Local History

The Spanish word cimarron, meaning "wild" or "untamed," refers to a region in the southern Rocky Mountains where control of timber, gold, coal, and grazing lands long bred violent struggle. After the United States occupation following the 1846-1848 war with Mexico, this tract of nearly two million acres came to be known as the Maxwell Land Grant. When Cimarron Meant Wild presents a new history of the collision that occurred over the region's resources between 1870 and 1900.

In the fall of 1969, Gary Bray landed in South Vietnam as a recently married, freshly minted second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. His assignment was not enviable: leading the platoon whose former members had committed the My Lai massacre--the murder of hundreds of Vietnamese civilians--18 months earlier. In this compelling memoir, he shares his experiences of Vietnam in the direct wake of that terrible event.

For John Nance “Cactus Jack” Garner, there was one simple rule in politics: “You’ve got to bloody your knuckles.” It’s a maxim that applies in so many ways to the state of Texas, where the struggle for power has often unfolded through underhanded politicking, backroom dealings, and, quite literally, bloodshed. The contentious history of Texas politics has been shaped by dangerous and often violent events, and been formed not just in the halls of power but by marginalized voices omitted from the official narratives.

A redistricting crisis is now upon us. This surprising, compelling book tells the history of how we got to this moment—from the Founding Fathers to today’s high-tech manipulation of election districts—and shows us as well how to protect our most sacred, hard-fought principle of one person, one vote. Nick Seabrook has written an illuminating, urgently needed book on how our elections have been rigged through redistricting, beginning with the Founding Fathers, Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, and Reconstruction, and extending to today’s high-tech manipulations of districts.

This new History of Selby traces the story of the town from prehistoric times to the foundation of the monastery and the great abbey church which still dominates the town. The story continues through the bloody battle of the civil war to the boom times of the Victorian era with its canals, bridges and railways, down to our own day. Patricia Scott was born in Eccles, Lancashire, and was educated at the grammar school there. She trained as a primary school teacher at Cheshire County Training College, Crewe, before marrying and moving to Yorkshire. Patricia taught at schools in Leeds and North...

In this deeply researched and well-written study, Donald P. McNeilly examines how moderately wealthy planters and sons of planters immigrated into the virtually empty lands of Arkansas, seeking their fortune and to establish themselves as the leaders of a new planter aristocracy west of the Mississippi River. These men, sometimes alone, sometimes with family, and usually with slaves, sought the best land possible, cleared it, planted their crops, and erected crude houses and other buildings.

A Year of Indiana History Stories Book 1 includes three hundred and sixty-six stories of Indiana history. Written in a this day in history format, this journal is ideal for kids and adults alike. Children will especially benefit as they can learn history local to Indiana by reading one story a day for a year.

Among the darkest corners of Kentucky's past are the grisly feuds that tore apart the hills of Eastern Kentucky from the late 19th century until well into the 20th. Now, from the tangled threads of conflicting testimony, John Ed Pearce, Kentucky's best-known journalist, weaves engrossing accounts of six of the most notorious accounts to uncover what really happened and why. His story of those days of darkness brings to light new evidence, questions commonly held beliefs about the feuds.

In late September 1919, black sharecroppers met to protest unfair settlements for their cotton crops from white plantation owners. Local law enforcement broke up the union's meeting, and the next day a thousand white men from the Delta - and troops of the US Army itself - converged on Phillips County, Arkansas, to "put down" the black sharecroppers' "insurrection". Writer and Delta native Grif Stockley considers the evidence and tells the full story of this incident for the first time, concluding that black people were murdered in Elaine by white mobs and federal soldiers.

The best of this year's true crime writing from master true crime authors RJ Parker, Peter Vronsky, JJ Slate, Sylvia Perrini, and Michael Newton, who give us nine new shocking case accounts of serial killers.

The Ku Klux Klan established a significant foothold in Arkansas in the 1920s, boasting more than 150 state chapters and tens of thousands of members at its zenith. Propelled by the prominence of state leaders such as Grand Dragon James Comer and head of Women of the KKK Robbie Gill Comer, the Klan established Little Rock as a seat of power second only to Atlanta. In The Ku Klux Klan in 1920s Arkansas, Kenneth C. Barnes traces this explosion of white nationalism and its impact on the state’s development.

In April 1938, Swift River Valley residents held a farewell ball to mark the demise of the quintessential New England town of Enfield and its three smaller neighbors, Greenwich, Dana, and Prescott. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts sacrificed these three towns to build the Quabbin, a massive reservoir of drinking water for residents of Boston. Three prominent residents attended the somber occasion.

The Settlers' Empire traces the first federal endeavor to build states wholesale out of the Northwest Territory, a process that relied on overlapping colonial rule over Euro-American settlers and the multiple Indian nations in the territory. In the Northwest Territory, diverse populations of newcomers and natives struggled over the region's geographical and cultural definition in areas such as religion, marriage, family, gender roles, and economy.

Dear Traveler, Welcome to the WanderStories™ History of Rome. Rome – the Eternal City – was according to legend founded in 753 B.C.E. by two twin brothers – Romulus and Remus. The history of Rome is that of wars and struggles for power, of magnificent buildings and feats of engineering. Some sights that you see today are well over two thousand years old and yet they are still standing, bringing the magnificent history of the city’s past to life. Throughout its long history Rome has always been a center of power, culture, and religion. Today, it has an immensely rich historical ...

Dear Traveler, Welcome to the WanderStories™ History of Beijing. Beijing is the capital of the world’s largest nation and one of the most populous cities on earth. Its history is as complex or as simple as you might like it to be. The first mention of Beijing as a city is in records from the Zhou dynasty in the 11th century B.C.E. And there’s no doubt that three thousand years that have passed since then have given the Chinese people plenty of time to shape one of the most unique cities on earth. There is only one thing to do now – visit! We, at WanderStories™, are storytellers. ...

Dear Traveler, Welcome to the WanderStories™ History of Paris. Paris is considered to be one of the best-loved and most beautiful cities in the world. With a history riddled with intrigue, war, revolution and scandal, its attraction is irresistible to the traveler. Paris has a glamorous image as one of the world’s major tourist destinations and as a center for culture, fashion, luxury goods, and of course everything romantic. With its ancient and more recent history, fabulous architecture and marvelous heritage, visiting Paris is definitely an unforgettable experience. There is only one...

When Kristin L. Hoganson arrived in Champaign, Illinois, after teaching at Harvard, studying at Yale, and living in the DC metro area with various stints overseas, she expected to find her new home, well, isolated. Even provincial. After all, she had landed in the American heartland, a place where the nation's identity exists in its pristine form. Or so we have been taught to believe.

Dear Traveler, Welcome to the WanderStories™ tour of the top sights in Shanghai: the Bund, Yuyuan Garden, the Mid-Lake Pavilion Teahouse, the City God Temple, the Lu Xun Park, the Jing’an Temple, the Jade Buddha Temple, the Confucius Temple, the Longhua Temple, the Oriental Pearl Tower, People’s Square and Park, the French Concession, the Longhua Martyrs Cemetery, and Fuxing Park. We are now ready to take you on your personal tour of these world famous landmarks. We will also tell you the history of Shanghai and several additional stories about Chinese cuisine and table manners, ...

In America Walks into a Bar, Christine Sismondo recounts the rich and fascinating history of an institution often reviled, yet always central to American life. She traces the tavern from England to New England, showing how even the Puritans valued "a good Beere".

This first volume of the Savage Frontier series is a comprehensive account of the formative years of the legendary Texas Rangers. Stephen L. Moore provides fresh detail about each ranging unit formed during the Texas Revolution and narrates their involvement in the pivotal battle of San Jacinto and later battles at Parker's Fort, the Elm Creek Fight, Post Oak Springs Massacre, and the Stone Houses Fight.