Arcadia Publishing: 7502 books

Sundance, in the northeast corner of Wyoming, may not be the only place with that name, but it is the original Sundance�the place where the Kid got his name. There was no settlement of any sort when Crook County was created in 1875. The town was founded in 1878, named after the mountain that stands...

Once upon a time, the Conejo Valley was primarily home to the Chumash Indians, oak trees, and animals. Eventually, ranches took over, cowboys made the valley their home, and the area served as a country retreat for the adventurous people of Los Angeles. The producers of numerous movies and television...

Long before it was the site of shopping centers, corporate headquarters, and universities, Troy was a humble pioneer settlement comprised of farms and small knots of buildings at simple crossroads known as Troy Corners, Big Beaver, and Halsey Corners. School bells, church socials, and harvesting seasons...

While it was still part of Dakota Territory, the town of Laramie was founded in 1868 with the arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad. Laramie�s placement on the high plains at an elevation of 7,200 feet hasnot made for an easy existence, but the hardy ranching families and cowboys, with their cattle...

South of Phoenix�s South Mountain, west of Interstate 10, north of the Gila River Indian Community, and east of Arizona state land lies the picturesque village of Ahwatukee-Foothills, home to some 87,000 people. Its proximity to adjacent cities, cultural centers, shopping, and dining combines with...

Towns and communities such as Springerville, Eagar, Alpine, Nutrioso, Vernon, Greer, McNary, and Maverick of Apache County's White Mountains hold fascinating histories of outlaws and Arizona Rangers; Texas cattlemen and Mormon farmers; and New Mexico Hispanics and forest service men. Aldo Leopold was...

William Pabor arrived in Western Colorado before the advent of irrigation, and the land presented a barren and desolate sight. But he saw something entirely different. �In the spring of 1884, lying on the bare floor of a log cabin on the site of what is now the town of Fruita, I watched the moonbeams...

An enormous red cow and a 20-foot-tall cowboy have long welcomed all who arrive at the Cowtown Rodeo and Flea Market. In the 1920s, Amos Howard Harris was auctioning automobiles in a livestock town. Realizing he needed to appeal to the locals, he and his son began hosting weekly livestock auctions and...

Estes Park is a small village nestled in the north central mountains of Colorado. The earliest settlers were homesteaders who arrived to �prove up� in the 1870s and soon discovered that providing lodging and entertainment for outdoor adventurers and tourists looking for a respite from city life could...

Garza County was created in 1876 and named by Texas legislators in honor of the de la Garza family of San Antonio. The county lay claim to vast ranch lands with the picturesque cap rock escarpment weaving its way from north to south. Though the 1880 census listed the population as a sparse 36 people�mostly...

Located in the stark landscape of Eastern California�s Owens Valley, Bishop is situated between two of the highest mountain ranges of the contiguous United States. Native Americans had been in the region since antiquity, and white settlers began to filter in after many battles with the Paiutes and...

Cotton was king during Bryan�s early history. Many prominent planters and farmers lived on the high ground between the Brazos and Navasota Rivers in the market town of Bryan, and the cotton crop thrived in the fertile Brazos River Bottom. The railroad�s arrival after the Civil War provided a link...

The Tobacco Valley, in Montana�s far northwest corner, was so named by explorer David Thompson in 1808 upon finding the resident natives using a form of wild tobacco. The Kutenai Indians were the primary inhabitants until late in the 19th century when cattlemen found the isolated valley. By 1890, several...

In 1952, Cedar Falls, Iowa, celebrated the centennial of its founding with parades, contests, food, and fun. The city had grown from a village with a stump-filled Main Street into a shining example of post-World War II America. The city's diversified economy provided opportunity to thousands through...