J. Evetts Haley was a noted historian, writer, and public figure in Texas during the early 20th century. Born in Belton in Bell County, he grew up in Midland, where he worked on area ranches and competed in rodeos. He attended Midland College and West Texas Normal College in Canyon, earning a degree in history, and received his master's degree from the University of Texas in Austin in 1926, focusing on post-Civil War Texas cattle trails. In 1925, he became the first field secretary of the Panhandle-Plains Historical Society and Museum in Canyon. There he interviewed ranchers and farmers about old trail drives and the early development of the cattle industry in west Texas, and he collected artifacts and documents from early ranches and pioneers that were installed in numerous museums and collections throughout the region. A prolific author, he wrote articles and many acclaimed books on the lives and times of early west Texas, especially Charles Goodnight and the XIT Ranch. He was also an original member of the Texas State Historical Survey Committee, now the Texas Historical Commission. Over his life he received many honors, including induction into the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and Western Heritage Center in 1990 and the Heritage Hall of Fame at the State Fair of Texas in 1994. His library and personal papers became the initial collection of the Haley Memorial Library and History Center in Midland. He died in Midland and was buried in Moffat Cemetery in Bell County.