"It shall be the chosen land, perpetual sunshine shall kiss its
trees and vines, and, being storied in luscious fruits and
compressed into ruddy wine, will be sent to the four points of the
compass to gladden the hearts of all mankind . . . They will
breathe the pure and bracing air, bask in the healing sunshine,
drink the invigorating wine, and eat the lifeprolonging
fruit."-from a brochure advertising the Staked Plains fromthe
Missouri Pacific Railway Company, 1889Land of Bright Promise is a
fascinating exploration of the multitude of land promotions and
types of advertising that attracted more than 175,000 settlers to
the Panhandle-South Plains area of Texas from the late years of the
nineteenth century to the early years of the twentieth. Shunned by
settlers for decades because of its popular but forbidding image as
a desert filled with desperados, savage Indians, and solitary
ranchers, the region was seen as an agricultural and cultural
wasteland. The territ0ry, consequently, was among the last to be
settled in the United States. But from 1890 to 1917, land companies
and agents competed to attract new settlers to the plains. To this
end, the combined efforts of local residents, ranchers and
landowners, railroads, and professional real estate agents were
utilized. Through brochures, lectures, articles, letters, fairs,
and excursion trips, midwestern farmers were encouraged to find new
homes on what was once feared as the "Great American Desert." And
successful indeed were these efforts: from 13,787 in 1890, the
population grew to 193,371 in 1920, with a corresponding increase
in the amount of farms and farm acreage. The book looks at the
imagination, enthusiasm, and determination of land promoters as
they approached their task, including their special advertisements
and displays to show the potential of the area. Treating the
important roles of the cattlemen, the railroads, the professional
land companies, and local boosters, Land of Bright Promise also
focuses on the intentions and expectations of the settlers
themselves. Of special interest are the fifteen historical
photographs and reproductions of promotional pieces from the era
used to spur the land boom. What emerges is an engaging look at a
critical period in the development of the Texas Panhandle and an
overview of the shift from cattle to agriculture as the primary
industry in the area.
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