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 and 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 United States, 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
Centennial Oil Boom Parade in 2017
Churches in Ranger
City of Ranger website
Donate in Memory for Ranger
Ghost towns near Ranger
History of Ranger (50 articles) 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
Old Ranger Photos
Recent pictures of Ranger
Historic Ranger Airport
Stranger from Ranger-video