The Texas Rangers: Wearing the Cinco Peso, 1821-1900

Austin writer-historian Mike Cox explores the origin and rise of the famed Texas Rangers. Starting in 1821 with just a handful of men, the Rangers' first purpose was to keep settlers safe from the feared and gruesome Karankawa Indians, a cannibalistic tribe that wanderd the Texas territory. As the influx of settlers grew, the attacks increased, and it became clear that a larger, better trained force was necessary. Taking readers through the major social and political movements of the Texas territory and into its statehood, Cox shows how the Rangers were a defining force in the stabilization and the creation of Texas. From Stephen Austin in the early days through the Civil War, the first eighty years of the Texas Rangers were nothing less than phenomenal, and the efforts put forth in those days set the foundation for the Texas Rangers who keep Texas safe today.

Customer Reviews:

Texas Rangers Vol. l

By Wayne R. Klatt "knowitall" - January 22, 2010

Mike Cox was in an excellent position to research the history of the Texas Rangers, and his anecdiotal account is a joy to read. He tells his stories vividly but without embellishing, and one is sorry to reach the end. Texas in the period this volume covers seems like another world, but he notes how the success of the informaly organized rangers impeded the development of the state and county police, so that the law men had a lot in common with the law breakers they rode after.

Propaganda? I don't think so.

By A Customer - March 10, 1998

The author makes the point of view of the book clear from the intro. This book contains Ranger stories, Ranger myth. And clearly it is intended to be enjoyed, and shared, by readers of all ages as myth. Though its stories are based on actual events, the book is not, nor does it pretend to be a serious, scholarly work. I admit that the book has innocence and idealization that the Rangers themselves certainly don't possess. But who cares? This is a romp, and the author is honest about his intensions from the beginning.