Texans may believe it is safe to walk the state's highways and byways. No recent Comanche raids have been reported and there hasn't been a stage holdup in years. "But be warned!" writes Rob Sledge. "Behind the doors of every high school in the state crouch vicious beasts and savages ready, able and even eager to pounce on the unsuspecting visitor. Texas may appear to be civilized, but 'it's a jungle out there!' In this entertaining yet informative book on Texas high school mascots, Sledge traces the lore and the legends, the popular and the pertinent, the original and the obscure, the conventional and the controversial. You will read about Mighty Mites, Porcupines, Battlin' Billies, Wampus Cats, Hippos, Kangaroos, Gorillas, Sharks, Cottonpickers, Roughnecks, Blizzards, and even one school that goes by the Daisies (yes, it's a girls' school). Chapters are devoted to birds, canines, felines, and other critters, as well as historical figures, ranch icons, and, of course, Indians. The most popular team names in Texas are compared with the top choices for U.S. colleges, and readers are invited to have a little fun in matching mascots to movie clues and potential headlines. As far as we know, every high school in Texas is listed at least twice—by school and by mascot—including some that are just opening their doors this fall.

It’s a Jungle Out There: Mascot Tales from Texas High Schools

History

Sledge, Robert W.

Americas

State House Press

Earlier biographers of Abilene, the present author included, laid heavy emphasis on "the people," the human element in the establishment and continuing life of the city. But the geographical character of "the place" is also important in its creation, its history, and its future. The intertwining of these two themes dictated much of the story of the town called Abilene, Texas. The Texas and Pacific Railroad gave birth to Abilene in 1881. Among several dozen sister communities established along the T&P, the company designated the one at Milepost 407 to be "the future great city of West Texas." The original settlers of the town, alone among all the other railroad towns, received the right to pick their own name, and they chose "Abilene" after the raucous trailhead town in Kansas. Abilene, Texas, like its namesake, was a frontier town, less than a decade removed from Indian raids, buffalo hunts, and the open range. But on the day of the first sale of town lots, the population already stood at over 3,000--instant community! In its first century, the city grew by fits and starts, alternating decades of rapid growth with decades of relative stability. Its economy was based originally on trade in sheep, cattle, and buffalo bones. Over the years, farming became important, then commerce, finance, education, the military, medicine, and light industry.  A People, A Place: The Story of Abilene is a tale of industrious, ambitious people trying to prosper in a place with a challenging climate and terrain.

A People, A Place: The Story of Abilene

McWhiney Foundation Pr

 Early biographers of Abilene, the present author included, laid heavy  emphasis on "the people," the human element in the establishment and  continuing life of the city. But the geographical characteristics of  "the place" is also important in its creation, its history, and its  future. The intertwining of these two themes dictated much of the story  of the town called Abilene, Texas. The Texas Pacific Railroad  gave birth to Abilene in 1881. Among several dozen sister communities  established along the T&P, the company designated the one at  Milepost 407 to be "the future great city of West Texas." The original  settlers of the town, alone among all the other railroad towns, received  the right to pick their own name, and they chose "Abilene" after the  raucous trailhead town in Kansas. Abilene, Texas, like its namesake, was  a frontier town, less than a decade removed from Indian raids, buffalo  hunts, and the open range. But on the day of the first sale of town  lots, the population already stood at over 3,000- instant community.   In its first century, the city grew by fits and starts, alternating  decades of rapid growth with decades of relative stability. Its economy  was base originally on trade in sheep, cattle, and buffalo bones. Over  the years, farming became important, the commerce, finance, education,  the military, medicine, and light industry. A People, A Place is a tale of industrious, ambitious people trying to prosper in a place with challenging climate and terrain.  

Early biographers of Abilene, the present author included, laid heavy emphasis on "the people," the human element in the establishment and continuing life of the city. But the geographical characteristics of "the place" is also important in its creation, its history, and its future. The intertwining of these two themes dictated much of the story of the town called Abilene, Texas.
 The Texas Pacific Railroad gave birth to Abilene in 1881. Among several dozen sister communities established along the T&amp;P, the company designated the one at Milepost 407 to be "the future great city of West Texas." The original settlers of the town, alone among all the other railroad towns, received the right to pick their own name, and they chose "Abilene" after the raucous trailhead town in Kansas. Abilene, Texas, like its namesake, was a frontier town, less than a decade removed from Indian raids, buffalo hunts, and the open range. But on the day of the first sale of town lots, the population already stood at over 3,000- instant community.
 In its first century, the city grew by fits and starts, alternating decades of rapid growth with decades of relative stability. Its economy was base originally on trade in sheep, cattle, and buffalo bones. Over the years, farming became important, the commerce, finance, education, the military, medicine, and light industry.
 A People, A Place is a tale of industrious, ambitious people trying to prosper in a place with challenging climate and terrain.

A People, A Place: The Story of Abilene Volume I; The Future Great City 1881-1940

In 1940, Abilene, Texas was just an overgrown country town of some 25,000 souls. World War II wrought a permanent change through the advent of a major army training camp housing 60,000 troops. Although the base closed at the end of the war, the city soon attracted an air force base that continued to leaven the community.Over the next seventy years, Abilene grew to be home to nearly 120,000 citizens. Population growth carried with it the need for geographic expansion, infrastructure upgrade, and economic diversification, but also unimaginable cultural change. While the retail operations of the city spread far beyond the bounds of the old business district, a historic preservation initiative changed the deteriorating downtown into a thriving and vibrant cultural center.
Robert W. Sledge picks up the story of Abilene where Volume 1: The Future Great City left off and takes readers through the history of the burgeoning country town as it became a modern city. He details Abilene as the central presence of a wide region known as "the Big County" and places it distinctly in the modern era.

A People, A Place: The Story of Abilene Volume 2: The Modern City, 1940-2010

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Sledge, Robert W.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Sledge, Robert W.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Sledge, Robert W.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

It’s a Jungle Out There: Mascot Tales from Texas High Schools

A People, A Place: The Story of Abilene

A People, A Place: The Story of Abilene

A People, A Place: The Story of Abilene Volume I; The Future Great City 1881-1940

A People, A Place: The Story of Abilene Volume 2: The Modern City, 1940-2010