More than 13,000 historical markers line the roadsides of Texas, giving drivers a way to sample the stories of the past. But these markers tell only part of the story. In "History Ahead", Dan K. Utley and Cynthia J. Beeman introduce readers to the rich, colorful, and sometimes action-packed and humorous history behind the famous (Charles Lindbergh, Will Rogers, The Big Bopper, and jazz great Charlie Christian) and the not-so-famous (Elmer 'Lumpy' Kleb, Don Pedro Jaramillo, and Carl Morene, the music man of Schulenburg) who have left their marks on the history of Texas. They visit cotton gins,...

Texans love stories, and the 15,000 roadside markers along the state's highways and byways testify to the abundance of tales to tell. History along the Way recounts the narratives behind and beyond more than one hundred Texas roadside markers.

Peopled with colorful characters--a national leader of Camp Fire Girls, an army engineer who mapped the Republic of Texas frontier, a hunter of mammoth bones, a ragtime composer, civil rights leaders, and an iconic rock star, among others--the book gives readers an intriguing and expanded look at the details, challenges, and lives...