Featured Books
An Artist in Treason
Attack and Die
Comanche Empire
Conquering the Southern Plains
Conquest of Texas
Empire of the Summer Moon
Forgotten Fights
Hair on Fire
Historical Atlas of Native Americans
History Ahead
History of Texas Music
Indian War Veterans
Killed by Indians 1871
Literary Fort Worth
Murder for Greenhorns
Red River War
The Struggle for Apacheria
A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn
War of a Thousand Deserts
Wars for the Pacific Northwest
White People, Indians and Highlanders
Age of the Gunfighter
Alkali Trails
Along Texas Old Forts Trail
America, A Narrative History
American Frontier
American Indian Wars
American Indian Wars
Apache Indians
Apaches: A History and Culture Portrait
The Arapahoes, Our People
Bad Hand: A Biography of General Ranald S. MacKenzie
Battle of the Washita
Battlefields of Texas
Belle Star: The Bandit Queen
Black Elk Speaks
The Blackfeet: Raiders on the Northwestern Plains
Blood and Treasure
Blue Highways
Border Wars of Texas
Boy Captives
Brazos Dreamer: The Story of Major Robert S. Neighbors
Buffalo Bill and Sitting Bull
Buffalo Hump and the Penateka Comanches
Buffalo Hunters
Buffalo Soldier
The Buffalo War: The History of the Red River Uprising of 1874
Burr: A Novel
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
The Caddos, The Wichitas, & United States, 1846-1901
Captured by the Indians: 15 Firsthand Accounts, 1750-1870
The Captured
Carbine and Lance: The Story of Old Fort Sill
Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise of Western Power
Cartoon History of Texas
Catlin's Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs and Conditions of North American Indians, Vol. 2
Centennial Campaign: The Sioux War of 1876
Charles Goodnight Cowman and Plainsman
Chief Bowles and the Texas Cherokees
Comanche Barrier to South Plains Settlement
Comanche Dawn
Comanche Moon
Comanches: The Destruction of a People
The Comanches: A History, 1706-1875
Comanches: Lords of the South Plains
Comanches in the New West 1895-1908
The Confederacy's Last Hurrah: Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville
Confederate General of the West
The Conquest of the Karankawas and the Tonkawas, 1821-1859
Jim Courtright of Fort Worth
Crazy Horse & Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors
Creeks and Seminoles
The Cross Timbers by Carolyn Thomas Foreman
Cry Unheard
Dead Man's Walk
Dress Clothing of the Plains Indians
Early Days in Texas
Early Military Forts and posts in Oklahoma
The Earth Shall Weep
Eighteen Minutes
Elvis in Texas: The Undiscovered King, 1954-1958
Encyclopedia of the American Indian Wars
Encyclopedia of the American West
Encyclopedia of Indian Wars
Fighting Marlows: Men Who Wouldn't Be Lynched, Vol. 12
Five Years a Cavalryman
Following the Indian Wars
Fort Belknap Saga: Indians, Africans and Anglo-Americans on the Texas Frontier
The Fort in Fort Worth
Fort Griffin on the Texas Frontier
Fort Supply, Indian Territory
Fort Worth; A Frontier Triumph
Forts of the West: Military Forts and Presidios and Posts
Forts Trail Sampler
(e-mail specifying you would like the book)
Forty Miles a Day on Beans and Hay
The Fox and the Whirlwind
From the Heart
From a Watery Grave
Frontier Defense in the Civil War
Frontier Forts of Texas
Frontier Regulars: The United States Army
Frontier World of Fort Griffin:
Frontiersmen in Blue
Gamblers and Gangsters : Fort Worth's Jacksboro Highway
General Crook and the Western Frontier
Geronimo: The Man, His Time, His Place by Angie Debo
Gone to Texas
Goodbye to a River
Great Comanche Raid:
The Great Plains
Great Western Indian Fights
Hell's Half Acre: The Life and Legend of a Red-Light District
Historic Ranches of Texas
History of Jack County, Texas
Horse Sweat and Powder Smoke
Ice Bowl
Illustrated History of Texas Forts
Indian Depredations in Texas
See Index
Indian Exodus: Texas Indian Affairs
Indian Wars
Indian Wars
Indians of Texas
Interwoven: A Pioneer Chronicle
Publ.by Texas A & M Press 800-826-8911
Jeff Davis's Own: Cavalry, Comanches and Battle for Tex. Frontier
Jesse Chisholm: Ambassador of the Plain
Journey of Crazy Horse
The Kickapoos: Lords of the Middle Border
Killing Custer
Kiowa, Apache, and Comanche Military Societies
The Kiowas and the Legend of Kicking Bird by Stan Hoig
Kiowas
Kit Carson's Own Story of His Life
Lambshead Before Interwoven
Last Boom
Life of Big Foot Wallace
Life in the Oil Fields
Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans
Lone Star Pasts
Lonesome Dove
Los Comanches: The Horse People, 1751-1845
Massacres of the Mountains
The Mayflower
Men Who Wear the Star
My Life on the Plains
900 Miles on the Butterfield Trail
Native Americans
Nelson A. Miles The Twilight of The Frontier Army
A Newer World
Ninety-Four Years in Jack County, 1854-1948
The North American Indians, Vol. 2
Oh What a Slaughter, Massacres in the American West: 1846-1890
On the Border with Crook
On the Border with MacKenzie
Our 50 States
Painted Pole: The Beldings and Their Ranches in Palo Pinto County: Pioneer Days to Computer Age
Panhandle Pilgrimage: Illustrated Tales Tracing History in the Texas Panhandle
Passionate Nation
People of the Shining Mountains: The Utes of Colorado
Perilous Pursuit: The U.S. Cavalry and the Northern Cheyenne
Pilgrim Shadow
The Prairie Traveler
The Pro
The Quirt and the Spur
Ranald S. MacKenzie on the Texas Frontier
Ranchman's Recollections
Rangers and Pioneers of Texas
Real All Americans
Roads
Roadside History of Colorado
Roadside History of Texas
Robert E. Lee in Texas
Satanta: The Life and Death of a War Chief
Savage Frontier: Rangers, Riflemen, and Indian Wars
Savage Frontier, Vol. 2
Seasons in Hell
Sentinel of the Southern Plains
Publ. by Texas A & M Press
Six Years with the Texas Rangers, 1875 to 1881
Soldiers West
Son of the Morning Star
Southern Cheyennes
Streets of Laredo
Sunshine on the Prairie: The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker
Tales of Old-Time Texas
Taming Texas
Texas Country Reporter Bob Phillips
Texas, Dark Corner of the Confederacy
Texas Forts: Lone Star Guide
Texas Highways
Texas Frontier
Texas Indian Fighters: Early Settlers and Indian Fighters of Southwest Texas
Texas Maps
Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine
Texas Ranger
Texas Ranger Tales
Texas Ranger Tales II
Texas Rangers: A Century of Frontier Defense
Texas Rangers, Images and Incidents
Texas Rangers, Men of Action and Valor
Texas Then and Now
Third Texas Cavalry in the Civil War
This Day in North American Indian History
Three Forks
Through Unexplored Texas, Notes Taken During the Expedition
To the Tyrants Never Yield, A Texas Civil War Sampler
Trail Drivers of Texas
Trails Through Archer, Archer County History
Tribal Wars of the Southern Plains
Undaunted Courage
United States Cavalry
Van Dorn: The Life and Times of a Confederate General
Native Universe: Voices of Indian America
Voices of the Buffalo Soldier
Walker's Texas Division C.S.A.: Greyhounds of the Trans-Mississippi
Why Stop?: A Guide to Texas Historical Roadside Markers
The Wichita Indians: Traders of Texas and the Southern Plains, 1540-1845
Without Quarter: The Wichita Expedition
Woman of the People
World of the American Indian
Those I've met who care for this history share a common love that borders reverence for the books about the era. Many locals, myself included, first caught the bug from John Graves', Goodbye to a River. The author says, "The stories are out there if you care to look for them." I took it on myself to make that search a little easier for the rest of you. Joseph Carroll McConnell's and Wilbarger's accounts both cover the bulk of the stories. I provide most of McConnell's in this site because his book is practically impossible to get your hands on. Wilbarger's is available above as are most of the rest of the books that I reference or partially include in this site. I would appreciate anyone interested in referenced books that are out of print to e-mail me. Where there is significant demand, I hope to provide new editions.
Above you will also find fictional works I believe enhance the understanding and the feel of that time. This is particularly true of McMurtry's Lonesome Dove and Comanche Moon; I can't imagine a better companion for a long drive through the Southern Plains than the audio book versions of these works.