PLEASANT VALLEY WAR by Jinx Pyle

The Pleasant Valley War, also known as the Graham Tewksbury Feud, was fought in the northern part of what is now Gila County, Arizona. “During the 1880s the entire north-central Arizona was under lead and smoke confrontation between the sheep raisers and the cowmen, the Hashknife Outfit and the homesteaders, the horse thieves and the Mormons, the cinch-ring artists and the ranchers. To add a little fuel to the fire, a few bronco Apaches could be counted on to keep everyone on their toes. Men rode with their rifles in hand, and in town the tie-down loops were clear on the tops of the six-gun hammers,” says author Jinx Pyle in his latest book Pleasant Valley War.

State historian, Marshall Trimble says “Jinx Pyle is a walking encyclopedia of information on events in Gila County, Arizona and now he’s written a history of the notorious Pleasant Valley War – one of the most complex and vile blood feuds in America’s history. But parts of the Pleasant Valley War have never been told and Jinx brings many new facts to light. Pyle’s history of the Pleasant Valley War is destined to become one of the definitive works on the subject.” This great book includes historic Pleasant Valley War maps and helpful GPS coordinates.

Jinx is a sixth generation descendant of Gila County cattle ranchers and a full-time student of Arizona history. He grew up on stories handed down about the Pleasant Valley War, having descended from the culture that spawned the fighting factions. He and his wife, Jayne, have written numerous books that document local history, including Rodeo 101, Mountain Cowboys, Cooking for Zane Grey Under the Tonto Rim, Calf Pies and Cow Fries and History of Gisela, Arizona.

$25

COOKING FOR ZANE GREY UNDER THE TONTO RIM by Jayne Peace Pyle

As the time for the dedication of Zane Grey’s cabin in Payson, Arizona on October 15th, 2005 grew near, Jayne Peace Pyle felt that the stories of the folks who settled under the Tonto Rim, and knew and worked for Zane Grey, needed to be told. Up until then, little had been mentioned about those mountain people who had guided and cooked for Grey on his famous bear and lion hunts.

Pyle had grown up hearing stories of the people and places of Gila County from her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. In this wonderful cookbook, cum history book, Jayne combines history, genealogy and recipes to introduce to the world the people who lived Under the Tonto Rim in the 1920s. Jayne chose food as the cultural stimulus to further explore the practices and history of these early pioneer people. The result is a truly delightful history/cookbook that entertains and informs, even as it encourages the reader to experiment with the recipes and foods of the Gila county mountain people who guided Zane Grey and prepared his meals under the Tonto Rim.

$15

THE ROCKHOUND'S HANDBOOK by James R. Mitchell

ROCKHOUNDING is the popular term used to describe the hobby of collecting rocks and minerals. Beyond the possibility of making a startling new find or a valuable discovery, rockhounding offers people of all ages the unique opportunity to learn about the nature and history of our physical world, and to explore it in landscapes as diverse as the abundant rocks and minerals found there.

THE ROCKHOUND’S HANDBOOK by James R. Mitchell is a popular reference guide for rockhounds and collectors of rocks, minerals and fossils. This handy book includes sections on basic geology and mineral formation; how to find and identify minerals; field tools and techniques; finding gold and other heavy minerals; fossil formation and collecting; the legal aspects of collecting; specimen preparation and display; and the basics of lapidary and jewelry making. Illustrated throughout with photos, diagrams and charts, this book features an extensive glossary, lists of government agencies and museums, and much more. THE ROCKHOUND’S HANDBOOK is an indispensable how-to guide for beginners, as well as a handy reference guide for experienced rockhounds.

$15.95

SUE THE BASTARDS by Billee Shoecraft

Agent Orange is the code name adapted from the color of the orange-striped barrels the chemical was shipped in, for an herbicide and defoliant that was used by the U. S. Military in its Herbicidal Warfare program during the Vietnam War. In 1963, the United States initiated a study on the health effects of Agent Orange that, by 1967, confirmed that the chemical caused cancer, birth defects and other serious health problems. Shortly after serving in Vietnam, veterans began to report various health complications that could be traced to their exposure to Agent Orange. Vietnam veterans and their families, who brought an Agent Orange lawsuit 25 years ago, alleged that the government "is just waiting for us all to die."

On June 8, 1969 Billee Shoecraft was engulfed in a mist of phenoxy herbicide, a chemical found in Agent Orange, being sprayed from a U.S. Forest Service helicopter flying over her home at the base of the Pinal Mountains near Globe, Arizona. In her book, SUE THE BASTARDS, Billee tells the story of what happened from that fateful day in June of 1969, until she slapped the United States Forest Service and 4 herbicide manufacturers with a 4.5 million dollar lawsuit. This is a multi-layered story of laughs and tears; of incredible bureaucratic bungling at all levels of government and industrial circles; of disillusionment, anger and contempt; of whitewashing, cover-ups, alibis, conceit and crass ignorance; and even of a few knights in shining armor.

Billee Shoecraft died of cancer in 1977, but the story of her heroic efforts to get justice, not only for herself, but for all those exposed to the dangerous chemicals found in Agent Orange, lives on in her book, SUE THE BASTARDS.

$19.95

THESE IS MY WORDS by Nancy E. Turner

THESE IS MY WORDS is a classic adventure of one courageous woman’s life and struggles in the Arizona Territories during the late 19th century. This book takes the form of the semi-fictional the diary of Sarah Agnes Prine as she records her experiences in the Arizona Territories from 1881 to 1901. As Sarah travels by wagon across a harsh, unfamiliar frontier, she scrupulously details the family’s trials and tribulations in the prose of an intelligent but uneducated observer. From child, to determined young adult, to loving mother, Sarah shares the turbulent events that mold her personality, and recalls the enduring love of a cavalry officer that gives her strength and purpose.

This moving, exciting and heartfelt American saga was inspired by the author’s own family memoirs. Rich in authentic everyday details and alive with truly unforgettable characters, THESE IS MY WORDS brilliantly brings to life the vanished world of the Arizona Territories.

$14.95

THE OLD IRON ROAD by David Haward Bain

David Bain and his family left their home in Vermont and headed west in search of America's past. From Omaha to San Francisco, they retraced the entire route of the first transcontinental railroad. Following abandoned railroad tracks and the traces of old wagon trails, cruising down back roads and main streets, they discovered the deep, restless, uniquely American spirit of adventure that connects our past to our present.

In THE OLD IRON ROAD: An Epic of Rails, Roads, and the Urge to go West, Bain conjures up the marvelous sense of coming unstuck in time as he lingers in the places that line the old emigrant routes of the railroad. Here one of the greatest of all American stories has found a chronicler truly up to the task of telling it. Bain has managed to portray the genuine heroism along with the brutal dispossession, both the utopian vision and the rampant corruption, as well as the constant battle between technological wonders and the natural elements. Anyone interested in the fabric of the American character will not want to miss this story.

$14.95