Waco (TX) (Images of America)

Founded in 1849, Waco is located near an ancient spring on the banks of the Brazos River and has often been a city of contrasts. It has been home to Native Americans and a place of new beginnings for pioneers. It has produced a Texas governor named Coke and a soft drink called Dr Pepper. Waco boasts the first suspension bridge across the Brazos River and the first skyscraper in Texas—the 22-story ALICO Building. It is home to the largest Baptist university in the world and once had one of the largest legal “red light” districts in the country. The city found itself in the middle of an 1896 “Crash at Crush” marketing gimmick that drew national attention and was later the site of a World War I airfield. And for more than 150 years, Waco’s defining moments have been documented in photographs.