Eastland County, Texas - Chapter 5 (2 of 2 so headed), 1904

Ninety-five miles west of Fort Worth the historic little town of Ranger stands. Many, ra'any years ago, before the valleys of Eastland had ever i^elt the thrill and ijar of rumbling cars, or her hills had echoed the shrill cry of an engine, the Indians found and utilized a magnificent rendezvous a few miles east of Ranger, where now the Texas and Pacifle Eailway bridges the deepest canon in Texas. After one of their usual raids the Indians fled to this canon, now so fardous for its rugged beauty, and were followed by the Texas Eangers, than whom no class of men have done more for Texas. These poorly fed and poorly paid guardians of life and property on the frontier drove the Indians on this occa- si on from their lair. On emerging from the deep and ragged gorge the Eangers found themselves in a beautiful, level * valley of richest soil and luxuriant grasses, but did not loiter, as they pushed hard on after the Indians, overtaking them at what is known as "One Hun- dred * Mile Mountain." Here a battle was fought and the victorious Eangers struck tent in the luxurioiis valley, where the Watson Ranch is now situated. The exact date of this battle could not be learned, but it is thought Captain Whiteside, who lost his life in the cyclone at Cisco, was in command of the Rangers.

Twenty-five years ago the valley was dotted with tents. One year later A. J. Sims and a Mr. Griffin formed a partnership and carried a stock of general merchandise in a tent store. Mr. Griffin did a thriving hotel business, also in a tent, prior to forming this partnership. There were tent schools and tent churches. Tom Cooper, brother of one of Rangers' m,ost popular teachers, was the first boy born in the town. A little girl made her advent one day before Tom's arrival. In the Ranger valley some two hundred or three hundred people lived in tents until the railroad came, when houses went up as if by magic. Ranger was built a couple of miles west of where the tent town had had its existence. The oldest settler living in Ranger today is John Bryant, who came in 1881.

Ranger has three good church buildings, Methodist, Baptist and Cumberland Presbyterian, with leagues and young people's societies; a High School, which is correlated with the State University, a phone system and water works, bank, five doctors and the usual number of stores, eating houses, etc.

*"One hundred miles" from where could not be learned, but the mountain stands out clear-cut and runs down into the valley near the railroad.

Dt. C. El. Frost, the oldest resident physician of Ranger, was born in Tennessee. His father, J. B. Frost, fell heir to sixty-two negroes in 1859 arid 1860, but set the,m free at once. As a result of this philanthropy the boy Cyrus had to work out his own destiny. He cut wood for two fireplaces and a stove, fed t'^n horses, twenty cows, a drove of hogs and a flock of sheep for his board, and worked Saturdays for his clothes. He took his literary degree at the Northern Illinois Normal University. He attended the Nashville Medical College, where later at the Missouri Medical College, he gratuated in 1878 with first honors. Mrs. Frost is a daughter of Dr. 0. D. Tankersly of Arkansas.

Dr. Frost located at Ranger in 1892 and has practiced his profession night and day continuously since that time with the most marked success, never having suffered from an accident of any kind, nor had a diagnosis changed. He is a scholarly, scientific, up-to-date physician and surgeon, a consistent. Christian Methodist citizen, and is held in high esteem by the profession and his patrons.