Turning Points in El Paso, Texas

This book describes the primordial beginnings of the Rio Grande to the evolution of the international gateway called El Paso. During the city's moments of crisis , and achievement, its "turning points" are all succinctly told-the coming of the military, the Civil War in the West, the violence of the gunfighters, the shady ladies, and boundary disputes. Metz is a sought after lecturer on gunfighters of the Southwest, and, in 1985, he was honored by the Western Writers of America with the Saddleman Award for his overall contributions to western writing.

Metz does a great job of telling the history of the city. He is an effective writer and knows how to hold the reader's interest. He is good at making sure that each of the ethnic groups within the city are represented and their migration explained. Clarity is certainly one of his strong suits. If you want to know more about the city, this 125-pager is a great place to start.