This image is the cover for the book San Angelo and Arthur Stilwell's Dream of Steam, Transportation

San Angelo and Arthur Stilwell's Dream of Steam, Transportation

The Story of the Railroad Visionary Who Put San Angelo on the Map. Over 100 years ago, Arthur Stilwell built 2,300 miles of railroad, founded 40 cities, and added $1 billion to the US economy. He was a visionary. He was controversial. He picked San Angelo for a main depot on his Kansas City, Mexico and Orient railway line. But he hadn't counted on the Mexican Revolution and challenging characters like the revolutionista general, Pancho Villa. Meanwhile, San Angelo wrestled with neighboring Texas town Sweetwater for the right to host the depot. Dr. Linda Thorsen Bond sorted through scores of sources to piece together the fascinating fragments of Stilwell's dream of steam.

Linda Bond

Dr. Linda Thorsen Bond pieced together myriad sources to tell the story of Stilwell's dream of steam and how it slipped through his fingers. She has written and produced twenty-one historical plays, including 2022's Arthur Stilwell's Dream of Steam , and won two national Telly Awards for television documentaries. She has written for publications including Wild West, Western Art & Architecture, Australian Woman's Day, Texas Monthly, Texas Highways , five different Colorado magazines and more. Her PhD is from Texas A&M, her MA is from University Texas Permian Basin and her BA is from Texas Tech. She taught for twelve years at Stephen F. Austin State University in the Department of Mass Communication. Her historical novel, Saving the Oldest Town in Texas , was published by SFA Press. San Angelo A to Z: A Young Reader's Guide was published by ACU Press.

The History Press