Founded in 1845 as a steamboat port at the entryway to western markets from the Red River, Jefferson was a thriving center of trade until the steamboat traffic dried up in the 1870s. During its heyday, the town monopolized the shipping of cotton from all points west for 150 miles. Jefferson was the unofficial capital of East Texas, but it was also typical of boom towns in general. For this topical examination of a frontier town, Bagur draws from many government documents, but also from newspaper ads and plats. These sources provide intimate details of the lives of the early citizens of Jefferson, Texas. Their story is of interest to both local and state historians as well as to the many readers interested in capturing the flavor of life in old-time East Texas. “Astoundingly complete and a model for local history research, with appeal far beyond readers who have specific interests in Jefferson.”—Fred Tarpley, author of Jefferson: Riverport to the Southwest

Interview with Eddie Griffin, an African-American historian and activist from Fort Worth, Texas. Griffin discusses his family origins, growing up in segregated Fort Worth, the Fort Worth economy and discrimination, white neighborhoods, attending I. M. Terrell High School, black newspapers and histories, JFK's visit, attending Arlington State College, being drafted into the Army and stationed in Germany, becoming a revolutionary, robbing a series of banks, being incarcerated, activism in prison and political prisoners, returning to civilian life, the rediscovery of his faith, and his career as a local historian. In appendix are several photographs of Griffin and his family, and selections of literature featuring Griffin.