Descending 897 miles from the top of the Texas Panhandle to the state's southernmost point at Brownsville is U.S. 83, one of the longest federal highways that hasn't been replaced by an Interstate.Award-winning author Stew Magnuson takes readers on a trip through the Lone Star State's sparsely populated ranchlands, its scenic Hill Country and the historically rich Lower Rio Grande Valley."Every town has a story to tell," says Magnuson. A massacre in Menard marked the beginning of the end for the Spanish Empire in America. Wellington is where the notorious criminals Bonnie and Clyde sent their car careening into the Red River. On a ranch just east of Brownsville, Ranger "Rip" Ford led the charge at the final battle of the Civil War.Magnuson uncovers the stories of the famous, the infamous and the forgotten as he explores a road like no other in America.
"It is a fascinating narrative. Magnuson, who grew up in Nebraska, mixes in history, interviews, observations, stories and personal feelings as he drives through the various small towns and cities along the route."
-- Glenn Dromgoole, Abilene Reporter-News and Texas Reads columnist
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Descending 1,885 miles straight down the center of the United States from Westhope, North Dakota, to Brownsville, Texas, is U.S. 83, one of the oldest and longest of the federal highways that hasn't been replaced by an Interstate. Award-winning author Stew Magnuson takes readers on a trip down the road and through the history of the Northern Great Plains. The famous and the forgotten are found in stories he discovers in the Dakotas. Explorers Pierre de la Vérendrye, Lewis & Clark, Jedediah Smith, are all encountered along with Chief Spotted Tail of the Brulé Lakotas, TV sensation Lawrence Welk and rodeo superstar Casey Tibbs. The murderers, settlers, ballplayers and rail barons from yesteryear meet today's truckers, oil rig workers and ghost towns inhabitants as Magnuson launches his own Voyage of Discovery in a beat-up 1999 Mazda Protégé. Published on the 125th anniversary of the year North Dakota and South Dakota became states, The Last American Highway: A Journey Through Time Down U.S. Route 83: The Dakotas, is a love poem to the natural beauty of the prairie and the fascinating people--both past and present--found along the road.
"Stew's book is not exactly a guidebook. It's more of a travel narrative, and like most good travel narratives, it embeds within itself the stories of others."
--Tom Isern, Plains Folk
For a personally signed copy, or retail opportunities, send a message through the CONTACT page.
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Descending 1,885 miles straight down the center of the United States from Westhope, North Dakota, to Brownsville, Texas, is U.S. 83, one of the oldest and longest of the federal highways that hasn't been replaced by an Interstate. Award-winning author Stew Magnuson takes readers on a trip through the Nebraska Sand Hills, the Smoky River Valley in Kansas and the singular Oklahoma Panhandle. Along the route are the stories of the famous, the infamous, and the forgotten. Buffalo Bill Cody hunted these lands, but what about Buffalo Jones, who set out to save the American bison from extinction? This is where the ruthless, but now largely forgotten bank robbers, the Fleagles committed their most heinous crime; where the Grand Duke Alexis of Russia met George Armstrong Custer and Pussy Cat Nell dispatched the corrupt Sheriff "Brushy" Bush with a shotgun blast. What ties together President Eisenhower, the architect Frank Lloyd Wright and author Truman Capote? Highway 83, of course.
"It's a big space and an old place, but what really attracts you as you ride along with him are the stories. Highway 83 ... passes or crosses a lot of stories and Magnuson brings them to life."
-- Charles Peek, Nebraska Center of the Book News
For a personally signed copy, or retail opportunities, send a message through the CONTACT page.