Along the picturesque shores of the Colorado River lies historic Hudson Bend. Established by Wiley Hudson in the 1850s, the verdant hills and abundant water attracted scores of farming families. Hudson's example was soon followed by still more settlers, who created their own thriving communities in the area. Discover the evolution of this cherished region and the courageous people who shaped it, from the Comanche tribes and Anglo settlers to the developers, cedar choppers" and construction workers who forged the lake in 1937. Author and hill country native Carole McIntosh Sikes offers a collection of essays that explores a history forever linked with hill country culture, New Deal-era programs and Texas politics."

Carole McIntosh Sikes is a native of Austin, professional artist and former teacher. She is recognized in the Archives of Women of the Southwest in the DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. Writing projects include In Hudson Bend"? columns for the Lake Travis View, and two books, "Fairy Tales Are Real" and "Growing up in Austin."