RANGER, TEXAS - located between Abilene
and Fort Worth just off Interstate 20 in Eastland
County. The oil boom that won a war didn't last
long, but it left a lasting impression on Ranger.
To this day, Ranger remains famous for its oil
boom. The city swelled to 30,000 people because
of oil. Wealth from oil paid for its buildings
and brick streets. On the other hand, some of
Ranger's problems today can be traced to oil.
Most of the wealth and people ran out after the
boom, and many of the projects built during the
boom have worn out over the years.
Ranger was the fastest-growing, highest-rolling
town in West Texas. The oil boom transformed a
quiet, drought-stricken town into a rowdy, fortune-
seeking free-for-all. The boom came at a time
when the industrial world was depending more and
more on oil, and supplies weren't keeping up with
the demand. Fueling the new fighting machines on
the battlefields of World War I placed an added
urgency on the need for oil. The price per barrel
was high when the McCleskey well blew in Oct. 17,
1917, near Ranger.
During the early 20s, Ranger was the largest city
between Ft. Worth & El Paso; there was a population
of fifty thousand within five miles and of one
hundred thousand within thirty miles of the city
limits. It had two railroads and during the year
1919 there was more freight unloaded by the T&P
Railroad at the City of Ranger than in any other
city upon its line including the larger stations
of New Orleans, Ft. Worth and Dallas. The City
of Ranger had in operation 29 oil companies, which
includes headquarters for 9 of the largest companies
in the U.S., five refining companies, 13 lumber
companies, 45 hotels, 28 restaurants, 43 groceries,
nine drug stores, and six picture shows.
The oil boom's most significant, longest-lasting
contribution may be Ranger itself. A year and a
half after the boom, on April 24, 1919, the city
was incorporated. "No stranger in Ranger"
Accommodations in Ranger area
Attractions in Ranger
Cemeteries in & around Ranger
Churches in Ranger
City of Ranger website
Donate in Memory for Ranger
Ghost towns near Ranger
History of Ranger by Alfred Rogers
Journey Back to Busy Downtown Ranger
Old movie theaters in Ranger
Map of Ranger
Mayors of Ranger
Nearby towns to Ranger
Old businesses in Ranger
Old maps of Ranger 1 2 3
Historic Ranger Airport
Stranger from Ranger-video