They Rode for the Lone Star: The Saga of the Texas Rangers, Vol. 1 Book

This trade paperback re-release of the first volume in the critically acclaimed, lavishly illustrated Texas Ranger series follows the history of the legendary lawmen from their earliest days to the end of the Civil War. In 1998, The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and museum authorized the original hardcover edition as the official commemorative history for the 175th anniversary of the founding of the Texas Rangers.

The History Net - Wes Stock

Byron A. Johnson, director of the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco, Texas, writes in a pre-foreword note that his organization endorses this book as "the official history for the 175th anniversary of the Texas Rangers." That anniversary was actually celebrated in 1998, based on Stephen F. Austin's proposal in 1823 to use 10 mounted riders as "rangers." But the Texas Ranger story is one worth considering any year. Author Knowles covers the birth of the Rangers through the Texas Rangers of the Confederacy in this fully illustrated volume. Famous Rangers such as Samuel Walker, "Rip" Ford, Benjamin McCulloch, Noah Smithwick and Jack Hays all make appearances here. 'In defeat as well as in victory,' Knowles writes in his chapter 'Defenders of the Lone Star,' 'the Rangers had proved themselves as worthy foes to the Comanche and the Mexicans.' During the Mexican War, many Rangers were eager to fight an old enemy, and they continued to fight Indians on the Texas frontier afterward.'