An 1870s Texas Ranger camp in northeast Eastland County gave the town of Ranger its name. It existed as a farming community until 1917, when an oil well on the McCleskey farm spurred one of the biggest oil booms in the state. Immediate growth and prosperity ensued, and throngs of people rushed to Ranger. The boom was seen as an answer to the oil shortage caused by World War I, and the Texas Highway Commission approved funding for the south loop of SH 1 through multiple locations, including Ranger. By 1924, the existing surface materials of the road were starting to show immense wear and tear from the heavy traffic from the surrounding oil fields. In response to this, funding was obtained to replace the Bankhead Highway’s existing surface with new brick pavers. The Ranger oil boom was fierce but short-lived. The wells were exhausted by the mid-1920s. Stop at the Roaring Ranger Museum to learn more.
Commerce Street Brick Roadway Segments
In the 1920s, Ranger’s unpaved streets were no match for the oil boom that had taken over the city. Brick, though expensive, became the paving material of choice, and luckily the nearby town of Thurber had the best equipped brick plant west of the Mississippi. Thurber brick paved hundreds of miles of Texas highways and streets from Ranger to Galveston.
More Locations in Ranger
Lone Star Chicken and Milner’s Drive-In
2525 Loop 254 (private property)
On the eastern outskirts of town sits the former Lone Star Chicken and associated tourist court, all built in the Rustic style. Across the street, sits the former Milner’s Drive-In and gas station. Sadly, when IH-20 was completed in the 1970s, travelers bypassed these businesses and now they sit vacant, but you can imagine their popularity in the 1930s and 40s .
Theodore Hotel
S. Commerce St.
Across the street from the old railroad depot you’ll find the ca. 1920 Theodore Hotel. Though smaller and less extravagant than the nearby Gholson, the Theodore surely saw its fair share of oil big wigs and laborers during the city’s boom years.
Gholson Hotel
215 W. Main St.
If you were in the oil business in Eastland County in the 1920s, there’s a good chance you would have found yourself at the Gholson Hotel. Built in 1921, the hotel’s lobby and café were the scene of many an oil deal. The renovated hotel is a constant reminder of the rich oil boom period of Ranger.
Willow Park
Pine and W. Main St.
Willow Park is a 1933 municipal park built with funding and labor provided by the National Youth Administration – a New Deal agency. There are a number of Rustic Style rock buildings and a pool at the park, and be sure not to miss the outdoor roller rink.