In 1874, the Texas legislature created the Frontier Battalion, the first formal, budgeted organization as an arm of state government of what historically had been periodic groups loosely referred to as Texas Rangers. Initially created to combat the menace of repeated raids of Indians from the north and from Mexico into frontier counties, the ......
William L. Wright (1868-1942) was born to be a Texas Ranger, and hard work made him a great one. Wright tried working as a cowboy and farmer, but it did not suit him. Instead, he became a deputy sheriff and then a Ranger in 1899, battling a mob in the Laredo Smallpox Riot, policing both sides in the Reese-Townsend Feud, and winning a gunfight at ......
"This volume is," in Owens's words, "a sampling of a rich experience in a richer land." The 135 songs included, a number of them in versions by more than one singer, are divided into nine chapters containing British popular ballads, Anglo-American ballads, Anglo-American love songs, Anglo-American comic songs, songs and games for children, ......
Many of these folk medical practices are older than scientific medicine. Some reflect a belief in magic. Seldom written down, this oral lore has been passed down from generation to generation from the time of the first settlements in this country. Some of these cures and remedies work because the items used have medicinal properties, as modern ......
A Photographic Guide to the Physical Culture of Texas Civil War Soldiers
One of the most popular literary subjects worldwide is the American Civil War. In addition to an enormous number of history buffs, there are tens of thousands of collectors of Civil War artifacts. In the last fifty years, several books have been written concerning the equipment associated with soldiers of specific Confederate states, but no book ......
This Texas Folklore Society Publication is divided into two volumes of rich, Texan folklore. The first volume contains eight folk tales, varying from "Lore of the Llano Estacado" to "Myths of the Tejas Indians." The second volume centers around the cowboy way of life and cowboy songs, such as "Songs the Cowboys Sing" and "Song of the Open Range."
Moving beyond Myth, Memory, and Fallacy in Texas History
Texan Identities rests on the assumption that Texas has distinctive identities that define "what it means to be Texan," and that these identities flow from myth and memory. What constitutes a Texas identity and how may such change over time? What myths, memories, and fallacies contribute to making a Texas identity? Are all the myths and memories ......
Cooking with Two Texans in Siberia and the Russian Far East
T-Bone Whacks and Caviar Snacks is the first cookbook in America to focus on the foods of the Asian side of Russia. Filled with fascinating food history, cultural insights, and personal stories, it chronicles the culinary adventures of two intrepid Texans who lived, worked, and ate their way around Siberia and the Russian Far East. Featuring 140 ......
Tall Walls and High Fences is the first comprehensive history of Texas prisons, written by a former law enforcement officer and an officer of the Texas prisons. Bob Alexander and Richard K. Alford chronicle the significant events and transformation of the Texas prison system from its earliest times to the present day, paying special attention to ......
