The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 91, July 1987 - April, 1988 Page: 564

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

engineering structures in the state, along with an appendix that pro-
vides a descriptive listing of more than a thousand sites of interest to
both the weekend explorer and the serious scholar of the history of sci-
ence and technology. Baker's selection of subjects for his articles, drawn
from a lifetime of devoted research, is diverse, varying from the first
municipal abattoir in Paris to the Harris County Domed Stadium,
popularly known as the Astrodome. The latter is the only post-1945
structure to which Baker devotes an article, although more appear in
the appendix.
Baker relies on a broad spectrum of both primary and secondary ma-
terial for his articles, each of which describes a specific structure, ex-
plains its historical significance, and provides directions for locating the
site. All of these articles are accompanied by drawings or photographs,
many of which depict a structure as it was originally constructed, then
as it appeared in the early 198os, when this work was compiled. Baker
includes no footnotes, but references to material for supplemental
reading follow every article.
This volume is an important addition to the sparse literature on the
history of science and technology in Texas. The articles are unique be-
cause of Baker's thorough research and thoughtful analysis of histori-
cal context during a vital era in the state's development. Although the
many sites listed in the appendix are described only briefly and are not
accompanied by illustrations or citations, they also contribute by fur-
ther expanding the scope of his work. Baker is to be commended for
providing an indispensable source of information for scholars and an
entertaining guide for those who frequently read roadside markers.
University of Texas at Austin RICHARD B. MCCASLIN
John Ringo: The Gunfighter Who Never Was. By Jack Burrows. (Tucson:
University of Arizona Press, 1987. Pp. xv+242. Acknowledgments,
introduction, map, epilogue, notes, bibliography, index. $21.95.)
"There have been more extravagant claims made for John Ringo
than for Wyatt Earp, Billy the Kid, Wild Bill Hickok, Jesse James, and
Buffalo Bill combined" (p. xi). So begins the author's introduction, an
extravagant statement in itself.
Ringo-a "bullying... vicious and dangerous drunk" (p. 202)-was
born John Peters Ringo in May, 1850, in Indiana. At the age of four-
teen, he moved with his family to Missouri, then to San Jose, California.
At nineteen he left for the Lampasas country of Texas and entered the
Hoodoo War. Shortly afterward he went to Tombstone, Arizona, missed

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