Streets of Corpus Christi
Murphy Givens recounts the histories of various streets in Corpus Christi, telling who lived on them, worked on them and what were the businesses and residences that gave life to the streets. This volume provides many photographs from different eras and locations on each street. Givens has chosen photographs that most people have never seen to illustrate each street. Many were taken by Doc Frederick McGregor in the 1930s. However, others come from many sources including Karl Swafford postcards and business and family records. They provide a visual history of Corpus Christi showing bygone scenes.
Great Tales From the History of South Texas
The history of the Old West has deep roots in South Texas where the Wild Horse Desert was a lawless land controlled by no authority. This western region of South Texas, from San Antonio to Corpus Christi, stretching west and south to the Rio Grande, was the birthplace of the big cattle ranches, the cattle barons, rustlers, hide thieves, outlaws, and bad men operating on both sides of the border. Murphy Givens brings the stories of the Old West to life in “Great Tales From the History of South Texas”
Corpus Christi – A History
Corpus Christi – A History documents the stories of the people who strove to make South Texas their home. Adventurers, outlaws, settlers, cowboys, ranchers and entrepreneurs from the United States, Europe and Mexico all came to the Coastal Bend of Texas, struggling against nature and their fellow man to make their homes and livelihoods. Corpus Christi nearly disappeared during two wars, but grew and prospered in another. In this account, the tales of its growth are combined with the stories of its residents to reveal the intriguing history of the city and South Texas. Included are the contributions of Henry L. Kinney, Zachary Taylor, Richard King, Mifflin Kenedy, Uriah Lott, Ben Garza and Roy Miller. All left their indelible mark on South Texas.
Columns IV 2016-2018
South Texas has a long and interesting history from the time it was first explored by Cabeza de Vaca in 1528 to LaSalle in 1685 through the Texas Revolution, Mexican War, cattle drives after the Civil War to the present day. Much of the work centers on Corpus Christi, but as the dominant settlement in the area, it also covers the history of all of southern Texas. Since 1998, Murphy Givens has been documenting this history in a weekly column in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times newspaper. Columns IV is a collection of 122 of those columns from 2016 through Murphy’s retirement in May 2018. Almost every column is four pages long and includes a photograph or illustration.
Columns III 2014-2015
The Corpus Christi Caller-Times each week features a column on South Texas history by Murphy Givens. These articles on people, places and events of years gone by are eagerly awaited each Wednesday. Columns III is the third compilation of such articles, with columns from 2014 and 2015 included in this volume. They tell of adventurers, outlaws, settlers, cowboys, ranchers and pioneers who came to the Coastal Bend of Texas, struggling against nature and their fellow man to make their homes and livelihoods. This collection of 102 newspaper columns includes 164 photographs and maps, source notes and a full index.
Columns II 2012-2013
Murphy Givens’ historical articles in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times are collected by many readers. This volume, Columns II, is compiled from more than 100 columns published in 2012 and 2013. They are about the pioneers and settlers who tamed the wild land and made South Texas their home. They were adventurers, outlaws, cowboys, ranchers and entrepreneurs, from all over the United States, Europe and Mexico. They lived in dangerous times and left a lasting legacy. This second book of Givens’ collected newspaper columns includes 193 photographs and maps, source notes and a full index.
