Old West Locales

Nevada: Through the engaging narrative Lost in Austin: A Nevada Memoir (University of Nevada Press, $21.95), the reader is transported to Nevada’s small town “America.” Jim Andersen’s humorous memoir of life in this former silver mining town/living ghost town is a great entertaining read. Full of small town spirit and sprinkled with heavy doses of wit and wisdom, this book is a unique portrait of nostalgia in its very best sense.

Texas: Richard F. Selcer dusts off the history of Fort Worth once again to offer 12 little known mini-biographies of men and women who made and shaped Fort Worth history, arguably for the better or the worse. Fort Worth Characters (University of North Texas Press, $34.95) contains engaging accounts of law in the Old West, including the stories of Judge James Swayne and Marshal Sam Farmer, respected in their time, but forgotten in history. On the other side of the law are the accounts of Jim Courtright and Thomas Finch, lawmen who sidestepped the law.

Arizona: In W.C. Jameson’s latest book, Lost Mines and Buried Treasures of Arizona (University of New Mexico Press, $23.95), he includes 30 of Arizona’s mining legends from the desert, through the canyons and into the mountains. Tracing the discovery and digging of gold from the Spaniards through the discoveries of the 19th century, Jameson expertly presents the legend, lore and facts of Arizona’s buried treasures.

Utah/Arizona: An avid boater, the history of the Lake Powell area has always fascinated me. The history of this place is put into proper perspective in Ghosts of Glen Canyon: History Beneath Lake Powell (University of Utah Press, $29.95), full of maps and historic photos, along with a solid history of the land before and after the flooding. The late C. Gregory Crampton covered 60 historic sites in detail, with several photographs by Philip Hyde and W.L. Rusho featuring the ruins, artifacts and natural wonders, now submerged under the waters.