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Books About Howard County Texas People and Places
What's Your Favorite Book about a Howard County Texas Person, Place or Event? Here are some of our favorites about Big Spring, Coahoma, Forsan, Vealmoor, and Sand Springs Texas .

 

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Spirits of the Border V: The History and Mystery of the Lone Star StateSpirits of the Border V: The History and Mystery of the Lone Star State

HAUNTED PLACES IN BIG SPRING TEXAS

According to this book of haunted places in Texas, Big Spring is home to 4 mysterious and haunted places including Big Spring High School, Flight Line Prison, Runnells Junior High School and Center Point Road  . . .  Check it out . . . See Also Mysterious Texas

 

Big Spring and Howard County (Images of America)Big Spring and Howard County (Images of America)

While Native Americans had been visiting the oasis at the cross roads of the Comanche War Trail for hundreds of years, Captain Randolph Marcy was the first White man to "discover" the springs on October 3, 1849. Settlers moved their families to the area, and the region quickly developed into a ranching and farming community. Captured here in over 200 vintage images are the trials and triumphs of settlers and residents to build a life in Big Spring and the towns of . . . Read more Look inside

A Menagerie of Mysterious Beasts: Encounters with Cryptid CreaturesA Menagerie of Mysterious Beasts: Encounters with Cryptid Creatures

"One of the more extraordinary sightings I've heard of was related to me by a man named Trey. One moonlit evening during September of 2012, Trey and his wife were sitting outside their home in Big Spring, Texas. At some point they both noticed something in the faraway sky approaching them silently. As the mysterious object came closer, it descended until it was only about thirty feet above their heads, at which point it became evident that the apparition was some type of winged man of giant proportions. The being eerily turned its head and looked directly at them as he flew over. According to Trey, the entity appeared human, having long, flowing hair; slanted, solid black eyes; a powerful jaw; and slight nose with long nostrils....  . . . Read more Look inside . . . See Also: Mysterious Texas

The Kings of Big SpringThe Kings of Big Spring: God, Oil, and One Family's Search for the American Dream

"In 1892, Bryan Mealer’s great-grandfather leaves the Georgia mountains and heads west into Texas, looking for wealth and adventure in the raw and open country. But his luck soon runs out. Beset by drought, the family loses their farm just as the dead pastures around them give way to one of the biggest oil booms in American history. They eventually settle in the small town of Big Spring, where fast fortunes are being made from its own reserves of oil. For the next two generations, the Mealers live on the margins of poverty, laboring in the cotton fields and on the drilling rigs that sprout along the flatland..." Read more

The Cavalier Mr. ThompsonThe Cavalier Mr. Thompson: A Sam Hill Novel

"In this, his first crime graphic novel in 15 years, veteran cartoonist Rich Tommaso brings you a story that's one part crime and one part American History. Set in a small oil town of  Big Spring, Texas in the 1920s, this book follows the trials and tribulations of aspiring detective Sam Hill… and family. Loosely based on the works of real-life crime writer Jim Thompson, we begin at his old stomping grounds of West Texas, featuring a cast of characters made up of greedy oil barons, crooked lawmen, city-slick con men, broken-down detectives, drunken reprobates, and obsessive gamblers..." Read more

The true Story of The Sharpest Ever-: Michael Eugene Sharp

by Mike Eggleston

MIKE EGGLESTON was born and raised in Big Spring, Texas. His life centered around cattle and cattle trucks before becoming a police officer. On four different occasions while he was a patrolman with the Big Spring police Department he captured burglars in the act of burglary. He advanced to the lead of the major crimes task force, where he was very successful in solving crimes and making drug busts..." Read more Look inside

Jake

Jake Pickle was a representative from Texas from 1963 to 1995; born in Big Spring, Howard County, Tex., Born October 11, 1913; educated in the public schools of Big Spring, in this book, Jake Pickle tells the story of a lifetime in public service, including thirty-one years as Representative for Texas' Tenth Congressional District. Jake tells his story by telling stories—most of them humorous, some poignant . . . read more

The Mansion on Hummingbird Hill

by J. Beauhall

A stately mansion sits atop the crest of Hummingbird Hill on the outskirts of Big Spring, Texas. This is the tale of that mansion and the trials and tribulations experienced by its inhabitants over the years, as it goes from the family home of James "Buck" Henderson and his wife, June, to one of the South's most elegant "sporting" houses, to a home for runaways, and finally, a family home again. It is a tale of love, hate, rape, incest, murder, and intrigue..." Read more Look inside

The Way It Was: The Story of Roger Hammack

by Roger Hammack

"During the summer of 1958, our family rolled into Big Spring ready for a new adventure. I didn't know much about the location, other than Texas was a land of heat and dust and real lawman. I was going into junior high ---the seventh grade--- and felt really excited. We had never lived in a large town like Big Spring: one with an exploding population of 35,000 and out of control crime.  ..." Read more Look inside

Tall Texas Teen Tales: Confidential Misadventures of a poor Redneck

by John Chas Gibson

As a poor kid growing up in Big Spring Texas, it was a challenge to have fun and not cost much, if anything. This book is specifically designed to let everybody know that fun doesn't have a price tag on it if an imagination and a warped sense of humor is part of the equation. Anybody can have a ton of fun, and make lifelong memories without getting into too much trouble... Read more Look inside

The Last of The Old-Time Cowboys

Within the pages of this book these genuine legends who rode through a golden moment in American history live on. Found inside: "Vance Davis. Interviewed 22 September 1989 in Big Spring. The older brother of Ralph Davis, he was born February 4, in Runnels County . . . Read more . . . for more like this please see Texas Cowboy History

The Great Plains during World War II

Emphasizing the region’s social and economic history, The Great Plains during World War II is the first book to examine the effects of the war on the region and the responses of its residents.

"In Big Spring law enforcement officers stopped trucks carrying workers heading for town during the cotton season warned them that stopping there meant arrest. This policy kept the migrant workers passing though Big Spring, but they often kept going, leaving the area entirely, all to the detriment of nearby farmers who needed their labor. Many of these workers were" . . . Read more Look inside

Shooting Midnight Cowboy

"The God-fearing residents of Big Spring were thrilled at the chance to participate in a real live Hollywood movie. Word spread far and wide that the movie folks were looking to hire authentic locals---an ad in the Big Spring Herald listed... On the ride into Big Spring he had driven past the old Sahara drive-in move theater, just off Interstate 20. The place looked sad and deserted, and Michael thought it could be a perfect metaphor for young Joe Buck's sense of ..." Read more Look inside

Mom's Old Fashioned Holiday Recipes: A Christian Cookbook

by Big Spring resident Mark L. Sundy

This book is a collection of my Mom's and Grandmother's recipes for the Holidays plus a few other recipes from friends and family. The Lord made this day, and I will rejoice and be glad in it. Attitude is everything when it comes to cooking! The attitude of my Mom and Grandmother while cooking was always an attitude of joy. They loved cooking, and their attitude of joy and love seem to spill over into the food...Read more Look inside

Left on Base in the Bush Leagues: Legends, Near Greats, and Unknowns in the Minors

"Bisher could've been thinking about Tito Arencibia and other Cubans who played at Big Spring Texas, in the late 1940s and early 1950s whe he penned, "Players with foreign names of many syllable came to a town, married a local belle, and never left..." Read more Look inside

The Movie Lover's Tour of Texas: Reel-Life Rambles Through the Lone Star State

by Veva Vonter

Texas movies are as vast as the Lone Star State. This book offers readers the chance to visit Texas vicariously by viewing movies filmed in and about the state that reflect Texas history, cultures, and landscapes. Found inside: "Midnight Cowboy (1969) If you haven't seen this movie in a while, you may have forgotten how much footage there is of Joe Buck's life in Texas before he left for New York City. The opening scenes, starting with the credits, show off the streets of Big Spring in the 1960s   . . . " Read more Look inside

When Law Was in the Holster: The Frontier Life of Bob Paul

From Page 230 - "Whatever the ailment, Agnes recovered, but her bouts with illness had only begun. In the meantime, Joe Casey, after escaping from El Paso, beat his way on the Texas & Pacific Railroad to Big Spring, Texas, 350 miles to the east" . . . Read more Look Inside

Big Spring: The casual biography of a prairie town

by Shine Philips

"It looks like God kind of made it easy for Big Spring to be a town three hundred miles each way from everything and a natural jumpin' off place. If you don't know where Big Spring is, it's in West Texas, in the foothills of the Cap Rock, where the Great Plains start . . . Look inside

Texas Cowboys: Memories of the Early Days

The thirty-three Depression-era interviews presented here were culled from the WPA-Federal Writers' Project. They faithfully show how old-time Texas cowhands lived and how they felt about their glamour-less existence. "We wound up in Howard County, and Dad made his headquarters right by the old Tahoka Lake Trail. You see, there were no roads anywhere in that part of the country in them days,. If you wanted to go somewhere and wanted something to guide you, you took a cattle trail " ... Read more Look inside

What I Learned on the Ranch: And Other Stories from a West Texas Childhood

Despite the Depression, James Bruce Frazier spent the best years of his childhood on the Cross Ell Ranch just west of Big Spring. Years later, as he reflected on those days, he began writing down the experiences he had, the people he met, and the lessons he learned . . . Read more Look inside

The Kings of Big Spring:

God, Oil, and One Family's Search for the American Dream

In 1892, Bryan Mealer’s great-grandfather leaves the Georgia mountains and heads west into Texas, looking for wealth and adventure in the raw and open country. But his luck soon runs out. Beset by drought, the family loses their farm just as the dead pastures around them give way to one of the biggest oil booms in American history. They eventually settle in the small town of Big Spring, where fast fortunes are being made . . . Read more Look Inside

Big Spring Revisited

In West Texas, the land that would one day become Big Spring was originally home to Comanche Indians. In 1880, the Texas Rangers were sent ahead of the railroad to establish peace among the ranchers and to protect the western frontier from the Comanche who lived there. New Texans began to follow the railroad from Colorado City to Big Spring, which was named the county seat of Howard County in 1882. The small Texas town once known for its saloons, dance halls, shoot-outs, and gambling grew into . . . Read more Look inside

History of Aviation in Big Spring, Texas

Many photos of planes from the 1920s and 1930s included in the unique history of aviation in this small West Texas town . . . Look inside

Almost Like a Professional: My life and career as a West Texas Musician

The story of West Texas musician, songwriter and educator, Cary C Banks. From his upbringing in the rigidly fundamentalist Church of Christ, to his glorious discovery of devil rock and roll and the Beatles, Cary Banks traces his long journey down the lost highway of the music business with stories that are often funny but many times poignant. From the stinging lows of endless rejection . . .  Read more Look Inside

Spirits of the Border: School Spirits

In this newest installment of this award winning series, the authors look at what they like to call School Spirits! Find Haunted Texas schools in Alpine, Alvin, Amarillo, Arlington, Austin, Beaumont, Belton, Big Sandy, Big Spring, Brownsville, Bryan/College Station, Caldwell, Carrollton, Clint, Coahoma, Commerce, Corpus Christi, Corsicana, Cotulla, Dallas . . . Read more

CROSSROADS CANAAN: A Texas Town in the Jazz Age

by James. Johnston

Gettin' started, Howard County's first 25 year

by Joe Pickle

Howard College At Big Spring, Texas "The Hawk" Yearbook 1974
 
Big Spring Yearbooks

 

Browse more Yearbooks from Big Spring Texas

Coahoma Yearbooks

 

More Coahoma Yearbooks

Forsan Texas Yearbooks

 

More Forsan School Yearbooks

Resources:

West Texas History & Memories (Face Book Group)

Early Life in Texas County by County

Books about Texas People and Places

Famous People from Texas County by County

Texas History in the 19th Century (Amazon)

Vintage Texas Photos (eBay #Ad)

Life's A Journey Enjoy The Ride." Big Spring

Remember When in Big Spring...

Positive Progress in Big Spring

 

What's your Favorite Book about a Texas County, Town, Person or Place? Here's our best reads list County by County

 

Mysterious TexasTrue Stories of Amazing People and Places in Texas
 Loneliest, Least Populated Counties in Texas
Texas Cowboy HistoryBooks about Texas People County by County