Caddo History – Recommended Reading and Links

Books

Burrough Bryan. The Big Rich: The Rise and Fall of the greatest Texas Oil Fortunes. Penguin Books, CITY 2009

Bush, George, W. Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants. Crown Publishing, New York, New, York. 2021
Our former President began painting after his retirement from public office. What he has created is a wonderful tribute to those who were not born in this country but chose it. Some came from incredibly difficult situations in their native countries and have overcome great adversity to become Americans. President Bush’s product is an amazing testimony from a grateful American.

Campbell, Randolph B. Gone to Texas. Oxford University Press. New York, New York. Third Edition, 2018.
I read this book in fits and starts. Campbell writes the history from a geographical perspective and fairly describes all groups of people who chose to inhabit what are now the boundaries of Texas. This edition is up-to-date.

 Carlson, Laurie. More Than Moccasins. Chicago Review Press, Chicago, Illinois. 1994

Carter, Cecile Elkins. Caddo Indians: Where We Come From. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, Oklahoma. 1995.
I found this book written in a way that explained the prehistoric record in archeology and the historic record in written records. The author has a Caddoan ancestry and used stories of real people to explain Caddoan traditions and their trying to understand European traditions. Carter gives great detail written in such an engaging way that the book is difficult to put down. Highly recommended for personal development and use in the high school classroom.

Cochran, John M. Dallas County. Service Publishing Company, Dallas Texas, 1928
This rather personal volume was commissioned by the Dallas Historical Society by the author who had personal ties to the people and events described in the book. It is racist and placating to white settlers in Dallas County. Cochran does a fair job describing the work the people put into the infrastructure of commerce, transportation, and education. Accessed at the Texas Collection, Baylor University.

Davis, Lucile. The Caddo of Texas: The Library of Native Americans. The Rosen Publishing Group, New York, New York. 2003.
Small children’s picture book

Graves, John. Hard Scrabble. University of Texas Press, Austin, Texas, 2016.
Originally published in 1974 by Alfred Knopf, New York. Texas Classic. Hard work, stubborn nature, unwilling to change course, beat the odds for success. Graves describes his development of a ranch in small Somervell, County. He gets advice from friends but continues to learn things the hard way. Graves lived at the ranch until his death in 2013.

 _____Goodbye to a River. 1960.

Gwynne, S.C. Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History.
Great history of another Native People in North Texas. Although I choose to dive into Caddo culture for this project, the story of the Parkers is iconic Texas history and deserves attention at any grade level.

Kissock, Heathe and Small, Rachel. Caddo: American Indian Art and Culture. Weigl Publishers Inc. New York, New York. 2011.
Small children’s book

Lehman, Katherine, editor. Interacting with History: Teaching with Primary Sources. American Library Association, 2014.

McMurty, Larry. Lonesome Dove. Simon and Schuster. New York, New York. 1985.

Michener, James, A. Texas: A Novel. Dial Press Trade Paperback Edition, New York, New York. 2014
Michener weaves historical facts with his fictional characters into a large panoramic story. Not a Texan, Michener claims to write the book is better to have an outsider viewpoint. The book is hefty, more than 1400 pages. Maybe one to assign to that student who needs more to do and offer a lot of extra credit. It would be a worthwhile assignment!

National Archives Trust Fund Board. Teaching with Documents:1880-1929. ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, California, 2002
NARA developed this series of four books divided into dated portions. It used documents from NARA, has detailed historical perspectives and an activity designed for each object. Helpful if you are using that object but can be adaptable to other assets.

Perttula, Timothy K. The Caddo Nation: Archaeological and Ethnohistoric Perspectives. University of Texas Press, 1992.
Academic work that could be used as an archaeological reference for high school students. Maps pp. 34-35, 48. Population chart p. 86, 167. Perttula has great data that has been used by other authors such as Carter (see above).

Smith, F. Todd. The Caddo Indians: Tribes at the Convergence of Empires 1542-1854. Texas A&M University, Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students, no 56. College Station, Texas. 1995.
Academic work but still a readable text. Explains relationships Caddo had with European explorers, traders and settlers. Great maps.

Texas Monthly, eds. Being Texan: Essays, recipes, and advice for the Lone Star Way of Life. New York, NY: Harper Wave, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, 2021.
This book is a little bit of everything; creative essays, lost stories, tall tales and a whole lot of fun. It is a great resource for initiating topics, great quotes, and finding something unique.

Thomas, Julie. Teaching Primary Source Research Skills to 21^st-Century Learners. Society of American Archivists. Chicago, Illinois, 2024.

Veccia, Susan, H. Uncovering Our History: Teaching with Primary Sources. American Library Association, Chicago, Illinois. 2004.
This book is truly amazing. It has so many tips for using any document-selection, copyright consideration, etc. She reminds us that not everything is digitized and that it never will be given the amount of time it takes for an archivist to prepare things for online access. But more things are added every day. Veccia gives a step-by-step guide to finding and using online primary documents. Great choice for adding to your professional library.

Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture. Dallas, Texas Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture: Exhibition Catalog 2007.
Beautiful, color photos of the exhibits at the former Old Red Museum in Dallas. The building is once again being used as a courthouse, so the exhibits are now immortalized.

Websites

Caddo Mounds History
Texas Historical Commission

Caddo Mounds State Historic Site
Texas Historical Commission