Ranger

Ranger, Texas
Ranger, on Interstate Highway 20 between Abilene and Fort Worth in northeastern Eastland County, derived its name from the Texas Rangers, who in the 1870s had a camp in a valley about two miles northeast of Ranger on a prong of Palo Pinto Creek. This camp would have been at the south end of the present Hagaman Lake, earlier the Watson Ranch. By 1879 the beautiful valley housed a tent city with tent churches, schools, hotel, and general store, and was known as Ranger Camp Valley. In 1880 the Texas and Pacific Railway Company laid tracks a couple of miles west of the valley. In August 1880 I. G. Searcy deeded 160 hundred and sixty acres to Texas and Pacific Railway Company. The inhabitants of Ranger Camp Valley moved to the railway and established the permanent town of Ranger. On December 27, 1880, James M. Davis was appointed postmaster of the new Ranger post office. Between 1889 and 1904 Ranger grew from a town of 350 with two doctors to 750 with five doctors, a bank, a high school, and a women's literary club. It had become a trade center for Stephens County, an important wheat-producing area to the north.
Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.
Ranger at a Glance
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Currently Exists
Yes
Place type
Ranger is classified as a Town
Associated Names
- [-Camp Valley]
Locations
-
- Latitude
- 32.46932350
- Longitude
- -98.67510100
Has Post Office
Yes
Is Incorporated
Yes
Photos of Ranger and surrounding areas

Ranger, Texas
Historical Lone Star Theater in the City of Ranger. Rangers is located in the northeastern part of Eastland County, Texas. Photograph by Renelibrary.

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Ranger by the Numbers
Population Counts
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Population Counts
Ranger
Pop. | Year | Source |
---|---|---|
1,189 | 2020 | United States Census Bureau |
2,414 | 2019 | Texas Demographic Center |
2,468 | 2010 | United States Census Bureau |
2,584 | 2000 | United States Census Bureau |
2,803 | 1990 | United States Census Bureau |
3,142 | 1980 | United States Census Bureau |
3,094 | 1970 | United States Census Bureau |
3,313 | 1960 | United States Census Bureau |
3,989 | 1950 | United States Census Bureau |
4,553 | 1940 | United States Census Bureau |
6,208 | 1930 | United States Census Bureau |
16,201 | 1920 | United States Census Bureau |