Gamblers & Gangsters: Fort Worth's Jacksboro Highway in the 1940s & 1950s

Ann Arnold does a good job of preserving some of the rapidly disappearing history of the threshold that lies to the west of the "Gateway to the West." Gamblers and Gangsters presents a broad, topical history of the route known as the Jacksboro Highway which links downtown Ft Worth to the unique land and history that spans the western section of North Texas. With origins spanning back to the much storied, and much more celebrated, "Hell's Half Acre" Gamblers and Gangsters picks up the story of Fort Worth where the gamblers, gamers, shiners, sinners, hookers and hot-pillow joints were pushed out of view from down town Ft Worth and left to congregate around a strip of black top leading through the edges of what had been Comanche territory just over a century previous.Just like the grand jury that turned the tide against corruption in City Hall and undercut the powerful forces that made the "wild, West side" stay so viable for so many years, time has done its own handiwork to eliminate any trace of the illegal card games, the car bombings and the other sundry crimes of vice that once ruled supreme here. With the exception of a few rusted signs, a few disguised buildings, and the fading memories of an aged population there is precious little left to mark this colorful chapter in Ft Worth's history.

Great, if one has a Fort Worth connection as I do, having been born there in 1936 and and having lived there until 1948. If the reader has no such connection, it will likely be of marginal interest as it chronicles all the murders and crime along the Jacksboro Highway on the north side of town. As a kid, I grew up in River Oaks near Lake Worth and recognized many of the beer joints as well as some of the politicians I had heard of as a grade school child.Bottom line: If you have a Forth Worth connection, preferably in the 1940s and 1950s, then you'll like it, otherwise it's not a particularly riveting literary work.

I think this book is amazing! It is very well put together. I would love to see the author do a book about Top o’the Hill.Crossing my fingers!

I loved this book. My new novel, Texas Poker Wisdom, has stories about Benny Binion on the gambling wars of Dallas and Ft. Worth. I knew Benny Binion. The world that Ms. Archer describes so very well might come as a surprise to your ordinary folks. This is one fantastic read. Everyone will enjoy it. I write about gambling and am working on an article about Benny Binion's great promotions. One promotion from this book was to have a sign on a pet burro that said follow me to this Mexican restaurant/crap game. They would let the burro loose in a different part of Ft. Worth each day. It would walk on home, a moving sign.I promise you that you will love this book.Johnny Hughes Texas Poker Wisdom

This book certainly paints a lively and provocative picture of Fort Worth's history. Who knew? I have been reading the book to my father, who has Alzheimer's. He was a young man, living in Fort Worth during that period of time. I've been amazed by the memories and recollections that this book has provoked from him. It has been a delight! I would highly recommend this book to every Fort Worthian and Dallasite, to readers who would be intrigued by a true (and relatively unknown) history of American gangsters and corruption, and to anyone else who has ever driven down Fort Worth's Jacksboro Hwy. It's a fun read.

This was a very interesting book about the Jacksboro Hwy area of Fort Worth. My dad walked a beat at that time and knows a lot of characters mentioned in the book so I bought this for him for Father's day. He loved it so much he bought 3 more copies for his friends to read. I myself found out about the book from my mother in law who loves history stories. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to catch up on history in Fort Worth

Enjoyed reviving the memories of the 40,s & 50,s. Living in Fort Worth you were never far from the daily events and the " Fort Worth Press " news Paper filled in all he details. Bars,Clubs and Pool halls were very active venues. After reading the book, I wanted more ! There is a lot more out there it just needs to be written.

Having grown up in Fort Worth, I just love Fort Worth history. I worked downtown for 33 years, went to high school here and really love visiting the stockyards on every visit.