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Texas Legends by Jackye Havenhill - Great stories from a wonderful lady who along with her husband, Ralph, taught school in Reagan County in the 40s, 50s, and 60s.
Ghost Towns of Texas by T. Lindsay Baker - Includes Stiles, Texon, etc.!
Building The Lone Star: An Illustrated Guide To Historic Sites by T. Lindsay Baker
 About Life In The Texon Oil Camp In The 1940's by Joyce Shaughnessy, Pete Billac (Editor). We aren't sure, but we believe Joyce is one of the daughters of the Scott family who had the Texon Grocery Store in the 50s after a family by the name of Higday owning the store in the 40s. By the way, did you know that there was also a Grocery Store at Santa Rita? It was owned by Fred Boggs, the father of Bill Boggs '54 and Richard Boggs '53 and later by "Rastus" and Eula Morris, the mother and father of Marlin Morris '58.
Roughnecks, Drillers & Tool Pushers - by Gerald Lynch - Includes stories about the "salty" little town of Big Lake during the oil boom days of the 50's. Mentions many old timers including Doc Patterson, Sheriff Billingsly, etc.
Sauntering - by Suzanne O'Bryan - Herbie Taylor has read this book and he says "Have a wonderful book that Pen's mom (Mrs. Louis Farr) gave me for Christmas written by Suzanne O'Bryan. Title is SAUNTERING-One Woman's Life In the Country. It is about her animals and birth and death. Really a woman's book but I enjoyed it. Dan Loftin, Kenny Mann, and other Big Lake folks mentioned. In fact, Kenny took the photographs that are on the cover and back of the book. I don't know how available it is in bookstores but well worth reading for all of us Big Lake kids. It will bring tears to your eyes."
Texas Rhapsody - Memories of a Native Son by
Bill Porterfield - A collection of short stories about rural and urban Texas by a great story teller from the old Ft. Worth Times Herald.
Santa Rita - by Martin W. Schwettmann for the Texas Historical Society - The history of Santa Rita #1, the discovery well of the first oil field in the Permian Basin at Texon. Mentions many of the old timers from Texon and Santa Rita including Carl Cromwell (the driller), "Cotton" Curlin, Joe Kosell, the Newbroughs, and some early Reagan County ranchers.
The Reagan County Story - by Mike Werst - This book is similar to the History of Reagan County, 1879 to 1945 that was compiled by the Big Lake Twentieth Century Club in 1945. It contains many photos of early day pioneers including Billy Boyd, Judge Hudson, Ralph Pembrook and daughters at old Ft. Grierson, etc. It is out of print from Amazon.com, but copies are available from the Big Lake Wildcat (David Werst - dwerst@aol.com).
 The Time It Never Rained - by Elmer Kelton - A book recommended by Sally Sappington Blanton about the looooong drought in west Texas.
Click on the highlight below for more information on the oil camp towns of Texon, Best, and Santa Rita. While there, notice there is a book about Best which we didn't know existed titled, "The Big Fist", by Ragsdale. We haven't read it, but have ordered it and will let you know the review. From the title, it could very well mention the law of Best in those days who was Sonny Lane as mentioned in our page of Stories From Old Timers About Early Reagan County as linked in the Contents of the left margin.
Best, Texon, and Santa Rita
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