Last week we wrote an article about our favorite desert books on our shelves. We would be remiss to our Texas friends and family if we overlooked our collection of Texas books. As many already know, we traded in the California desert for Bandera, Texas for a couple of years before returning to the land of Joshua Trees and mountains.
Nestled in the scenic Hill Country, Bandera is known for its sweeping landscapes, gently rolling hills and cowboy heritage. We brought back many of our Texas acquisitions, including all our new books along with many fond memories of our adventures there.
Bandera, Texas, is known officially as the Cowboy Capital of the World. Stephenville, Texas, home to Tarleton State University, also boasts the same moniker but Bandera in Texas Hill Country legally owns the title. Both towns share deep, but separate, roots with a special affinity for the American cowboy. The cypress trees that line the Medina River attracted the first permanent settlers to Bandera. In 1853, a mill was established in Bandera to saw cypress shingles.
One of the many fun things to do in Bandera is take a mounted trail ride through town. You will find many dude ranches in the area that offer lodging and horse stables.
Bandera was founded in 1855 by Polish Roman Catholic immigrants. Sixteen Polish families immigrated to Bandera to work at the mill. They built St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, and many local residents are descended from them. Bandera is also the home of the Frontier Times Museum, and the origin of Frontier Times magazine, founded by J. Marvin Hunter (March 18, 1880-June 29, 1957).
The museum, which contains about 40,000 of oddities and artifacts of the American West, opened in 1993 and is still named for Hunter’s Frontier Times magazine, which was first published in 1923. It is noted that Bandera County was the first county in Texas to exercise the authority granted Texas counties pursuant to the Texas Water Code. One of our favorite magazines, True West, has recognized Bandera as its Top 10 True Cowboy towns for years.
Rodeos are very popular in Bandera and run most of the year at the local rodeo grounds.
In its heyday, the Great Western Trail went through the town of Bandera from San Antonio, a bustling crossroad of cultures. Bandera earned its spurs as a staging area for cowboys and cattle drives on the Western Trail with more than seven million longhorns passing through between 1874-94. The Great Western Trail was born from the gathering area in south Texas up through San Antonio, Bandera, Fort Griffin, to Doan’s Crossing (also known as Doans) on the Red River—the last place to resupply before crossing into Indian Territory.
The Great Western Trail stretched from South Texas to Nebraska, becoming the primary cattle driving route for Texas by 1879. Also known as the Dodge City Trail and the Fort Griffin Trail, the Western combined southern feeder routes (Brownsville, San Antonio, Boerne, George West, and Santa Rosa among them) in Kerrville, creating the Western’s southernmost terminal.
The Medina River flows through Bandera, Texas. Yes, the water really is that emerald color.
According to the Texas State Historical Association, possibly the earliest map showing Bandera as a place name is an anonymous one, dated around 1815 to 1819, that indicates an Apache village just north of “Puerta de la Bandera. The pass is indicated as the terminal point of an Old Comanche Trail from Nacogdoches. Stephen F. Austin, in preparing his 1829 map for presentation to the Mexican government, designated the creekbed that runs into the Medina River from the vicinity of the pass Puerta de la Bandera.
“A map of Spanish Texas issued in 1835 by W. A. Ely shows the Old Comanche Trail intersecting the “Trail to Mission San Saba” but does not specifically show the pass. However, maps beginning with that of John Arrowsmith, as compiled by H. S. Tanner of London in 1841, consistently show either Bandera Creek or Bandera Pass. Once united, cattle were pushed northward, crossing the great Texas rivers including the James, Llano, San Saba, Colorado, Brazos, and Pease.”
What else is Bandera famous for? The Battle of Bandera Pass, a part of the Texas-Indian wars, took place at the pass in 1843. The town and county were named after nearby Bandera Pass. Also, according to the local Chamber of Commerce, ” It is possible that after the assassination of President Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth escaped from a burning barn in Virginia where he was hiding and made his way to Bandera where he taught at the Bandera Institute under the name of W.J. Ryan.”
The historic Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.
Bandera hosts a three-day Cowboy Mardi Gras that attracts over 15 thousand people from all over the world to the town of about 957 residents. There are many popular annual events in Bandera people look forward to, like Thunder in the Hill Country Bike Rally. Bandera has weekly Ridin’ the River Cowboy Fellowship rodeos, which feature bullriding. It is also the home to Bandera Pro Rodeo, produced by RafterG Rodeo, which has been producing rodeos since 1957.
A bronze monument honoring the many National Rodeo Champions who call Bandera home, stands on the Courthouse lawn. Bandera is a mecca of dude ranches. The Dixie Dude Ranch, the area’s oldest, celebrated its 87th anniversary this year. A popular watering hole in Bandera is the O.S.T. Restaurant, shorthand for the Old Spanish Trail. It is filled to the brim with John Wayne memorbilia and celebrated its centennial in 2021. T.J.’s at the Old Forge is just down the street, and Trail Boss Steak and Grill is just one block over. Heck, there are good places to eat all over town. You won’t go hungry.
Besides good eating, Bandera is known for its music scene. The Cabaret Dance Hall was country swinging for close to 80 years before it closed, with acts ranging from Bob Wills to Robert Earl Keen and Steve Earle. Live music is still abundant during evenings and weekends at various venues, like Arky Blue’s Silver Dollar, 11th Street Cowboy Bar, Wildhorse Saloon, Bandera Brewery and more, throughout Bandera.
Bandera has many parades all year long for everything from Homecoming to holidays.
We enjoyed perusing Bandera’s many exquisite antique stores like Western Trails Antiques and Marketplace, library and nearby towns for books. Kerrville had a splendid bookstore that went out of business within months of us moving to Bandera. We were able to purchase some wonderful historic books at steep discounts. Our favorite little library was in the neighboring little town of Medina. Jaylyn has deep Texas roots in Pleasanton and San Saba going back five generations, and became a member of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. Her ancestors were some of the earliest settlers before Texas became a state.
Despite many Texan’s defiant assertions their state has nothing at all in common with California, it actually does. Interestingly, Texas has its own desert in the southwest part of the vast state. Fort Stockton and the Big Bend region feature a spectacular landscape as the area lies within the Chihuahuan Desert akin to the deserts of Southern California. It was also fun exploring old forts closer to Bandera such as Fort Martin Scott in Fredericksburg and Fort McKavett. California has many old forts. But wait, there’s more. Take the Great Camel Experiment, for example.
“In 1854, Secretary of War Jefferson Davis (who later became President of the Confederacy) petitioned Congress to appropriate $30,000 for the Army to experiment with using camels for supply transport and other military purposes. With the support of President Pierce, the bill was subsequently approved by Congress on March 3, 1855. Major Henry Wayne and Lieutenant David Porter were put in command of securing the camels from the Middle East.
Bandera features many great places for eating, libations and live music, including the famous 11th Street Cowboy Bar with its large dance floor and outdoor dining area, which features steak nights where you can grill your own steak.
The first shipment from Egypt (of nine swift dromedaries, twenty burden camels, plus four others of mixed breed) arrived via naval supply ship in April of 1856. Four native drivers (who were given “American” names of Greek George, Long Tom, Mico and Hi-Jolly) accompanied the camels to the New World. Hi Jolly, also known as Hadji Ali or Philip Tedro, was one of the first camel drivers hired by the U.S. Army in 1856.
It was late August of 1856 when this first group of camels finally arrived at Fort Verde, Texas. The second load of 40 animals arrived during the spring of 1857. By the time the Civil War had begun, there were over 50 camels in residence at Fort Verde. During the winter of 1861, the Fort was captured by the Confederacy. When the Fort was recaptured by the US Government in 1865, there were more than 100 camels. The animals passed every test of their ability – carrying heavier loads and traveling longer distances than the mules and horses used in the area. However, the War Department sorely needed funds for Reconstruction after the Civil War.
The U.S. Camel Corps traveled from Indianola, Texas to California, and Hi Jolly participated in a round trip between the two states in June 1857. The camels were given their first California tests in 1860, based at Fort Tejon. They were used as a messenger service, tested against a mule team. Two camels died on the expedition. According to the military museum, this is the only test the camels failed. However, the Civil War and lobbying from the mule industry led to the abandonment of the experiment in 1864. Many of the camels were auctioned off or left to roam the Mojave desert. Fort Verde, Texas, was deactivated in 1869 – ending the experiment. Camp Verde kept its historic name and is now a picturesque restaurant and general store.
There are many exotic game ranches near Bandera. It is not unusual to see exotics such as Oryx, Axis Deer, and Blackbuck Antelope in neighborhoods.
We have only listed books that we personally own although we are receptive to suggestions for expanding our library. As in our desert book references, we endeavored to keep amazon links to a minimum unless there was no other bookseller that was less expensive. If you can find them cheaper, please let us know.
Although we are amazon affiliates who may earn a small commission to support our website when you order from our amazon link, we encourage you to hunt for our recommendations other than with multi-national companies with other resources such as museum bookstores, antique stores, libraries, thrift stores, even estate and yard sales. Everybody loves a good bargain.
If the book has fallen out of copyright and is in public domain, you may find even the title for free online. Always compare book prices from different book sellers because they can vary wildly. We purposely chose not to alphabetize our selection of titles. Just pretend you’re in an old bookstore. You’re already in the right section. Browse away. Take your time, dive in, get lost. If you don’t see your favorite title, please let us know so we can order it and add it to our collection.
The state Capital building in Austin, Texas.
Rangers and the Pioneers of Texas by A.J. Sowell (1884)
Indian Depredations in Texas by J.W. Wilbarger (1890)
Early Settlers and Indian Fighters in Southwest Texas by A.J. Sowell (1900)
Texas Indian Papers 1825-1916, Volumes 1-5, Edited by Dorman H. Winfrey and James M. Day
Nine Years Among the Indians, 1870-1879: The Story of the Captivity and Life of a Texan Among the Indians by Herman Lehmann
Indian Wars by Robert Utley and Wilcomb E. Washburn
The Ranger Companies of Bandera County by Earl S. Hardin Jr.
On the Bandera Frontier by Earl S. Hardin Jr.
The Trail Drivers of Texas, Compiled and Edited by J. Marvin Hunter (1920)
History and Directory of Bandera County, First Edition by C.L. Patterson (Booklet)
Bandera County, Images of America by Frontier Times Museum
Finding the Great Western Trail by Sylvia Gann Mahoney
The Look of the West 1860, Across the Plains to California by Sir Richard Burton (1963)
Inklings of the Past in Bandera County Vol. 1 & II (1971) by Margaret Focke and Jeanette Saul (Signed by authors, 1975)
How I Got to Bandera, A Collection of True Tales from Riders on the Bandera Road, Compiled and Edited by Richard Stevens (Signed by Author, 2003)
The Texas Rangers, Images of America by Chuck Parsons
Lone Star Lawmen by Robert M. Utley
Texas Bandits Real to Reel by Mona D. Sizer
They Call Me Ranger Ray, From the UT Tower Sniper to Corruption in South Texas by Ramiro “Ray” Martinez, Retired Texas Ranger
Stone Artifacts of Texas Indians by Ellen Sue Turner, Thomas R. Hester and Richard McReynolds
When Buffalo Ran by George Bird Grinnell
Undaunted Courage, Meriweather Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West by Stephen E. Ambrose
A Journey Through Texas Or a Saddle-Trip on the Southwestern Frontier, A History of the Lone Star State on the Eve of the Civil War by Frederick Law Olmstead
Faded Glory, A Century of Forgotten Texas Military Sites, Then and Now by Thomas E. Alexander and Dan K. Utley
Fort Griffin on the Texas Frontier by Carl Cokerister
Texas Forts by Wayne Lease
Along Texas Old Forts Trail by Rupert N. Richardson, B.W. Aston and Ira Donathan Taylor
Camp Verde, Texas Frontier Defense by Joseph Luther
Fort McKavett, A Texas Frontier Post by Jerry M. Sullivan
Because of the Camels by Brenda Blair
John Ringo King of the Cowboys, His Life and Times From the Hoo Doo Wars to Tombstone, 2nd Edition by David Johnson
Law West of the Pecos, A Story About Judge Roy Bean, The Original Manuscript by Everett Lloyd
Exodus from the Alamo, The Anatomy of the Last Stand Myth by Phillip Thomas Tucker
Alamo Defenders, A Genealogy: The People in Their Own Words by Bill Groneman
Frontier Blood, The Saga of the Parker Family by Jo Ella Powell Exley
Sunshine on the Prairie, The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker by Jack C. Ramsay, Jr.
Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography, Volume 1, A-F by Dan L. Thrapp
Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography, Volume II, G-O by Dan L. Thrapp
Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography, Volume III, P-Z by Dan L. Thrapp
Texas and the Great War by Texas Historical Commission * Free Online Pamphlet
The Bounty of Texas, Texas Folklore Society Publication, Edited by Francis Edward Abernethy
Historic Tales from the Texas Republic, A Glimpse of Texas Past by Jeffrey Robenalt
Jose Policarpo Rodriguez “The Old Guide”His Life in His Own Words by Jose Policarpo Rodriguez 1829-1914 (reprint)
From Luby’s to the Legislature, One Woman’s Fight Against Gun Control by Suzanna Gratia Hupp
Early Days in Texas, A Trip to Hell and Heaven by Jim McIntire
Texas, My Texas by James Ward Lee (Signed by Author)
San Antonio, A Historical and Pictorial Guide by Charles Ramsdell (1959) *Free Online
The Tejano Community 1836-1900 by Arnold De Leon (1982) *Free Online
The Lance and the Shield by Robert M. Utley
Texas! One and Indivisible by Louise Chilton Bryan (Signed by Author)
In a Narrow Grave, Essays on Texas by Larry Mc Murtry (Author of Lonesome Dove)
Growing Up in the Lone Star State, Notable Texans Remember Their Childhood by Gylon Finklea Hecker and Marianne Odom
Pistols and Petticoats, 13 Female Trailblazers of the Old West by Virginia Nelson-L’Aloge, M.A.
Roadside History of Texas by Leon C. Metz
Forgotten Tales of Texas by Clay Coppedge
Central Texas Tales, American Chronicles by Mike Cox
Masonry Along the Brazos Valley by George H.T. French
Insider’s Guide to Austin, Fourth Edition by Cam Rossie and Hilary Hylton
Seven Days in Utopia, Golf’s Sacred Journey by David L. Cook PhD (Also available as a movie)
Y’All Need This Book, The Definitive Guide to Being a Texan by Jay B. Sauceda
Kinky Friedman’s Guide to Texas Etiquette or How to Get to Heaven or Hell Without Going Through Dallas-Fort Worth by Kinky Friedman
Hey Cowboy, Wanna Get Lucky? by Baxter Black
60 Hikes Within 60 Miles, San Antonio to Austin Including Texas Hill Country by Tom Taylor and Johnny Malloy
Texas Off the Beaten Path, A Guide to Unique Places by June Naylor Rodriguez
Haunted History of Old San Antonio, Haunted America by Lauren M. Swartz and James A. Swartz
Ghosts in the Graveyard, Texas Cemetery Tales by Olyve Hallmark Abbott
Lone Star Saucers, Searching for UFOs in Texas by Nate Riddle
A Taste of Cowboy, Ranch Recipes and Tales From the Trail by Kent Rollins
Faith, Family & the Feast, Recipes to Feed Your Crew by Kent and Shannon Rollins
Texas Eats, The New Lone Star Heritage Cookbook by Rob Walsh
The Tex-Mex Cookbook by Robb Walsh
Part of our hearts will always remain in Texas. We hope you enjoy taking a deep dive into Texas’ fascinating history too. Lastly, we cannot talk about Texas without bringing up politics. We welcome Texans to please Texas our California. Remember, the Texas Defenders at the Alamo in 1836 weren’t locals. The Defenders were from many different states and countries fighting for Texas independence.
Happy Reading, Desertwayfarers!
Top photo: Bandera Courthouse.
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