The Texas frontier was a vast, unsettled area that beckoned to
the daring, an area that offered a fresh start. Those who had
suffered financial misfortune or had brushes with the law could
come out West and begin anew, if they had sufficient courage.
The stories offered in this volume concern the inhabitants
of the Texas frontier during the last half of the nineteenth
century into the early twentieth. The Texas frontier from the
1860s to the 1890s was roughly the area west of a line drawn
from Fort Worth to San Antonio. During the 1860s and 1870s
Comanche and Kiowa Indians still ruled much of the area, and
only the strong and the brave ventured into the region. The weak
died along the way, and the timid never left home.
The frontier experience, of course, shaped the lives of the
people who settled the area, and over the course of time some
of the early inhabitants may have become unrecognizable, larger
than life, entered into the realm of myth or legend. These
stories cut through the romance and the fiction and help
explain—simply, succinctly, objectively—some of the people who
made Texas what it is today.
Vivid illustrations from a traveling public art project produced
by the Center for Contemporary Arts in Abilene accompany the
text. As an introduction to frontier Texas history, Texas Myths
and Legends deserves a place in classrooms, libraries, and homes.
_________________________________________________________
JOHN C. FERGUSON is the volunteer services coordinator at the San
Jacinto Battleground and Battleship Texas State Historic Sites. His
duties include training staff and volunteers in the art of historical
interpretation, and presenting educational and historical programs to
the public. John is the author of three books dealing with U.S. military
and Texas history including Hellcats (State House Press, 2004).
What people are saying about this book
"Ferguson provides an introduction to the legendary men and women who
shaped Texas in a way that is accessible to the lay and professional
historian alike."—East Texas Historical Journal
"Engaging, educational, and fun for readers of all ages!"—Midwest
Book Review
Other Frontier Titles
