The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 44, July 1940 - April, 1941 Page: 344
546 p. : ill., maps ; 24 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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THE HISTORY OF TEXAS COUNTIES
RUBY MIXON
One with an appreciation for literature and history, listening
through a hot July 4th afternoon to old settlers exchange remi-
niscences is stirred with a yearning that their stories may be pre-
served for posterity. For almost half a century the Texas State
Historical Association has been striving toward that end; the
Southwestern Historical Quarterly is the testament of the in-
valuable services of a small body of trained historians and a
few interested citizens who have labored tirelessly in the broad-
er field-the State of Texas. But the stories of the labors, ro-
mances, tragedies, dreams and ideals of the men, women and
children who make up the warp and woof of the great rolling
prairies, the forest-clad hills, the cross-roads villages, the towns
and the cities-their stories have never been told except by
implication. They are the little grains of sand who people the
grassy plains and the pleasant farm-lands. Their hearts swell
with pride when asked what happened in some remote time or
community in the long ago; their children too feel proud when
they can point to some act or work of their forefathers which
is the foundation of a worthy edifice of today.
To gather all the threads of life in the many communities
of Texas and weave them into whole cloth called history re-
quires the combined and untiring efforts of many willing to
contribute their services as a labor of love; such historical re-
search never pays royalties except in the joy it gives the every-
day citizen to see the shadows of his forefathers reflected in the
word murals of the past.
Energetic individuals and local historical associations have
blazed the trail into the annals of a few counties, graduate stu-
dents have made rich contributions in thesis research; beyond
lies a field visioned by many but scarcely surveyed. Such a task
requires more energy, time and money than the average citizen
has to spare in a practical and work-a-day world. As the years
roll on and the pioneers, one by one, disappear over the horizon,
those on borrowed time gather courage from their deeds called
[ 344 ]
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 44, July 1940 - April, 1941, periodical, 1941; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth146052/m1/383/?rotate=270: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.