Books on Display | Out of the Stacks

Featured Titles on Display

By Aly Head, Reference Librarian

Often it can be said that the only true constant in life is change. One form such change often takes is through travel. Prior to the invention of faster forms of transportation such as the airplane or automobile, as well as widespread networking of the railroad, travel was inherently Odyssean in nature, spanning months or even years. These ordeals were at times recorded by those undergoing journeys, allowing modern readers a window into the past.

Sepia toned historic photograph of horse-drawn wagon with three horses pulling a wagon with at least five individuals, including one driver with the reins. — First wagon load of forage from San Antonio, Texas, undated. William Deming Hornaday photograph collection, 1975/070-2975. TSLAC.

Some traveled seeking new lots in life, claiming plots of land for their families during the Republic era. Others sought to earn their riches, pursuing the allure of splendor during gold rushes. Some marched to the beat of war drums, documenting their travels as part of conflicts such as the Civil War. Each had their own motivation, means of travel, and struggles along the way.

Sepia-toned photographs of wagon turned upside down and broken on the street. — Wagon flipped over on city street, undated. William Deming Hornaday photograph collection, 1975/070-3120. TSLAC.

In a time before a quick call to roadside assistance for help, a broken axle or run-off mule could leave a traveler stranded for days or weeks. In journeys such as these, every day was life or death, surrounded by largely untamed wilderness. One major hurdle that travelers faced was the crossing of rivers; things could go very wrong, very quickly, and many such travelers never made the trip home.

Sepia-toned photograph of covered wagon crossing a wide river with mountains in the background. — “Crossing the Pecos River on Pontoon Bridge at the Emigrants’ Crossing, Bexar Territory, Texas, about 1869.” Places collection, 1/103-747. TSLAC.

Photograph of San Jose Mission in San Antonio from 1893. — San Jose Mission, view from front, 1893, Second Mission. San Antonio. Owen Wister photograph collection, 1969/072-0019. TSLAC.

Photograph of two men sitting in front of a canvas tent with mountains in the background. — Two men posed seated in front of a tent; hills in background, 1893. Owen Wister photograph collection, 1969/072-47. TSLAC.

In 1893, writer Owen Wister traveled through Texas, photographing and journaling the things he saw, such as the photos above. Now digitized as part of the Texas Digital Archive (TDA), the Owen Wister Photograph Collection serves as a monument to Texas as it was in that time.

Photograph of a group of men in a field lassoing a horse. Writing in bottom right corner reads, Preparing for a remedy. — Preparing For a Remedy, Group of men lassoing a horse in need of treatment, 1893. Owen Wister photograph collection, 1969/072-35. TSLAC.

Wister’s photographs and writings describing his journeys were published as part of the publication, Owen Wister out West: His Journals and Letters, currently on display in the Reference Reading Room.

Black and white photograph of Indian law officer and others posed at portal of fort/settlement in desert/southwest. The building stretches across the frame with a square opening in the center. Individuals stand in front of the building and under the portico opening. A man on a horse is visible in the background. — Indian Law Officer And Others Posed At Portal Of Fort/Settlement In Desert/Southwest, about 1895. Owen Wister photograph collection, 1969/097-11. TSLAC.

The collections at TSLAC hold a wide variety of historical travel diaries. Some of these materials are currently on display in the Reference Reading Room. Some items listed below are also available online and are linked in the catalog. . More information about our location and hours can be found on our “Visit Us” webpage. For more information about access to the titles on display, please contact TSLAC reference services at ref@tsl.texas.gov or call 512-463-5455.

Title	Author	Call Number	Collection
Diary on trip to Texas from Kansas by wagon train	Olivia Holmes	929.2 H737D	Genealogy
From Virginia to Texas, 1835. Diary of Col. Wm. F. Gray, giving details of his journey to Texas and return in 1835-1836 and second journey to Texas in 1837, with pref. by A. C. Gray; printed for the information of his descendants	Col. Wm. F. Gray	917.64 G795 1965	Main, HathiTrust
The diary of Millie Gray, 1832-1840 (nee Mildred Richards Stone, wife of Col. Wm. Fairfax Gray) recording her family life before, during and after Col. Wm. F. Gray’s journey to Texas in 1935; and the Small journal, giving particulars of all that occurred during the family’s voyage to Texas in 1838	Millie Gray	917.64 G795A	Main
Mary Austin Holley; the Texas diary, 1835-1838	Mary Austin Holley	917.64 H724M	Main
Texas Ranger’s diary & scrapbook	Ann Jensen (editor)	917.64 OD2	Main
Owen Wister out west : his journals and letters	Owen Wister	920.7 W768	Main
Hurrah for Texas! The diary of Adolphus Sterne, 1838-1851	Adolphus Sterne	923.2764 ST45	Main
A diary : written by Judge Robert E. Cowan while on his way from his native Virginia to Texas and thence to Missouri in the year 1867	Robert E. Cowan	923.473 C838d	Main
The Gold Rush diary of William P. Huff	William P. Huff	929.2 H872g	Main
Fighting with Ross’ Texas Cavalry Brigade, C.S.A. : the diary of George L. Griscom, adjutant, 9th Texas Cavalry Regiment	Homer L. Kerr	973.73 R733G	Main
A Texas Cavalry officer’s Civil War : the diary and letters of James C. Bates	James C. Bates	973.7464 B318t	Main
One of Cleburne’s Command : the Civil War reminiscences and diary of Capt. Samuel T. Foster, Granbury’s Texas Brigade, CSA	Capt. Samuel T. Foster	973.7464 F817O	Main
Diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd : member of company D Terry’s Texas Rangers, December 4, 1862–January 1, 1864	Ephraim Shelby Dodd	973.782 D661	Main, HathiTrust
Here’s yer mule; the diary of Thos. C. Smith, 3rd Sergeant, Co. ‘G’, Wood’s Regiment, 32nd Texas Cavalry, C.S.A., Mar. 30 1862–Dec. 31, 1862	3rd Sergeant Thos. C. Smith	973.782 SM67h	Main
A Texan in search of a fight : being the diary and letters of a private soldier in Hood’s Texas brigade	John C. West	973.782 W518t 1969	Main, HathiTrust
A rebel wife in Texas : the diary and letters of Elizabeth Scott Neblett, 1852-1864	Elizabeth Scott Neblett	973.82 N279r	Main
Diary of the Alarcón expedition into Texas, 1718-1719	Francisco Céliz	976.402 C33D	Main
Aguayo expedition into Texas, 1721 : an annotated translation of the five versions of the diary kept by Br. Juan Antonio de la Peña	Richard G. Santos	976.402 SA59A	Main
The diary of Michael Erskine : describing his cattle drive from Texas to California together with correspondence from the gold fields, 1854-1859	Michael Erskine	976.4092 ER86D	Main
Voyage to North America, 1844-45 : Prince Carl of Solms’s Texas diary of people, places, and events	Prince Carl Solms-Braunfels	Z N745.8 V948 2000	Texas Documents
Another year finds me in Texas : the Civil War diary of Lucy Pier Stevens	Vicki Adams Tongate	Z UA380.8 T613an	Texas Documents

Aly Head, Reference Librarian

Photo of books on display on a 3-shelf bookcase. Books about Texas and Texas cuisine are on top of the case and on the shelves sitting on easels facing out. — Display featuring titles related to Texas cooking and cuisine on view through July 2o24. Reference Reading Room, Texas State Library and Archives Commission.

Food is the great unifier, a staple of every major occasion from celebration of life to mourning of loss. It reflects culture, socioeconomic status, and history. As such, by looking at the food of a people, researchers may learn more about them. The Texas State Library and Archives Commission (TSLAC) is therefore celebrating Texas food in all its forms with a new featured book display.

Photo of a a chili tasting at a chili festival. Two woman are at a table under a sign reading Curtis Stewart, San Marcos, Tex. A man at the booth holds a bowl in one hand. — [Chile Festival], undated. Texas Tourist Development Agency photographs and audiovisual materials, 1991/077-703-10. TSLAC.

TSLAC has a variety of artifacts related to dining throughout Texas history. Many of these artifacts were included as part of our exhibit, “Setting the Texas Table.” Want another taste? Check out our blog post, “Setting the Texas Table: ‘Dishing’ on the Artifacts Collection at the Texas State Archives,” which explores some of the dishes intertwined with Texas history at the Governor’s Mansion in detail.

Sepia-toned drawing of people and horse-drawn carriages and wagons fill an open town square surrounded by 19th or early 20th century buildings. There are tables set up with food being served. The drawing is called Military Plaza Chile Con Carne or Mexican Supper. — Drawing, “Military Plaza-Chili-Con-Carne or Mexican Supper,” undated. Places Collection, 1/103-628. Prints and Photographs. TSLAC.

Whether you believe beans belong in chili or not—a debate for the ages—TSLAC has materials relevant for a variety of diets, historic and modern. Food can be viewed through the lens of genealogy to build a timeline into the past, affected by availability of certain foods and spices through trade, exploration, climate, and times of economic hardship or prosperity.

photo of buffet-style food on display with chickens and other dishes set up at the chili festival. — [Chili Festival], undated. Texas Tourist Development Agency photographs and audiovisual materials, 1991/077-703-1. TSLAC.

While food isn’t allowed in the Reference Reading Room, the collections at TSLAC hold a wide variety of materials highlighting Texas cuisine, both historical and modern. Some of these materials are currently on display in the Reference Reading Room through July. Other items, listed below, are available remotely via E-Books. More information about our location and hours can be found on our “Visit Us” webpage. For more information about access to the titles on display, please contact TSLAC reference services at ref@tsl.texas.gov or call 512-463-5455.

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Out of the Stacks

A blog from the Archives and Information Services Division at TSLAC

Category Archives: Books on Display

On the Road Again: Historical Travel Diaries

Featured Titles on Display: What’s Cooking, Texas? Texas Cuisine Through the Ages