Research Topics
The West Texas Collection offers a wealth of information and opportunity for research. Students and Faculty should cross reference the list of topics with Faculty Research interests. The list below is by no means exhaustive, but you should be able to find some key search terms. The list below was compiled by Suzanne Campbell, Head of the West Texas Collection.
| Subject/Key Word | Explanation |
| A.J. Baker | Served as Land Commissioner for the state. Have material on his banking and other interests in San Angelo. |
| Alice Grierson | Have a large number of her letters and a ledger belonging to Robert, a son. |
| Angelo State University | We have a thesis from SWTSU that covers the beginning to 1965. Someone could pick up where this one leaves off. |
| Banking in San Angelo | Several collections that include banking and bankers. |
| Ben Ficklin (the person) | Biographical information |
| Cattle and Ranching Industry | Several good collections for specific ranches as well as ranching in general. |
| Circuit riding preachers. | We have one good collection and there are other items in various collections. |
| Col. W.L. Black and the Cotton Exchange. | We have some material about this in his collection. |
| Concho Valley Outlaws | Have material on Ketchum, Byler, Carver and others. |
| County Fair/Boosters in the Concho Valley | Important social and economic event |
| Diary/Papers of Orlando M. Smith | Was a paymaster at Fort Concho 1860s – 1870s. Collection also includes letters. |
| Dr. Ralph Chase | He was one of the first to use a P.A. in Texas. Have all the information on that. |
| Early Aviation | Have a couple of collections with material |
| Early Medicine. | Have letters and material as does Fort Concho. The newspapers would be a good source as well. Could include advertisements in the newspapers. |
| Early stage stops in the Concho Valley. | Basic information and background. |
| Early supply camps for Fort Concho. | This would include Camp Johnston and others. |
| English noblemen in the Concho Valley. | There was a large number of individuals who were the second and third sons of noblemen who came to West Texas. |
| Environmental changes in the area. | We have a number of letters and diaries that describe the flora and fauna of the Concho Valley. |
| Eva Camunez Tucker | Local philanthropist, etc. Professor Duarte currently researching. |
| Fence Cutting | Have some court cases and other material on fence cutting in this area |
| Flora and Fauna | Have information on both in several collections. Diaries and letters are both good for this topic. |
| Fred Gipson and Tommie Gipson | North The author of Old Yeller. We have materials from Gipson collected by Mike Cox and are picking up Tommie’s papers. |
| Geology in West Texas | Have several large collections of material on water, geology and caves in Texas. |
| Granvile Sherwood | He is included in a number of land suits and other things. I would imagine Texas State Archives has a good bit about him. |
| History of some of the small bases in West Texas during WWII. | There were bases located throughout the area; most were Army Air Corps. |
| History of the Livestock Weekly | Have the paper on microfilm; Elmer Kelton worked there. |
| Horace Capron | Capron was an Indian agent in Texas. We have found some information about him. State Archives and other places should have material. |
| Houston Harte and Standard-Times | Have the Harte Collection. Some information about the AP, other newspapers around the country, the anti-trust suit involving Harte and politics. |
| Impact of R/UDAT on the revitalization of San Angelo. | We have a small amount of their material, but there are numerous individuals to interview. |
| Impact of the Railroads in West Texas. | The economic impact could be examined as well as the impact on the towns that survived and those that were passed by. |
| Kansas City, Orient & Mexico Railroad | Have a very large collection on the KCM&O. San Angelo was the Texas headquarters for the RR. |
| Lt. Chadbourne | Have a number of his letters and other items belonging to Chadbourne. |
| Manilla Diary/WWII | This was kept by a native of Manilla during the Japanese occupation. Primarily deals with the police force. In Dr. Duke’s Collection. He did some editing but not much. |
| Mapping activities of 955th topographic engineers | Have some information and a person who was there |
| McAlister Diary | We have a hand written copy of the original diary in Dr. Duke’s collection. Cunningham was convicted of killing a man in Paint Rock, 1886. He was apparently well educated and recorded this thoughts while in the Paint Rock jail. |
| Mexican Revolutionary | Money Have quite a bit of information and have some really good resources. |
| Mims Family. | Ranchers in the Water Valley area. We have some of their material but they have relatives in the area. |
| Mining in West Texas | Have at least 2 collections with material on mining ventures in far West Texas |
| Minorities in court records | Minorities could be expanded beyond court cases. Could use court records. There were a number of Hispanic businesses as well as a few Chinese and some black businesses here early. |
| Noe Camunez | Have quite a bit on him and his work in education. |
| Noelke Family | Using Elizabeth Howard, W.M.’s collection and other resources. |
| Nurses in WWII | Have an unbelievable collection of material from a woman who was a nurse in the war. |
| Oil Industry. | This could take on many different aspects of research. We have some material. |
| Ostrander & Loomis Ranch. | Was located in Concho County. John Loomis wrote his memoirs. Ostrander and family left quickly. Some debate over this. We have photos and other material. |
| Prohibition in San Angelo | Would have to get most from the newspapers but would be interesting. |
| Rev. A.E. Rector | Was a circuit riding preacher who lived here for some time. Have letters that cover a number of years |
| Rob Junell | Still working on the collection |
| Robert Carr | Have two collections plus the University Archives as resources. |
| Sam Lewis | Just received. We hope to have some additional information coming later. |
| San Angelo Army Air Field/Mathis Field | Have microfilm from the military and numerous other items including blueprints and photographs. |
| San Angelo Mine in Oaxaca, Mexico | Letters, grants and other material regarding the mining venture. |
| Seabees in WWII | Have a great collection on the people and their work in the Pacific |
| Sheep and goat industry | Several different collections have material |
| Social and Cultural Organizations in San Angelo. | These could include the Turn Verin, Caledonian Club, etc. Newspaper is full of information. |
| Social history of TGC through court cases | The civil as well as criminal and civil cases would be good to use. For instance, of the first 15 civil cases in TGC, 14 were for divorce. |
| Spanish American War | Have a collection from the Cox family in Mertzon from a relative stationed in the Philippines during the war. |
| Stage Coaches and Stage Robberies | Some wonderful stories in the newspapers. |
| Temple Houston (Sam Houston’s youngest son) | Judge Swaim was asked by the Houston family to write a book on Temple Houston, but he never got it done. We have original letters etc. |
| The County Seat Fight in TGC | Interesting information about the location of the county seat and the flood. |
| The History of the Sanitarium | Have a number of collections that have material |
| The Kurtz Family in San Angelo | The Kurtz and Cohen families immigrated to San Angelo from Russia and opened businesses. They were Jewish and active in the synagogue here. |
| The Role of Fort Chadbourne | Have some material about the fort. Students could also contact Garland Richards for additional information. |
| The Soldier’s Riot, 1881 | Have the court case where Thomas McCarthy was tried for the murder. Also have another couple of letters giving the side of the Texas Rangers |
| Theodore Herring | Postmaster in San Angelo during the 1930s-1950s. Have his collection. Could include postal history. |
| Thomas Tobey, Winslow-Black collection | Helped finance the Texas Revolution |
| Tie between Galveston and San Angelo | Great deal of information in the local newspapers |
| Tweedy family | Tons of great information. Early Tom Green County; a sister of the one who came here was a friend of Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning (we have her diaries from Europe); another relative owned Secretariat (have a scrapbook) |
| Ulmer Bird in WWII | Served as a chaplain in the war. Has everything he received…letters, orders, material and photographs. |
| Violence, saloons, prostitution in early court records | We have courthouse records and court cases. Lots of good information about this. |
| W.D. Smithers | Have a large number of letters between Smithers and the Meadors |
| William Anson | Have a fair amount of information about him. |
| William McKendree Gwin. | First Senator from California. wanted to start a slave state in Mexico. Judge Swaim collected a large amount of material about him. |
| Women | Several good things on women from different eras of time. |
| Women at Fort Concho | Would take some digging but would be worth it. Could include the laundresses as well as the wives of the enlisted men and those of the officers. |
| Wool Warehouse System. | Since this concept was started here, there should be some good information. We have some. |
| WPA in Tom Green County | Have government microfilm and articles |
