue header

Tyler

9780738548418

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Nestled in the beautiful Piney Woods of East Texas, Tyler is known as the "Rose Capital of America." While the moniker is well-deserved given the local rose industry, the Rose Festival, and its claim to America's largest municipal rose garden, Tyler's history is just as colorful as any rose. From the days when it hosted the largest Confederate prisoner-of-war camp west of the Mississippi River, through the years when cotton, fruit trees, and then roses became the local cash crops, to the time when the East Texas oil field was discovered and launched a new economy, Tyler boasts a fascinating past.

Tyler book cover from Images of America featuring a vintage parade scene with a uniformed boy in front of shops

Galveston and the Civil War

9781609492830

$21.99

On the eve of the Civil War, Galveston was a jewel of the Gulf Coast--a booming city with a fine natural harbor and all the commerce, culture and improvements that attended it. Galveston was also home to the largest slave market west of New Orleans and a hotbed of secessionist sentiment. Once the war started, Galveston became the focus of Union efforts to take Texas and Confederate efforts to defend it. Through the voice of its people, this lively book relates the interesting and important role the Island City played during the war, including the story of the Union naval blockade, the dramatic Battle of Galveston, Unionists, dreadful epidemics of yellow fever, the surrender of Galveston as the last major port still in Confederate hands and the bondage and liberation of the island's enslaved African Americans.

Book cover for Galveston and the Civil War with a bold red title and a historic harbor illustration.

Eastern Oklahoma's Forgotten Frontier

9781467155601

$24.99

An in-depth look at frontier life in Eastern Oklahoma. At the dawn of the nineteenth century, a steady stream of new arrivals began making their way into the rugged lands of Eastern Oklahoma. European settlers and the tribes who were forcibly relocated to the territory after 1830 established new lives alongside the Native Americans indigenous to the region. Their biographies make up an often untold story of two hundred years of Oklahoma history. From the origin of towns and commercial enterprises to profiles of pioneers both prominent and obscure, Ronald R. Switzer highlights the diversity and determination of the people who grappled for success in the early days of the Oklahoma frontier.

Cover image for Eastern Oklahoma's Forgotten Frontier, isbn: 9781467155601

Haunted Shawnee, Oklahoma

9781467146869

$21.99

Home to numerous tribal reservations that survived the land run that swept around them, Shawnee stands at an intersection of worlds. For travelers of the Wild West, crossing over into Oklahoma Territory meant more than crossing a state line. "Stop for twenty minutes and see a man killed," stagecoach drivers warned visitors to Shawnee's treacherous saloons. The oil boom of the 1920s brought a wave of wealth that only encouraged nefarious activity. Shawnee's quiet present may belie its fevered past, but the spirits of former gunslingers, prostitutes and everyday folk still live on. From strange sounds at the old Sacred Heart Mission to specters roaming the halls of the luxurious Aldridge Hotel, Tanya McCoy and Jeff Provine provide an introduction to Shawnee's haunted past.

Haunted Shawnee Oklahoma cover with a full moon and a brick building backdrop.

Medicine Park

9780738577456

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

The historic cobblestone community of Medicine Park was founded on July 4, 1908, as Oklahoma's first planned resort. It is located in southwest Oklahoma at the entry to the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge, the second most visited wildlife refuge in the country, hosting 1.5 million annual visitors. Through the political connections of founder Sen. Elmer Thomas, the resort enjoyed a great deal of early success. Tourists flocked to the area to enjoy mountains, wildlife, swimming, fishing, food, and lodging. From its founding through the 1930s, it became a getaway to relax, chum-around, gamble, and even partake in some illegal bootleg whisky. Medicine Park became known as the jewel of the Southwest. There was a spa, dance hall, bathhouse, general store, school, hydroelectric plant, and cafe, along with creek swimming and tennis courts. Following World War II, the resort was subject to economic struggles that lasted more than four decades. Today much of the resort town of 400 has been restored and revitalized, and there is renewed excitement about its future.

Cover of Images of America Medicine Park with a vintage arched gateway and town street scene

Las Cruces

9780738520971

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

The city of Las Cruces, situated under blue skies in the Chihuahuan desert, boasts a wealth of Native American and Wild West history. As New Mexico's second largest city, it is a modern metropolis that has held fast to its picturesque past. Spanish explorers arrived in the 1500s in search of the Seven Cities of Gold, and after the United States conquered the territory, the area became a transportation hub, blossoming from its adobe beginnings into a permanent, important city. The photographs contained in this volume tell the unique story of this town of contrasts, where historic plazas sit next to modern office buildings and subdivisions sprawl alongside old Indian trails. Many of the original buildings are now restaurants, galleries, and shops, but here readers see them as they once stood, making this book a fascinating reference for those familiar with the city or exploring it for the first time.

Book cover Las Cruces Images of America with a vintage desert street and horse drawn carriages.

Silver City

9780738599946

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Silver City is located at the southern boundary of the vast Gila Wilderness in a region of soaring mountains, lush river valleys, and bountiful mineral deposits. Ancient ruins give evidence of prehistoric occupation, followed by a historic parade of Native Americans, Spaniards, Mexicans, miners, outlaws, and settlers, resulting in a community celebrating a rich cultural blend. When silver was discovered in 1870 at La Cienega de San Vicente, prospectors rushed in despite the danger from Apache Indians who traditionally occupied that land. Newcomers flooded into southwestern New Mexico Territory, and Silver City became the county seat the following year. Soon there were businesses, saloons, and homes. Silver City became the supply center for the widespread mining district with a brick plant and lumberyard. By 1883, a narrow-gauge railroad connected the town with the outside world.

Cover of Images of America Silver City depicting a vintage downtown street with early cars and a storefront under a covered awning

The Counterfeiters of Bosque Redondo

9781467151429

$21.99

Discover the staggeringly true story of how the first Navajo silversmiths fed and freed a nation.

"Old Pounder," they called him -- the very first Navajo silversmith. Yet Herrero Delgadito's greatest legacy is measured in lives, not ounces: the scores of Navajo women and children he plucked out of slavery in 1864, the hundreds of exiles he risked everything to feed in 1865 and the thousands of people he helped lead back home in 1868. A remarkable portrait of human resilience, Delgadito's story upends conventional narratives of the West, revealing an illicit slave system that began with the Conquistadors and reached its apex under the Union Army. Even as US officials fought to end slavery in the South, they weaponized human trafficking against the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. Matt Fitzsimons traces the trajectory of the prisoners of Bosque Redondo who forged a path to freedom.

Book cover for The Counterfeiters of Bosque Redondo featuring a miner at an anvil with coins and bold title text

New Mexico Native American Lore

9781467150545

$23.99

Pull on the uncanny threads from the legendary tapestry of New Mexico's Native American heritage.

Ancient Indian history and present Native American cultures are woven together in the Land of Enchantment. The threads of these tales stretch back to Mimbres burial grounds and prehistoric trade routes. Stories and traditions tie the land to its people, in spite of the cycles of slaughter and theft that have threatened to pluck them apart. Descend into the kivas of Chaco Canyon or seek out the high mountains where the clouds mark the stones. From legends of the Salt Woman to the legacy of the Ghost Dance, Ray John de Aragon examines the mysteries of the mesas.

Cover collage for New Mexico Native American Lore featuring traditional pottery on the left and a pueblo ruin on the right.

Haunted Albuquerque

9781467149785

$21.99

When the railroad arrived in Albuquerque in 1880, a whole new town of stores and saloons sprouted along the tracks in tents and shacks. But just like the original settlement, which came to be known as Old Town, the additional districts produced their fair share of macabre tales and ghostly lore. At the KiMo Theater, the crew still leaves out donuts for the tragic young victim of a 1951 water heater explosion. A mysterious woman in a black dress visits the bar at the Old Albuquerque Press Club with an apparent hankering for gin. From inexplicable occurrences at the Old Bernalillo County Courthouse to infamous residents of the Fairview Cemetery, Cody Polston gathers enough of Albuquerque's haunted heritage to entertain the most dismissive skeptic.

Haunted Albuquerque book cover with a pale moon and bold white title over a dark city street.

Old Tucson Studios

9780738556291

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

In 1939, Columbia Pictures based a film on Clarence Kelland's book Arizona, set during the Civil War in Arizona Territory. To accurately portray the novel's landscape, Columbia selected a spot about 10 miles from what is now downtown Tucson in the middle of a large Pima County park for the filming. In 1959, Bob Shelton, a Kansas City developer, purchased the lot, determined to build an active movie studio and tourist attraction. His vision was successful, and Old Tucson Studios has set the stage for over 200 movies and television shows. As Western movies regain their popularity in the box office, the future looks bright for Old Tucson Studios to become a premier filming site in Arizona.

Old Tucson Studios book cover in sepia with a Western street scene and riders.

Kingman

9780738579306

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Kingman, county seat of Mohave County in northwestern Arizona, owes its beginning and subsequent prosperity to the building of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in 1882. The city was named for the project's chief engineer, Lewis Kingman. The initial railroad siding quickly became a supply center for mining and ranching operations that dotted the beautiful surrounding valleys and mountain ranges. Through the years, Kingman has been at the crossroads of rail, highway, and air transportation routes. A B-17 bomber gunnery training base brought changes by exposing the area's potential to thousands of soldiers during World War II, many of whom would later return. Actor Andy Devine grew up here, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard were married here, and Charles Lindbergh would establish a route for Transcontinental Air Transport through here. Today Kingman is the Heart of Historic U.S. Route 66 and is located in the middle of the longest remaining stretch of the Mother Road, making it a must-see destination for thousands of tourists each year.

Cover image for Kingman, isbn: 9780738579306

The Hopi People

9780738556482

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

The diverse people of the Hopi, whose name means "the peaceful ones," are today united on the Hopi Reservation, which is composed of 12 villages on more than 2,500 square miles in northeastern Arizona. In fact, the village of Orayvi is considered the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the United States, dating back more than a millennium. Often referred to as a "corn culture," the Hopis have developed dry-farming techniques that have sustained them in the harsh, arid landscape, where annual precipitation is often only 12 inches or less. The Hopi people are hardworking and spiritual, and their lifestyle has survived for centuries, only minimally changed by influences from the outside world.

Desert book cover The Hopi People showing Hopi individuals against a canyon backdrop

The Historic Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix

9780738585178

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Phoenix's Manzanita Speedway, the last of the big dirt tracks located near the central corridor of a major metropolitan area, is now gone. The track opened in the early 1950s when Jack Holloway, president of the Arizona Jalopy Racing Association, along with Avery Doyle and Gene Gunn, set about convincing Rudy Everett and Larry Meskimen to convert their unprofitable dog-racing operation into a quarter-mile dirt track. On August 25, 1951, Everett and Meskimen beamed with excitement as Manzy opened to an overflowing crowd. They had tapped into America's post–World War II craze for automobiles and found their own Lost Dutchman Gold Mine in the process. Manzanita Speedway dominated dirt-track racing in Phoenix and was heralded as one of the top five dirt tracks in the United States. Manzy became an integral part of the racing culture in Phoenix, and its sale and closure in 2009 created a sense of lingering disappointment.

Cover image for The Historic Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, isbn: 9780738585178

Flagstaff

9780738571157

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

On July 4, 1876, immigrants from Boston traveling to California were camped at Antelope Spring in a valley just south of the San Francisco Peaks. To celebrate the nation's centennial, the pioneers stripped the branches off a tall pine tree and ran up Old Glory. This event gave Flagstaff its name. Six years later, in 1882, the Atlantic and Pacific Railway reached Flagstaff, and a small settlement was born. Railroad construction crews used local ponderosa pine trees for rail ties, beginning a timber industry that thrived in the region for the next century. Flagstaff also became a center of tourism as visitors came to see spectacular natural sights in the surrounding territory, including the Grand Canyon, Oak Creek Canyon, and Sunset Crater, and to experience the Native American cultures of the American Southwest. This volume traces the establishment and early development of Flagstaff and depicts many facets of life in Arizona's Mountain Town.

Cover image for Flagstaff, isbn: 9780738571157

West University Place

9781467161350

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

The real estate development called West University Place was part of a trend in the early 20th century of building affordable neighborhoods away from city centers; it was never meant to be a city on its own.

Early residents wanted Houston to annex their land, but when Houston declined, A.D. Foreman raised enough money to supply electricity, water, and phone service. Lewis and Mae Ryon took the next step by petitioning their neighbors to apply for a city charter, which was granted on January 2, 1924. Slowly, over the next century, West University Place evolved from treeless farmland into one of the most livable small towns in Texas—but the journey was not easy. More than once, the enterprise could have failed. If not for the actions of visionary leaders and dedicated residents, things may have turned out quite differently.

Freelance science writer Richard Cunningham is on the City of West University Place Parks and Recreation Board. In 2021, he originated research into the location of the 1894 Harris County Poor Farm, which led to the approval of a historical marker on the Edloe Street pathway. Richard and his wife, Lily Ann, live on Ruskin Street in a 1948 cottage that they remodeled in 2007.

Cover image for West University Place, isbn: 9781467161350

Historic Cemeteries of Houston and Galveston

9781467153966

$23.99

Author Tristan Smith offers an insightful guide through two dozen of Houston and Galveston's most historic cemeteries. Houston and Galveston's historic cemeteries lie scattered amongst the neighborhoods and thoroughfares of the nation's fourth largest city. Some of these portals to the past nestle in hidden pockets of the bustling metropolis. Other cemeteries carve out the kind of contemplative sanctuary that rivals the city's largest greenspaces. Explore the burial grounds around the Bayou City, where astronauts, musicians, movie stars and civic leaders rest alongside rogues, scoundrels and murderers.

Collage from Historic Cemeteries of Houston and Galveston featuring rows of headstones, a stone chapel, a bronze statue, and a curved memorial wall.

The Old Spanish Trail Highway in Texas

9781467106924

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

At the dawn of automobile travel in the United States, visionary entrepreneurs proposed a Southern transcontinental route called the Old Spanish Trail (OST) that would stretch across eight states from Florida to California. The central third of the road spanned more than 900 miles and traversed Texas. The collaboration of communities, both large and small, that worked to bridge rivers and pave primitive roads made the OST a reality during the 1920s. As travelers ventured forth on the route, a diverse crop of businesses--filling stations, autocamps, tourist courts, motels, and myriad eating establishments--sprang up to meet the needs of tourists, wanderers, migrants, and truckers while also fueling economic growth. For over 50 years, the OST continuously underwent construction and redesign that transformed a small roadway into a multilane interstate highway carrying a constantly increasing flow of goods, services, and people. Although the OST identity is gradually growing fainter amidst the standardization of businesses and rerouting of numbered highways around (instead of along) city streets, it still survives among many Texans who dwell along the Trail.

Winding highway through a rocky Texas landscape on the cover of The Old Spanish Trail Highway in Texas.

San Benito

9780738580241

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

San Benito was built on the banks of a dry riverbed of the Rio Grande, called a resaca. Long ago, Coahuiltecan Indians made their home here, and Spanish land grant ranches flourished in the 1700s. The arrival of the railroad in 1904 brought a diverse group of pioneers from the Midwest in search of cheap and fertile land. These early settlers, together with descendents of Spanish colonizers, began an agricultural community. During his engineering surveys in 1903 for the proposed railroad connection to the rest of Texas, Sam Robertson realized the potential of the land. He envisioned an irrigation plan that would utilize the resacas to bring water from the Rio Grande and thus make arid ranch land into a garden. It was with this history and this dream that the little town of San Benito was created. San Benito is also home to entertainment--Conjunto Music began here--and it is the hometown of international singing star Freddy Fender and Olympic athlete Bobby Morrow.

Sepia historic cover showing a crowd outside the San Benito Irrigation Co storefront with a San Benito Historical Society banner.

West Texas Cattle Kingdom

9780738596488

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Images of America: West Texas Cattle Kingdom relates the frontier saga of cowboys and longhorn cattle, of trail drives and great ranches. Cattle and horses were introduced to the Western Hemisphere by Spanish conquistadores and colonizers while Mexican vaqueros handled cattle from horseback, developing special techniques, equipment, and attire. Half-wild longhorns multiplied into the millions in the unpopulated brush country above the Rio Grande. After the Civil War, a hungry market for beef developed in the north. Texas "cow boys" learned the vaquero skills of roping and branding and adapted heavy-duty Mexican saddles, wide-brimmed hats, high-heeled boots, jingling spurs, leather chaparejos, and colorful bandanas. The adventure of driving large herds of cattle up the Chisholm Trail and other famous trails captivated America. Vast Texas ranches included the fabled King Ranch, the three-million-acre XIT, Charles Goodnight's JA Ranch, and El Rancho Grande of legendary Shanghai Pierce, who described himself as "Webster on cattle, by God."

West Texas Cattle Kingdom book cover showing cowboys on horseback along a riverbank with reflections in the water.

Williamson County

9780738578651

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

The area now known as Williamson County has attracted humans for over 13,000 years. The Tonkawa Indians called the area takachue pouetsu, which means land of good water. In 1848, the Texas Legislature carved a county out of a southwestern portion of the Milam District. They named it after Robert McAlpin Williamson, a judge, lawmaker, and Battle of San Jacinto veteran who was widely known as Three-legged Willie. Just as the Native Americans before them, settlers were drawn to the area for its abundant water and fertile soil, and the population quickly grew. While agriculture has been a driving force behind the local economy for decades, the county has witnessed a shift from the small farmer and rancher to the larger agribusiness. In addition, Williamson County is a center for education and the high-tech industry and is home to institutions and companies including Southwestern University, the Round Rock Higher Education Center, and Dell.

Cover image for Williamson County, isbn: 9780738578651

Goodfellow Air Force Base

9781467104340

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

Goodfellow Air Force Base is one of the oldest installations in the US Air Force. It was the first of scores of flying training fields established across Texas and Oklahoma during World War II. What qualified San Angelo as the site for the first of the new fields did not, for the most part, distinguish it much from its neighbors. The clear skies and flat, forgiving terrain so desirable in the training of pilots were regional qualities. But San Angelo also had Bob Carr, a former military aviator who spearheaded a local effort to provide land, an important railroad spur, and key utility connections if the new pilot school were built nearby. Over the next eight decades, nurtured by a special relationship between city and base, Goodfellow has distinguished itself by training more than 400,000 pilots, intelligence operators, and firefighters for all the armed forces of the United States.

Book cover for Goodfellow Air Force Base showing an aerial view of the base with vintage aircraft.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

9781467130400

$24.99

Encompassing 27 square miles, Dallas/Fort Worth International is one of the world's largest and busiest airports, accommodating more than 150,000 passengers each day. The 1974 opening of D/FW was preceded by nearly half a century of an often acrimonious aviation rivalry between Dallas and Fort Worth that featured a colorful cast of business leaders, municipal officials, and airline executives. Through its first 40 years, D/FW grew from a regional hub into a global crossroads for passenger and air cargo service. Bold, imaginative leadership sustained the airport through the failure of its largest tenant airline, the effects of 9/11, an air traffic controllers' strike, and more than one fuel crisis. An extraordinary economic engine for North Texas, D/FW stands poised to become home to the world's largest airline, validating the original planners' dream of a dynamic focal point for domestic and international commercial aviation.

Cover image for Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, isbn: 9781467130400

Texas Baseball:

9781609495985

$21.99

From pioneering superstars like Tris Speaker and Rogers Hornsby and Negro League standouts Smokey Joe Williams and Willie Well to present-day luminaries like Nolan Ryan, Texas has played a crucial role in the evolution of the national pastime. The Lone Star love of baseball stretches back to the Civil War. What began as friendly town games led to the formation of the Texas League in 1888, though it would be almost eight decades before the arrival of the Colt .45s, Texas's first major-league team, and another forty-three years until the Astros played in the World Series. From scrappers on the red dirt diamonds to the big-league stars of the Astros and Rangers, veteran sportswriter Clay Coppedge traces the state's long love affair with the sport in this first-ever comprehensive look at Texas baseball.

Cover image for Texas Baseball:, isbn: 9781609495985

The Twelve Days of Christmas--in Texas, That Is

9781589809246

$19.99

Told with a Texas twang, this tale features a dozen icons of the Lone Star state. Clever rhymes count down the days of Christmas, revealing such surprise gifts as silver spurs, oil wells, and armadillos. Festive illustrations fill the pages of this western romp.

Cover image for The Twelve Days of Christmas--in Texas, That Is, isbn: 9781589809246

Glen Rose, Texas

9780738519425

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Charles Barnard, a Connecticut entrepreneur, settled in the Brazos Valley in 1849, running an Indian Trading Post. He built a gristmill in 1860 near the confluence of the Brazos and Paluxy Rivers, around which the town of Glen Rose sprang up. Captured here in over 200 vintage photographs and postcards is the history of this quintessential little Texas town, from its origins as a mill town, to the bedroom community of Fort Worth that it has become today. In its earliest days, settlers flocked to the region from the war-torn South during the Civil War. By the 1900s, both Somervell County and Glen Rose established fame as a tourist resort, offering springs and artesian waters to heal the body and spirit. Naturopathic and magnetic healers built sanitariums, while locals built tourist parks to entertain the crowds that came for rest and relaxation. Showcased here are images of the Hill postcard collection, which relay the intriguing story of Glen Rose as a recreation mecca, the Moonshine Capital of Texas during Prohibition, the discovery of the infamous dinosaur tracks, and its development as it enters the 21st century.

Cover image for Glen Rose, Texas, isbn: 9780738519425

Encyclopedia of Early Texas History

9781626194540

$14.99

In this age of hustle and bustle, Texans cannot afford to flounder about unawares of where to turn for information most urgent and necessary as their own history. What you want--nay, what you need--is the encyclopedia herein. The patriot will find stories of heroism and warning, the student will discover annals of valuable learning and the curious will discover purpose renewed in historical origin. With educational and entertaining illustrations, the reader will at once be transported back to historic times and doubtless become the go-to guy or gal for Texas trivia. From the arrival of Aguayo to the zeal of Zavala, each page contains a morsel of valuable history of the great state of Texas. Texan and scholar Stephen Biles has collected an invaluable source of information so exciting and excellent that it has been sized to fit within your pocket or purse--after all, one never knows when history might call.

Encyclopedia of Early Texas History book cover in dark blue with gold lettering and ornate border

Tulsa

9780738533520

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

In 1905, a gusher of "black gold" sprang up southwest of Tulsa, two years before Oklahoma became a state. The site, known as Glenn Pool, became the first major oil field in Oklahoma, with reserves so huge that it could produce millions of barrels of crude. As word of the boom spread, a rush of laborers, lease buyers, oilmen,promoters, producers, and speculators flooded into the area with dreams of striking it rich. Oil fields adjacent to Glenn Pool developed, and Tulsa, which grew to be Oklahoma's second largest city, became the hub of the oil industry. Tulsa: Oil Capital of the World tells the story of one Oklahoma town's rise to fame and fortune and its emergence as an international leader in business and politics.

Sepia book cover for Tulsa Oil Capital of the World with workers posing by a drilling rig.

Yukon

9781467107655

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

Herding their cattle up the Chisholm Trail, the entrepreneurial Spencer brothers found the south side of the North Fork of the Canadian River appealing and began actively founding their settlement by 1890. They maneuvered the railroad through their village, and Yukon blossomed. The Yukon Mill and Grain Company took Yukon products across the nation and into Europe. Bohemians gravitated to the area, making Yukon the Czech capital of Oklahoma. Dale Robertson made Yukon his home, megastar Garth Brooks grew up in Yukon, and Yukon is central to Bob Funk's empire. And Route 66 blazes through the city's historic Main Street corridor.

Sepia toned Yukon era family photo showing a large group around a horse drawn wagon in front of a house

The Oklahoma Music Trail

9781467109277

$23.99 $16.79 Save 30%

The Oklahoma Music Trail is a pictorial essay that features the music genres, performers, and songwriters of Oklahoma. There are literally hundreds of artists who have made their home in Oklahoma. The cowboy ballads of Gene Autry, Western swing that originated with the fiddle of Bob Wills, the Tulsa Sound of Leon Russell and gospel songs of Albert E. Brumley have paved the way for generations of Oklahoma musicians and performers. This book tells the story of country music legends who have traveled along the Oklahoma Music Trail.

Cover of The Oklahoma Music Trail from Images of America featuring a vintage band photo and bold title.

New Mexico in World War II

9781467106702

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

In 1941, New Mexico was an agrarian state with just over half a million people, many of whom lived without electricity, running water, indoor plumbing, or paved roads. However, the state provided more military volunteers per capita--including eight Medal of Honor winners--than any other state and had the highest casualty rate per capita in the country. New Mexico provided essential resources ranging from oil and coal to potash and copper. The state is often remembered for being the location where the first nuclear weapon was designed and tested in 1945, but more important at the time were the development of the proximity fuze and the testing of the top-secret Norden bombsight. The state also housed German and Italian prisoners of war, and, in one of the darkest moments in US history, incarcerated American citizens of Japanese descent in several concentration camps.

Cover of New Mexico in World War II from Images of America showing soldiers with rifles against a pale sky

Alamogordo

9780738584515

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

In 1898, the El Paso and Northeastern Railroad established New Mexico's first preplanned development community at Alamogordo. This city and its satellite communities of Tularosa, La Luz, and Cloudcroft are the only urban settlements in an area almost as large as Connecticut--the vast deserts and mountains of the Tularosa Basin are where people "climb for water and dig for wood." Alamogordo became the county seat after Otero County was created to modify the trial venue for the murder of Albert Fountain and his son Henry. West Texas ranching families moved into the Tularosa Basin in the 1880s and depended on ranching, farming, and tourism until World War II led to the creation of the Alamogordo Army Air Field (Holloman Air Force Base) and White Sands Proving Ground, the birthplace of the U.S. space and missile program. The first atomic explosion, Trinity, took place in White Sand's northwest corner on July 16, 1945. Col. John Stapp, pioneer of aerospace medicine, rode rocket sleds at the Holloman Test Track, leading to modern automotive seat belts.

Vintage wedding party photo on the Alamogordo book cover from Images of America series

Taos

9780738579597

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Located in the Land of Enchantment, Taos has a long history that predates the Pilgrims' arrival at Plymouth Rock. Anasazi Indians first inhabited the Taos Valley in 1000 A.D., and the Taos Pueblo (both a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Historic Landmark) has been continuously inhabited for more than 1,000 years. Spanish conquistadors explored Taos in 1540, and by 1615 many Spanish families had settled in the region. Taos later became a crossroads for French and American trappers, and by the early 1800s it was a bustling headquarters for mountain men, including the legendary Kit Carson. When artists Bert Phillips and Ernest Blumenschein passed through in 1898, a broken wagon wheel delayed them and ultimately resulted in another wave of newcomers, who established an art colony. In 1917, New York socialite Mabel Dodge became enthralled with Taos, and during the next four decades she invited many highly regarded creative people to visit, including Ansel Adams, Carl Jung, Georgia O'Keefe, Willa Cather, D. H. Lawrence, and Aldous Huxley. Taos continues to attract adventurous, spirited individuals.

Cover image for Taos, isbn: 9780738579597

Butterfield's Byway

9781626194878

$21.99

John Butterfield's mail service connected the East and West Coasts in one of the great entrepreneurial and pioneering stories of the American West. Until 1858, California's gold fields were reached only by horseback, wagon or ship around Cape Horn. Congress decided a 2,800-mile, twenty-five-day stagecoach line would roll from St. Louis to San Francisco. Former Utica, New York mayor Butterfield hired one thousand men and bought 1,200 horses, 600 mules and 250 wagons. Surveying the wilderness, he built roads and two hundred way stations, graded river fords and dug one hundred wells. Join author Melody Groves on a cross-country trip from Missouri to California, and all points in between, as she recounts the Butterfield Stage Line's amazing odyssey.

Cover image for Butterfield's Byway, isbn: 9781626194878

Haunted Tucson

9781467154994

$21.99

Wandering spirits, vengeful ghosts, and unexplained sightings in Tucson, Arizona.

The benign, candle-carrying ghost of Mayor Levi Manning is reported to roam the halls of Manning House, while a frightening presence is said to lurk in the projectionist room at the Fox Theatre. In Room 242 of the Hotel Congress, guests have described a woman in white sitting at the end of the bed, while other spirits have been spotted in the halls. From the Mission San Xavier del Bac, built in 1700, to the grounds of the University of Arizona, stories of paranormal encounters abound.

Join author Daryl F. Mallett and discover the thrilling and bone-chilling history of the Old Pueblo.

Haunted Tucson book cover showing a historic building at night with a full moon behind

The True Story of Notorious Arizona Outlaw Augustine Chacón

9781467147965

$21.99

By the time he was hanged in 1903, Augustine Chacón had become the most notorious Mexican outlaw in the Arizona Territory. His alleged crimes had made him a virtual legend, but the facts show that Chacón wasn't the bloodthirsty fiend he was made out to be. Journalists of the era chased sensationalist stories, pandering to a readership that longed for excitement. Each retelling of Chacón's exploits added outlandish details, painting the escaped prisoner as a brutal gunman responsible for as many as fifty-two murders. In reality, Augustine Chacón may not even have killed the man he was hanged for shooting. Join author David Grassé as he uncovers the true story of Arizona's most enduring criminal legend.

Book cover for The True Story of Notorious Arizona Outlaw Augustine Chacón featuring a man in a white shirt against a vintage street scene

Around Tombstone:

9780738571270

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

The communities that once surrounded the infamous Wild West town of Tombstone, including Dos Cabezas, Fairbank, Gleeson, Pearce, Courtland, Charleston, and Milltown, are now mostly ghosts of their former selves. These rich mining towns had promising futures when they were first established, but many experienced only fleeting boom times, like Courtland, a promising copper camp that survived only 12 years. During its short existence, the town of Charleston, founded in 1879 as a milling site for ore from Tombstone's silver mines, was every bit as wild and rowdy as its neighbor. There was corruption in the region too. Dos Cabezas's Mascot Mine became part one of the largest stock scandals of the time when it was exposed around 1900. Today this fascinating, rough-and-tumble history lives on primarily in faded memories, crumbling remnants on the outskirts of Tombstone, and in vintage photographs gathered together in this volume.

Cover of Around Tombstone Ghost Towns and Gunfights featuring a cowboy on a mule in a sepia western scene.

Clifton and Morenci Mining District

9781467134316

$24.99 $17.49 Save 30%

Across America, from big cities to small towns and rural hamlets, there are many stories of challenges, historic events, courageous people, tragedy, and success. Some of the best and most exciting tales may not be well known. Such is the case for the towns of Clifton and Morenci, Arizona. They survived labor strikes, rising and falling copper prices, devastating floods, outlaws and lawlessness, gambling houses, and saloons. All this added to the lore that these towns were some of the roughest communities in the West. Today, after 143 years of mining, Freeport-McMoRan's Morenci copper mine is the largest in North America. Expansion has required new homes in Clifton-Morenci, a modern library, and recreational facilities. Residents are proud of their communities.

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Arizona Rangers

9780738548319

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Established in 1901, the Arizona Rangers have protected and served the citizenry for over 107 years. Though the initial organization was short lived, lasting only until 1909, the company--with an authorized strength of just 26 men--became the scourge of outlaws within the Arizona Territory and along the Mexican border where, like today, criminal activity was prevalent. In 1957, the Arizona Rangers were reestablished, and for the 50 years since, these modern rangers have continued the tradition of service that was established by their territorial predecessors. Today's Arizona Rangers are officially recognized by state legislation as a volunteer civilian law enforcement auxiliary. In keeping with their motto, "Few But Proud Then and Now," they assist numerous law enforcement agencies and help keep the peace within their communities and state.

Book cover for Arizona Rangers from Images of America with a sepia photo of a line of men in old west clothing in front of a building.

Visiting the Grand Canyon

9780738528809

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The Colorado River began carving a course to create the Grand Canyon some four to six million years ago, but organized tourism to the natural wonder is fairly young, geologically speaking. Getting to the view along and below the rim has not always been as convenient as packing up the family car and hitting the road. The El Tovar Hotel, celebrating its centennial in 2005, had just opened to lodgers when the Canyon was declared a National Monument in 1908. Between the 1890s and the 1920s, horses, mules, river rafts, stagecoaches, and later railroads and automobiles permitted increasing access to the area. Recreation areas, businesses catering to tourists, and federal preservation programs would eventually mark the Grand Canyon as the ultimate American travel destination.

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Meteor Crater

9781467116183

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There have been numerous books and periodicals written about Meteor Crater, the meteorites, and the crater's scientific value, but this book, with supporting images, is more about people. The story covers some history of the crater's founding and the many people who have been, and presently are, associated with the custody and maintenance of the site, preserving it for future scientific study and generations of visitors. These people include geologists, astrophysicists, astronauts, generations of families named Barringer and Tremaine, and local ranchers named Chilson-Prosser. All have, and continue to, influence and shape what the site has become, each adding their signature to the famous landmark. Today, these families, supported by Meteor Crater Enterprises management and staff of dedicated people, continue the legacy of sharing the history and science with 250,000 annual visitors from around the globe while they continue to focus on preserving the scientific integrity of the crater for future generations.

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True Tales, Legends & Lore of the Pecos River

9781467157339

$24.99

Make a crossing of the storied Pecos River.

The arid Pecos River Country of Texas is rich with stories, the crooked path of its alkaline waters defining the lives of any who dared venture here. Native peoples, Spanish explorers, soldiers, travelers, cattlemen, wildcatters, and just plain folks, passed by, struggled, sojourned, and perished. From the oldest book in North America to the great rock of the Jumano, their traces remain in the ruins, the records and the earth itself. Native West Texan James Collett catalogues architectural masterpieces, lonely gravestones, fanciful cowboy tales and other bits of history caught in the currents of a legendary river.

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Franciscan Friars of Hebbronville

9781467160728

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The arrival of Franciscan friars of the Jalisco Province in Mexico escaping religious persecution in 1926 to Hebbronville, a rural community in South Texas, is an enduring story that still resonates in the hearts of many. Since then, Franciscans have been dedicated to the cultural, educational, and spiritual needs of Hebbronville and surroundings communities that have supported them over the years.

One of the many remarkable contributions of the Franciscan legacy in Hebbronville is the Scotus College, a majestic four-story seminary building considered a Texas historic treasure and a preeminent local architectural landmark. This book is the pictorial account of these events that led a group of Franciscans to offer their lives, full of unwavering faith and boundless hope, to a community that embraced them. It is an inspiring story that becomes a lesson about love, devotion, and sacrifice in appreciation to the people of Hebbronville that helped persecuted Franciscan friars survive.

Fr. Juan Jose Ibarra, OFM, founder of the Franciscan Museum of Hebbronville whose archives have contributed to this book, has worked closely with the Archivo Histórico Franciscano de Zapopan in Mexico and the Jim Hogg County Historical Commission. He currently serves as pastor of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish and guardian of the Franciscan Friary in Hebbronville, Texas.

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Ranch Girl and the Orphan Lamb Adventure

9781455627684

$9.95

Kelsi Fairgate, a fourth grader and only child living on a ranch in the middle of Texas, awaits the end of the school year. When her parents bring in an orphan lamb from a pasture, her prospects for the summer look up. Kelsi and her friend, Ampara, run into some serious rattlesnake trouble one day. The lamb saves Kelsi, but then it is the girls’ turn to try to save the lamb!

Cover image for Ranch Girl and the Orphan Lamb Adventure, isbn: 9781455627684

Galveston’s Historic Downtown and Strand District

9780738566856

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The Strand, known as the Wall Street of the Southwest, contains a significant collection of 19th-century buildings. Long the center of Galveston's business community, its architecture is a reminder of this historic port city. The National Historic Landmark District includes buildings classified as Greek Revival, Italianate, and Victorian style--sometimes with traces of vernacular building traditions that date to the 1850s. Historic images found within this book illustrate the development of the Strand and surrounding streets, including Mechanic, Market, and Postoffice. Galveston's Historic Downtown and Strand District demonstrates the power of place, despite an ever-changing economy and natural disasters.

Sepia-toned street scene of Galveston's historic downtown and Strand District on a book cover

Wichita Falls

9780738571799

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North Texas was the traditional home of several tribes of Plains Indians, notably the Kiowa and Comanche. The first white settlers arrived in 1879, Wichita County was organized in 1882, and the railroad arrived the same year. Agriculture dominated the economy until early in the 20th century when oil was discovered in the area. This discovery led to an oil boom that peaked during World War I. For the next several years, Wichita Falls flourished as a refinery town while continuing to support the agricultural economy that was based largely on cattle and wheat. During World War II, Sheppard Air Force Base was established in Wichita Falls and is still an important contributor to the economy. The refineries have long since disappeared, but oil production and farming remain. Also important is Midwestern State University with a student body numbering approximately 6,000.

Cover image for Wichita Falls, isbn: 9780738571799

Big Bend National Park and Vicinity

9780738578538

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The Rio Grande makes a large bend into Mexico and forms the "boot heel" of Texas that is the Big Bend. Big Bend National Park nestles inside this meander, and its history is as much a part of Mexico as it is of Texas. The remote border location is historically replete with rich cultural diversity, including nomadic bands of Native Americans, Spanish explorers, Mexican and Anglo farmers, ranchers, miners, military men, and entrepreneurs. In the 1930s, a handful of people saw the Big Bend's majestic ruggedness as a place where all Americans could touch the Creator in nature and appreciate the alien qualities that both test and console the human spirit. This remote frontier still draws the souls of those seeking wide-open vistas and crystal-clear night skies.

Book cover for Big Bend National Park and Vicinity with sepia landscape photo and a bold title

Breckenridge

9781467123891

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Breckenridge was a sleepy ranching and farming community in the rolling prairie of north central Texas when an oil boom hit. During 1920, it grew from around 1,500 to 30,000 people. By some accounts, its population got as high as 50,000 in the mid-1920s, which would have made it the sixth-largest city in Texas. Pieces of the past remain in its 10-story skyscraper, the YMCA, and other edifices constructed in the Roaring Twenties, many of which are documented in this volume. The football stadium seated 8,500 in a town that, except for the brief boom, had around 6,000 residents. Before home games, all highways through town were blocked off for parades and pep rallies; away games were broadcast live via phone at a drive-in theater. Even the street signs were green and white with the team colors—it was our town and our team.

Cover image for Breckenridge, isbn: 9781467123891

Ghosts of the Rio Grande Valley

9781467119924

$21.99

Tradition meets tragedy in the chilling local lore of the Rio Grande Valley. Hidden in the dense brush and around oxbow lakes wait sinister secrets, unnerving vestiges of the past and wraiths of those claimed by the winding river. The spirit of a murdered student in Brownsville paces the locker room where she met her end. Tortured souls of patients lost in the Harlingen Insane Asylum refuse to be forgotten. Guests at the LaBorde Hotel in Rio Grande City report visions of the Red Lady, who was spurned by the soldier she loved and driven to suicide. Author David Bowles explores these and more of the most harrowing ghost stories from Fort Brown to Fort Ringgold and all the haunted hotels, chapels and ruins in between.

Cover image for Ghosts of the Rio Grande Valley, isbn: 9781467119924

Frontier Medicine at Fort Davis and Other Army Posts

9781467152464

$23.99

From a headless burial to cocaine toothache drops, the true stories hidden in the Wild West's medical records are a match for its tallest tales.

In the 19th century, when dying young was a fact of life, a routine bout of diarrhea could be fatal. No one had heard of viruses or bacteria, but they killed more soldiers on the frontier than hostile raiding parties. Physicians dispensed whiskey for TB, mercury for VD and arsenic for indigestion. Baseball injuries were considered to be in the line of duty and twice resulted in amputations at Fort Davis. Donna Smith explains how an industrious laundress could earn more than a private, a female army surgeon won the Medal of Honor and a garrison illegally hung its bartender.

Frontier Medicine at Fort Davis and Other Army Posts cover featuring a turquoise background and a desert fort landscape.

Mysteries of the Magnolia Hotel

9781467139786

$23.99

One night in 1874, a murderer crept into a New Braunfels home and killed twelve-year-old Emma Voelcker with an axe. The prime suspect was a family friend named Faust, lodging in the nearby Magnolia Hotel. A future governor prosecuted Faust, and an unknown assailant snuck past thirty-six armed guards to assassinate him. More than a century later, when Erin Wallace and her husband, Jim Ghedi, began restoring the hotel, first opened during the wild days of the Texas republic, they experienced eerie echoes from the past. One presence in particular cut through the chaos of slammed doors and roaming shadows to guide them to the Magnolia's darkest mystery. Wading through trial transcripts, newspaper archives and messages from disturbed ghosts, they discovered a secret history of Emma's death, a possible cover-up and its continuing legacy.

Cover image for Mysteries of the Magnolia Hotel, isbn: 9781467139786

Historic Tales of the Llano Estacado

9781467146548

$23.99

The distinctive high mesa straddling West Texas and Eastern New Mexico creates a vista that is equal parts sprawling lore and big blue sky. From Lubbock, the area’s informal capital, to the farthest reaches of the staked plains known as the Llano Estacado, the land and its inhabitants trace a tradition of tenacity through numberless cycles of dust storms and drought. In 1887, a bison hunter observed antelope, sand crane and coyote alike crowding together to drink from the same wet-weather lake. A similarly odd assortment of characters shared and shaped the region’s heritage, although neighborliness has occasionally been strained by incidents like the 1903 Fence Cutting War. David Murrah and Paul Carlson have collected some three dozen vignettes that stretch across the uncharted terrain of the tableland’s past.

Cover image for Historic Tales of the Llano Estacado, isbn: 9781467146548

Limestone County

9780738596396

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Though Limestone County was established on April 11, 1846, the first Anglo settlers arrived in 1833, while Texas was still part of Mexico. They built Fort Parker, the site of an 1836 Indian attack. Of the five captives taken, Cynthia Ann Parker grew up as a Comanche, married a Comanche chief, and became the mother of Quanah Parker, the last great Comanche chief. Springfield was the first permanent settlement and first county seat. The Houston and Texas Central Railroad began construction of a line through the county in 1869 and established the towns of Kosse, Thornton, Groesbeck, and Mexia. Following the Civil War, cotton became the major agricultural endeavor. During the 1920s, the Mexia Oil Boom brought prosperity to the county. Sadly, many of the small farming communities disappeared after World War II, when cattle ranching replaced farming. Today, major attractions include Lake Limestone, Old Fort Parker, Fort Parker State Park, the Confederate Reunion Grounds, and the Prairie Hill Drag Strip.

Book cover for Limestone County showing a log building and a large crowd at a rural festival

Fort Worth

9781467103848

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Fort Worth exudes a vivacious Western spirit founded upon a rich history. In 1849, four years after the Republic of Texas became the 28th state, the Army built a fort to keep native tribes west of the Trinity. That fort grew into a focal stop on the Chisholm Trail and later became the western terminus of the railroad. In World War I, Fort Worth housed one Army and three aircraft training bases, while Fort Worth Stockyards, which became one of the largest in the nation, provided multitudes of horses and mules. From pianos on dirt floors to the Van Cliburn Competition, from the earliest portraits by itinerant French artists to world-class art museums, Fort Worth has always been home to high culture. Groups such as the Woman’s Wednesday Club made sure art and libraries stood in the old fort town once more famous for its saloons. No matter the era, and no matter the many reasons, Fort Worth will always be “where the West begins.”

Cover image for Fort Worth, isbn: 9781467103848

The Maceos and The Free State of Galveston

9781467143530

$23.99

Throughout the long and colorful history of Galveston, no name has embodied the "Spirit of the Island" quite like the name Maceo. Two penniless Sicilian immigrants rose from modest beginnings to lead an entire city to prosperity, yet the nature of their industry and its abrupt and embarrassing end resulted in a legacy cloaked in stereotypes and rumor. For nearly forty years, Sam and Rose Maceo ruled a far-reaching underground economy of illegal booze and gambling but used their influence to infuse the "Free State of Galveston" with glamour, fame and fortune--a vision later used as a template for Las Vegas. The island city responded in kind, and its acceptance of the Maceos insulated their empire for decades. Pairing personal interviews of living descendants with her own meticulous research, Kimber Fountain lifts the veil on the Maceo family's closely guarded heritage.

The Maceos and The Free State of Galveston book cover collage of vintage photos coins and an architectural building

Spanish Missions of Texas

9781467136303

$24.99

After the conquest of Mexico by Hernán Cortés in the sixteenth century, conquistadors and explorers poured into the territory of Nueva España. The Franciscans followed in their wake but carved a different path through a harsh and often violent landscape. That heritage can still be found across Texas, behind weathered stone ruins and in the pews of ornate, immaculately maintained naves. From early structures in El Paso to later woodland sanctuaries in East Texas, these missions anchored communities and, in many cases, still serve them today. Author Byron Browne reconnoiters these iconic landmarks and their lasting legacy.

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Historic Movie Houses of Austin

9781467117180

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Motion pictures came to Austin on October 10, 1896, debuting at the Hancock Opera House. Since then, movies have continued to enchant, entertain, and inform the citizens of the capital of Texas. And, the places—the movie houses and theaters—where people saw motion pictures played just as important a role in the moviegoing experience as the movies themselves. As the city's population grew and motion picture technology changed, so too did Austin's movie houses, from the first kinetoscope parlor on Congress Avenue to the city' s first four-plex, the Aquarius 4, in southeast Austin. While most of these places are long gone, some withstood the test of time and are still showing movies or have been repurposed for other uses. Through the rich archival collections of the Austin History Center, Historic Movie Houses of Austin explores the stories of these important historic spaces and of the lives of those who were connected with them.

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Nacogdoches

9780738578613

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Nacogdoches derives its name from the Caddo tribe that once lived in central East Texas along Banita and LaNana Creeks. Franciscan father Antonio Jesus de Margil established a mission for the Caddo people there in 1716. In 1779, Antonio Gil Y'Barbo founded the puebla of Nacogdoches and built the Stone House, or Stone Fort, the town's most enduring symbol of European influence. Nacogdoches served as headquarters for one of three administrative districts in Texas under Mexican authority and played a significant role in the Texas Revolution before stabilizing into a predominately rural and agricultural society. Two notable 20th-century developments--the selection of Nacogdoches as the home of Stephen F. Austin State University and the founding of Texas Farm Products, the city's first major industry--changed the community into a regional education, medical, and commercial center.

Sepia toned cover of Nacogdoches from Images of America with a stone building and people in front.

1960s Austin Gangsters

9781626198401

$21.99

Timmy Overton of Austin and Jerry Ray James of Odessa were football stars who traded athletics for lives of crime. The original rebels without causes, nihilists with Cadillacs and Elvis hair, the Overton gang and their associates formed a ragtag white trash mafia that bedazzled Austin law enforcement for most of the 1960s. Tied into a loose network of crooked lawyers, pimps and used car dealers who became known as the traveling criminals, they burglarized banks and ran smuggling and prostitution rings all over Texas. Author Jesse Sublett presents a detailed account of these Austin miscreants, who rose to folk hero status despite their violent criminal acts.

Cover image for 1960s Austin Gangsters, isbn: 9781626198401

Marshall

9780738579030

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Nestled among towering pine trees in East Texas is the city of Marshall. Marshall is closely identified with Caddo Lake, a massive body of water located northeast of the town. According to the Caddo Indians who first inhabited this land, the mysterious lake was formed overnight from an earthquake. Spanish and French explorers sought to claim the land as their own in the 16th century, and American settlers arrived here in about 1830. The city of Marshall was founded in 1842, eventually becoming the county seat of Harrison County. With the arrival of the Texas and Pacific Railroad after the Civil War, Marshall became known as the Gateway to Texas, and the town prospered. Today education plays an important role in the local economy, and Marshall is the home of Wiley College, East Texas Baptist University, and Texas State Technical Institute. Life in Marshall continues to revolve around the town square, with the majestic, restored courthouse at its center.

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Route 66 in Tulsa

9781467162197

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Tulsa has always been vital to Route 66. In 1920, as the automobile was altering American life, good roads were nonexistent. Tulsa businessman and civic leader Cyrus Avery led the charge to transform the patchwork of dirt and mud trails that linked cities into a national system of paved highways, culminating in the creation of Route 66 in 1926.

For this, Avery is known as the “Father of Route 66.” Through the Great Depression, World War II, and the country’s postwar prosperity, the “Main Street of America” permeated culture through song, literature, movies, and even a television show. All the while, Tulsa—the “Magic City” with a petroleum pedigree—hosted travelers with big-city services and shopping in an Art Deco setting. And then, the road was gone. It was replaced by the faster, straighter interstate highway system in 1985. The signs came down and the double sixes disappeared until another Tulsan, Michael Wallis, brought them back. In 2024, Tulsa officially became the “Capital of Route 66.” Travelers from around the globe get their kicks at exciting attractions from Buck Atom Space Cowboy to Meadow Gold Mack and Mother Road Market to Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza. Again, neon dances in the Capital of Route 66.

Steve Clem is a Route 66 “roadie” (aficionado) and a trustee at Sand Springs Cultural and Historical Museum. Becky Hatchett is president of the Southwest Tulsa Historical Society and volunteers at the Route 66 Historical Village. Rhys Martin serves on Tulsa’s Route 66 Commission and is president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association.