Texas Ranger Tales: Stories That Need Telling

by Mike Cox

They were men who could not be stampeded, said the late Colonel Homer Garrison Jr. of the men who wore the badge of the Texas Rangers. Colonist Stephen F. Austin, during the earliest days of Anglo settlement in Texas, wrote that he would employ 10 men to act as 'rangers' for the common defense... and thus, the famous Texas Rangers came into being.

An important part of Texas history, these few good men were distinguished, unique even among themselves, and soon, even mythical. The myths and traditions surrounding the Rangers have endured and evolved. Today the Texas Rangers are among the most respected law enforcement agencies in the world.

Samuel Walker's last fight
"Legs" Lewis loses a king-dom
Ropin' the bear was the easy part
"He said rangerin' was a easy life"
"Pass the coyote, please!"
Fight at the Haunted Lake
Corporal Wilson's ride
Killing of "Caige" Grimes
Ranger, Texas
O. Henry and Lee Hall
Ranger Oden's diary
Did a Ranger kill A.J. Royal?
Zane Grey and the Texas Rangers
Zane Grey and the Rangers II: Joe Sitters
Iron Gray's last ride
Readin' ranger
"Days of our boyhood"
Old Monk and other ranger mules
Three hours in the Rangers
Battle of Borger
Rx for keeping the peace: Laxatives and a .45
Tom Mix: Famous Ranger who wasn't
"I asked for B.M. Gault"
"Pappy" Davenport invented phone raids
Lone Wolf versus the Phantom Killer
Story of the Silver Star
Rangers make 'em die laughing

Genres: History, Nonfiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

I am the author of 15 nonfiction books, the most recent being "Time of the Rangers" (New York: Forge Books, 2009), the second of my two-volume history of the Texas Rangers. Also just out is "Historic Photos of Texas Oil," (Nashville: Turner Publishing), a coffeetable book containing some 200 vintage photos from the oil patch. My other books include a study of Texas disasters, three other books on the Texas Rangers, one true crime story, a biography, a memoir and three local histories, as well as numerous magazine articles, essays and introductions for other books. I have been an elected member of the Texas Institute of Letters since 1993.

My byline regularly appears in a number of national and statewide magazines and I have been an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly 20 years, most of that time with the Austin American-Statesman.

Reviews

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author was the Chief of Media Relations for the Texas Department of Public Safety for many years. The DPS has oversight responsibility for the Texas Rangers. This is a group of true short stories about Texas Rangers down through the years and written in chronological order. It is a history but doesn't read like one. It's a good one.

[Mustang USMC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories told by actual frontiersmen and worthy of a reader's time. It is only that the writing style (back then) is difficult for modern readers so it was a slug-fest getting through the book. Never-the-less, Mike Cox does a great service to our Texas history by putting these stories together in book form. I would like to see him do a project on Sul Ross ... now THERE was a heck of a Texan.

[Hugh Cook · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a Texan, and as a descendant of a famous Ranger, I was drawn to this book and it’s stories. Some of the stories were familiar, some not, but all were presented in an engaging voice. It’s a complicated history, somewhat whitewashed, but required if you want to understand this great state.

[kiwi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not read all of the story (had to return it to the library), but the stories I read where quiet interesting. The Texas rangers have a reputation, but they weren't really paid well in the earlier times

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent cowboy read

[Greg Pettit · Rating 2 out of 5]

In the introduction to the book, the author states that there are many famous tales of the Texas Rangers but he wanted to focus on the lesser known stories. Unfortunately, the reason most of these are unknown is because they aren't very interesting. I appreciate the research done, and the author has a clear love of his subject matter, but I was never engaged by the book.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an interesting smattering of stories about lesser known Texas Rangers including one who has a horned toad wearing a red ribbon as a companion. The O. Henry story of "Jimmy Hayes and Muriel" is the highlight of the compilation of Ranger stories.

[Kaleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of really good true stories of Texas Rangers, not even the big famous stories.