Hidden History of the Llano Estacado

by Paul H. Carlson (Editor), David J. Murrah (Editor)

The Llano Estacado, or "Staked Plain," of Texas and eastern New Mexico spreads two hundred miles across what early visitors called "an ocean of land." No other place on Earth is quite like it. Humans first inhabited the area more than twelve thousand years ago. Subsequently, settlers came to convert the grassland to ranches and then to sprawling farms. Every new generation performed its duty at this cultural crossroads, from the trade routes established by the comancheros to the fateful meeting between Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley at Lubbock's Cotton Club. Noted West Texas historians Paul H. Carlson and David J. Murrah compiled and edited fifty-six brief stories presenting the Llano Estacado's heritage at its liveliest and most unfamiliar.

224 pages, Paperback

Published November 13, 2017

About the author

Dr. Paul Howard Carlson is a historian, former professor, and former assistant chairman of the Department of History at Texas Tech University. He was also editor of the West Texas Historical Association Year Book (now West Texas Historical Review) for a number of years.

Reviews

[Christena · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains a variety of historical articles on the history of the Llano Estacado. Each article is well-written and edited, including one of my own stories on The Palm Room in Lubbock, Texas.

[Kerri Gillespie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a great book. The stories are written by white privileged people and the stories are mainly about white people that encountered the Lano Estacado. I was looking for the history of the area as it relates to American Indians.