When the first gusher blew in at Spindletop, near Beaumont, Texas, in 1901, petroleum began to supplant cotton and cattle as the economic engine of the state and region. Very soon, much of the workfor
These collected tales?some taller than others?offer revealing glimpses into how and why West Texans are different. Rugged enough to make the harshest of environments their own, this species thrives in