Girl staters in Texas will never forget her. Francis Goff is an important lady in Texas history because she had three wonderful careers. First, she worked as a legislative aide and State Budget Director. Then, she put in countless years at the famous M.. D. Anderson Cancer Center as special assistant to its founder Dr. R. Lee Clark. Finally, she served for decades as the director of Bluebonnet Girl's State where thousands of Texas high school girls got their first glimpse of real politics. Francis Goff is a Texas legend who was friend to George Bush, Barbara Jordan, and Lyndon Johnson. This book has some wonderful photos and includes a forward by Ann Richards.

The author relies on Austin's newspaper (no longer in print) called the Reese River Reveille to describe what every day life in Austin was like, from its founding in the 1860s to about the 1950s. Most of the book focuses on the 1860s, when Austin was founded as a mining town. The book then discusses its growth and development, the struggles of its inhabitants in an isolated location, and the hopes for Austin's own "place in the sun" as a premier western town.

The book is easy to read and very enjoyable. Having spent about a month in Austin this summer, I was pleasantly surprised to find this book in my college's library. Recommended for anyone interested in frontier history.