The community of Camp Wood, Texas, is located at the edge of the Nueces River Canyon in an area rich with wild game and sparkling Hill Country streams. Long before the White Man came Indians also favored the area, and evidence of their habitation is still plentiful in flint points, occasional shell beads and other artifacts. An unsuccessful Spanish mission, San Lorenzo de la Santa Cruz, was established by Franciscans here in 1762, and in 1857 a U.S. Army post was founded, from which the community took its name.
The following Texas Sesquicentennial Minute was written and recorded by Jamie Stephens in 1986 when she was an 11 years old elementary school student in Plano, Texas. Her "Minute" was selected from entries submitted to the Plano Independent School District in celebration of Texas' 150th birthday.
| "Hi. Jamie Stephens with a Sesquicentennial Minute.
Texas 150th birthday celebrates the people, their towns, and the Texas ways of life. Camp Wood, Texas is one of those towns. The first settlers near Camp Wood were part of a mission established by the Spanish in 1762. In 1857, the U.S. Army established an outpost called Camp Wood to help protect settlers living in the area from Indians. Later, homesteaders moved to the area and their grandchildren and great grandchildren still live there. Today, Camp Wood, Texas has a growing population of 728, a five store mall, a drug store with a soda fountain serving great floats, and a movie theater with three shows per week. Camp Wood, Texas is what Texas history is all about. |
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Lipan warrior and his wife |
"The Lipan Apaches were an intrusive people in central and south Texas, pushed by the Comanches form their homeland in eastern Colorado and nottheastern New Mexico out onto the High Plains of Texas". - From Digging in to South Texas Prehistory, by Thomas R. Hester
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Mission San Lorenzo de la santa Cruz |
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Mission San Lorenzo de la santa Cruz |
"Camp Wood was on the Nueces River near the site of the present-day town of Camp Wood in far southwestern Real County. It was established as a United States military outpost on May 20, 1857, when it was occupied by Lt. E. D. Philips and a company of the First Infantry assigned to protect the San Antonio-El Paso route and the Rio Grande valley from Indian raids. The camp was located near the ruins of San Lorenzo de la Santa Cruz Mission; its water was supplied by the same spring that had earlier served the mission and that later provided water for the town of Camp Wood. The installation was named for Bvt. Maj. George W. F. Wood.
The camp was temporarily abandoned on October 29, 1857. Lt. John Bell Hood,qv later commander of Hood's Texas Brigade,qv reestablished the post in 1858 with a company of the Second Cavalry and remained until November 1860. The post was abandoned by Union troops in the spring of 1861 and was afterward occupied by Confederate forces. Walter Paye Lane'sqv rangers arrived on June 14, 1861, and W. W. Heartsill,qv a member of this detachment, described its stay in his journals, later published as Fourteen Hundred and 91 Days in the Confederate Army (1876). Edward Dixon Westfall,qv an early settler of Southwest Texas, also lived at Camp Wood during this period, raising cattle and acting as a guide for the Confederates. After the Civil Warqv the site was periodically used by United States troops and Texas Rangers,qv and the influx of settlers began. Jim Hill, who served as a scout for Gen. John Bullis,qv moved to the area with his mother and brothers in 1873. According to local residents, buildings and the camp cemetery, the latter of which continued to be used after the post was abandoned, were still extant at the site in the early twentieth century. The buildings have since disappeared, however, and the headstones from the cemetery were eventually taken up and used to line a flower bed.
John Minton - Handbook of Texas
According to Paul Burrier, a local historian, when the Civil War broke out, the 2nd U.S. Cavalry in Camp Wood was recalled and the fort surrendered to the South. Several of the former cavalrymen resigned and joined the confederacy. John Bell Hood is probably the best known.
The Texas Rangers, the oldest law enforcement body on the North
American Continent with statewide jurisdiction, which are recognized throughout the world
for their accomplishments, maintained a presence in Camp Wood, Texas for many years. The
Texas Ranger Law Enforcement Association provides the following information on the history
of the Texas Rangers:
The history of the Texas Rangers is in a since the history of Texas itself. In 1820, Stephen F. Austin, best known as the father of Texas, requested and received permission from the Mexican government for 300 families to enter the territory of Texas. By 1823, the need became apparent to create a force in order to provide the pioneers with protection from hostile elements.
On August 10, 1823, since Texas was then a part of Mexico, Stephen F. Austin sought and obtained additional permission from the Mexican government to employ ten men, from a group of volunteers, to protect the new Texas frontier. Thus, the history of the Texas Rangers began with duties to "range" over wide areas so as to scout the movements of the renegade Indians. From these ranging activities, the Texas Rangers derived their name.
Original document creating the Texas Rangers
In 1835, the Texas Rangers were formally organized with twenty-five men to form one Ranger Company. The control of the Rangers was placed under the command of the military Commander-in-Chief of the forces of Texas. At that time, the Ranger’s primary concern remained, to protect against hostile Indians but was also structured to protect against outlaws and Mexican bandits. In order to survive Rangers were forced to learn the Indian ways, which included learning, horsemanship equal to the Indians.
The Texas Ranger organization became better established during the period of the Republic of Texas, 1836 to 1846, but the Rangers were not without criticism and underwent movements of abolishment. Rangers were able to survive because the organization was structured in a less expensive manner than that of a regular army. The Rangers did undergo short term of abolishment but were always called back into service. The early years was that of conflict since Texas and Mexico were in constant dispute over territory. The differences finally lead to a war between Texas and Mexico, when Texas joined the Union and became a member of the United States in 1845.
In 1846, General Zachery Taylor formed troops to cross the Rio Grande into Mexico. The Texas Rangers became a part of Taylor's troops and thus, undertook a new dimension. The Rangers became a part of a complete military structure yet, this did not alter their effectiveness. The Rangers gained national prominence for the first time and were considered to be the best troops in the American Army.
For ten years following the end of the war with Mexico, the tasks of protecting the frontier was assumed by United States Army troops. The Rangers saw little service during that period, but in 1861, Texas seceded from the Union leaving the total job of protection once again to the Texas Rangers. The Rangers soon occupied the forts abandoned by the United States troops and readjusted so as to provide protection for the residents of Texas during the Civil War years. When the Civil War ended., the Ranger force was disbanded by the United States Military authorities.
A part of Texas ceased to exist not because of disorganization within the Texas Rangers but because of the historical period of Union control. The frontier was soon to become unsafe when corrupt politicians gained control of the military forces. In 1874, the Texas Legislature, once again controlled by honest and responsible men, passed a bill creating six Ranger companies and a special force of one Ranger Company. The responsibility of the Rangers became two fold; protection against Indians and restoring law and order in Texas.
(excerpted From http://www.texasrangers.org/history.htm)
The Texas Rangers used the old fort at Camp Wood from time to time. It probably was never a permanent station, but no trace of those sites remain, but two historical markers provide details at a spot just north of the city limits on S.H. 55.
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Kent Biffle: Ride through Ranger history cuts mystique 03/19/2000 By Kent Biffle / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News Kent Biffle's Texana AUSTIN - At least one Texan wants to be president. But millions of young Texans want to grow up to be white-hatted, silver-badged Texas Rangers. Never mind that nowadays Rangers rarely engage in Saturday-matinee gunplay or even ride horses. Some Rangers flat dislike horses. I'll get back to that. Still, the mystique of the old order of mounted, fighting Texans remains as distinctive as a bite of a jalapeno that bites back. Not everybody can be a Texas Ranger. See, somebody has to write about them. Writers tell one another that professor Walter Webb's 1935 definitive history, The Texas Rangers, needs Y2K updating. Several critics branded the Webb book, published by UT Press, as too rough on minorities. Mr. Webb died in a 1963 car crash, but the book's still in print. No shortage of historians With his big Rangers history still in the chute, author Robert M. Utley of Williamson County (Billy the Kid: A Short and Violent Life ) counted rival Ranger-writers at an Austin gathering of the Texas State Historical Association: Mike Cox, Harold Weiss, Frederick Wilkins, Charles Robinson, Steve Hardin, Charles Spurlin, Tom Knowles, Ben Proctor, Donaly Brice, Chuck Parsons, et al. "Such formidable competition might have prompted me to seek a less crowded vineyard," Mr. Utley said. "But definitely I am staying in this vineyard to pick my own grapes. "Reasons are several, but most compelling is a contract with Oxford University Press and a bunch of their money I have already spent." Surfing through Ranger history, he said: "Almost all the early Rangers may be labeled 'citizen soldiers.' We can argue over whether the Rangers began in 1823 or 1835. "Stephen F. Austin's 1823 concept of a 'ranging service' never quite crystallized. A codification by the law-making bodies of the Texas Revolution and Republic of Texas makes 1835 a date I am more comfortable with." Rangers prefer the earlier date. Unmentioned motive Mr. Utley is stepping on well-booted toes: "Motives for enlisting in early Ranger units didn't include pay. Although usually promised, it was almost never forthcoming. To protect family and property, to punish the enemy, or the sheer love of adventure afforded motives. But there was one powerful motive almost never mentioned. "That motive was plunder." Indian villages yielded spoils, especially horses, he said, criticizing the incentive for:
Mr. Utley said: "Never, from the Republic [1836-1846] to the end of their era, did the citizen soldiers successfully defend the frontier settlements from Indian incursions. Neither did the U.S. Army." Not until the final conquest of the Indians, years after the time of the citizen-soldier, did frontier settlers feel secure against raids. And false-alarm Indian scares tingled Texan scalps into the 1890s. Nowhere on the American frontier did settlers suffer greater loss of life and property for a longer time - more than 60 years - than on the Texas frontier, Mr. Utley said. As a paid Rangers spokesman, unmotivated by plunder, Mike Cox has one hand in the archival cookie jar and the other on the day-to-day pulse of the force. He has crafted two memorable volumes of Ranger tales for Plano's Republic of Texas Press. Now he's writing his major Ranger opus, Wearin' the Cinco Peso, for Forge, a New York publisher. The title alludes to Ranger badges carved from silver 5-peso coins. He dispels the myth of Rangers shooting first and asking questions later. He revealed that they seldom shoot nowadays except at the range. "Since 1983, I can think of only three cases in which the Rangers have shot and killed someone. In comparison, other Department of Public Safety officers have dispatched dozens of persons in cases where deadly force was the only option. "Of 31 persons killed by DPS officers since Jan. 1, 1994, a Ranger killed only one. And that was a case of 'suicide' by cop." Department of Public Safety officers routinely confront trouble before Rangers arrive. With a population of 20 million, Texas has only 107 Rangers. Fourteen are Mexican-Americans and six are African-Americans. Two Rangers are female: Marrie Garcia, based in San Antonio, and Christina Nix in Waco. Twenty-eight are college graduates, and three have master's degrees, he said. College credit hours average 81. Average age has dipped from 50 in the 1970s to near 40 today. Ranger Sgt. Leo Hickman refuses to retire. He's 73. Get a grip on yourself. Not all Rangers love horses. "Rangers ride helicopters more than horses," said Mr. Cox, the Rangers spokesman. "We may have one or two who don't even know how to ride a horse. "One Ranger who preferred to ride in cars or aircraft was Bill Wilson. As senior Ranger captain in 1977, he told a journalist: 'I don't even like horses. I swore the last time I got off a horse I'd never get on one again.' " Alluding to Ranger integrity displayed in the face of an alleged federal cover-up after the Branch Davidian siege, Mr. Cox said, "I used to tell people that today's Rangers are in effect Texas' version of the FBI. Since events that transpired in 1993 in McLennan County [the Branch Davidian siege and assault], I don't say that anymore." Today's Rangers are detectives. In fiscal 1997-1998, Rangers handled 5,205 investigations that led to 829 felony and 130 misdemeanor arrests. High-profile cases such as the 1997 standoff with the so-called Republic of Texas and the 1999 arrest of serial-murder suspect Angel Maturino Resendiz have kept the Ranger reputation sky-high. San Antonio's Frederick Wilkins, who grew up in Dallas, is completing a four-volume history of the Rangers. His most recent book, the third volume, is an account of the end of an era, The Law Comes to Texas: The Texas Rangers, 1870-1901 (State House Press). He details the story of the fabled Frontier Battalion (1874-1901). Eight Rangers died on the job in the closing decade of the 19th century. At one point as the century turned, the Rangers, strangled by stingy lawmakers, had only 18 effective officers covering the whole state, said Mr. Wilkins, a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel. "As individuals or small detachments were sent on missions, the risks increased," he said. "This was especially true when Rangers acted undercover. "The most striking example occurred in the summer of 1893 when Ranger Private J.W. Woods of Company E was sent to help the sheriff of Menard County investigate cattle thefts. "In July, Woods vanished. There was never any trace of his body, horse or personal gear. Three months' pay due him was never claimed. As late as 1899, the case was still open and unsolved, the pay still unclaimed." Research by Dr. Harold Weiss of Leander in Travis County for a biography of Capt. Bill McDonald determined that the old boast "One riot, one Ranger" didn't come from Capt. McDonald as repeatedly reported. But the captain's motto is accurately preserved. It's carved in stone - his tombstone. When he died of pneumonia in 1918, he was buried in the Hardeman County seat, Quanah, beneath these words: "No man in the wrong can stand up to a fellow that's in the right and keeps on a-comin' " I guess a tombstone wasn't really a fitting place for the famous phrase of praise for old Bill: "He'd charge hell with a bucket of water." Kent Biffle is a regular contributor to Texas & Southwest. He can be e-mailed at hkbiffle@aol.com
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There have been many stories (some even true) about the Texas Rangers
and their activities. However, none is more easily recognized as is that
"masked rider of the plains:"
According to the editor of Lone Star Junction (www.lsjunction.com):
" The Lone Ranger was conceived in the depths of the great depression. The first episode aired on Detroit radio station WXYZ and seven other Michigan affiliates on January 30, 1933. After gaining steadily in popularity among radio listeners for a decade and a half, the first of a 221-episode Lone Ranger TV series was aired on September 15, 1949. The legend of the Lone Ranger is best summarized in the inaugural of this made-for-TV series.
As the episode opened, a wagon train of westbound settlers were attacked by a gang of outlaws. In response, a group of six Texas Rangers decided to go after the gang. After riding for miles, the rangers were ambushed by the outlaws in a canyon. One by one, the rangers were struck down, until it appeared that all were dead. Hours later, after the outlaws had long since skedaddled, one of the rangers regained consciousness. He was found by an Indian who, by chance, had ridden into the canyon.
As the sole survivor of the ambush, the ranger took on the name of the Lone Ranger. Day after day, the Indian (named Tonto) nursed the ranger back to health. When his health was restored, the ranger declared that he was going to devote his life to ridding the west of outlaws. "But I'll need a disguise of some kind," the ranger told Tonto. "I don't want anyone to know who I am." Tonto vowed to help the ranger in his new endeavor, and promptly fashioned a mask to be used by the Lone Ranger.
In the second episode, the Lone Ranger and Tonto tamed a wild horse for use by the ranger. They named it Silver. Among their first of their many deeds in taming the west was to bring the outlaws to justice--a task which they had completed by the end of the second episode.
Although several actors have played the parts of the Lone Ranger and Tonto throughout the radio, TV, and movie serials, the most remembered are Clayton Moore (as the Lone Ranger) and Jay Silverheels (as Tonto). Both are shown in the image above, along with Silver, the Lone Ranger's trusted horse.
The legend of the Lone Ranger served not only as regular entertainment for the youth of the 1930s, 40s, 50s, and beyond, but provided a positive cultural influence. The inspirational Lone Ranger theme song (i.e., Rossini's William Tell Overture) and The Lone Ranger Creed (e.g., "to have a friend, a man must be one," "God put the firewood there but every man must gather and light it himself," "all things change but truth, and truth alone lives on forever," etc.) are but a few examples.
In 1924, Charles Lindbergh dropped in on tiny town Camp Wood, Texas, for a short visit. A record of the crash into a local hardware store was preserved as a Texas Historical Marker in 1975 . Located at the City Park, the marker was the work of many local residents and the Real Historical Survey Committee. At first rejected by the Texas Historical Commission, it was latter approve after the committee of local residents persisted. It was finally approved with the notation, "If we are marking Bonnie and Clyde's visit to Callingsworth County, I suppose we ought to mark this too - I guess I recommend approval."- Bob Watson, Texas Historical Commission. While not a ringing endorsement from the State, it once again proved that a small town can be heard if it has voices like Mrs. Edythe H. Arthur and Mrs. Zac B. Gray singing its praises.
For more information about the history of the Nueces valley, please visit Neil Dalton's site at http://www.angelfire.com/tx3/stone3/index.html and Elton Lacey's history of Real County at http://www.rootsweb.com/~txreal/rehist.htm
Genealogical
information about Edwards Co, TX can be found at http://resources.rootsweb.com/USA/TX/Edwards/
and Uvalde Co., TX at http://resources.rootsweb.com/USA/TX/Uvalde/