• Foreword (J. P. Bryan)
• Introduction (Marcia Hatfield Daudistel and Bill Wright)
• Marathon
  • The Utopians: Clyde Curry and Kate Thayer
  • The Book Man of Marathon: Adam Muhlig
  • The Cowboy and the Au Pair: Ike and Sue Roberts
• Big Bend National Park
  • The Long Trail to the Park: Mike Boren
• Terlingua and Study Butte
  • Living in Simplicity: Dick and Bonnie Cain
  • Dreams Come True: India and William Wilson
  • Directing the Mental Health Clinic on the Porch: “Dr. Doug” Blackmon
  • A Life in the Cretaceous: Ken Barnes
  • The Healing Place: Robert and Elizabeth Hill
• Redford
  • The Fervent Philosopher: Enrique Madrid
  • The Missionary Poet: Melvin Walker La Follette
• Presidio
  • A Proud Legacy: Delfina Franco Anderson
  • The Family Store: Edmundo and Mario Nieto
• Alpine
  • The Scotsman: Jim Glendinning
  • The Defender: Elizabeth Rogers
  • The Dean and the Dream: Jim Case
  • A Native Heritage: Manuel Payne
  • The Work Ethic: Talgar McCarty
  • An Adventure in Letters: Jean Hardy Pittman
  • The Visionary: George Covington
  • Back to the Future: Victor and Cristina Noriega
• The Javelina Chronicles
• Marfa
  • Home to Stay: Johnny Calderon
  • Benefit for Fort Davis: Johnny and the Cadillacs
  • The Big Apple in the Rearview Mirror: Tom Rapp and Toshi Sakihara
  • Publishing Marfa: Robert Halpern
  • The Chinati Intern Who Stayed: Tim Johnson
  • The Swiss Alps to the Texas Alps: Verena Zbinden
• Valentine
  • Rock-and-Roll Artist: Boyd Elder
  • The Land Stewards: Clay and Jody Miller
  • Mayor for Life: Chuy Calderon
• Balmorhea
  • The Grassroots Historian: Alberto Alvarez
  • The Memory Keeper: Eduardo Alvarez
  • Turkish Dreams: Denise Dobyns
• Limpia Crossing
  • The Great Escape: Residents of Limpia Crossing
  • The Survivor: Ruth Abel
  • The Reluctant Goodbye: Thomas Hobby
• Fort Davis
  • Fleeing the Fire of April 9, 2011: Lucinda Tweedy
  • The Entrepreneurs: Joe and Lanna Duncan
  • The Rambling Boy: Lonn and Dedie Taylor
  • The Snake Man: Buzz Ross
  • One Step from Heaven: Greg and Myra Meads
• Acknowledgments
• Index

Interviews with several dozen residents of the Big Bend offer the most complete, contemporary portrait of life in this remote region where authentic Texans still exemplify the state's independence and community spirit.

By Marcia Hatfield Daudistel and Bill Wright