Includes bibliographical references (p. 346-360) and index.

Machine generated contents note: I. The Tradition Established: Jack Hays and Walker Creek -- 2. The Tradition Evolves: Indians -- 3. The Tradition Evolves: Mexicans -- 4. The Tradition Nationalized: War with Mexico -- 5. "Give Us Rangers in Texas" -- 6. Last Days of the Old Lion: Mexicans and Indians -- 7. Chaos in Frontier Defense, I86I-I874 -- 8. Institutionalizing the Rangers, I874 -- 9. McNelly and Hall: Border Adventures -- IO. The Adventures of Major Jones -- II. The El Paso Salt War -- I2. "That Far Wild Country": The Trans-Pecos and -- the Panhandle -- I3. The King Era: I88I-I89I -- I4. The Four Captains -- I5. End of an Era -- I6. A Summing Up -- Abbreviations -- Notes -- Sources -- Index -- MAPS -- Texas in I9oo -- The Indian Frontier of the Republic of Texas, I836-I845 -- The Mexican Frontier of the Republic of Texas, I836-I845 -- Taylor's Operations in Northern Mexico, I846-I847 -- Battle of Monterey, September 20-24, I846 -- Theater of Hays's Antiguerrilla Operations, i847-I848 -- The Military Frontier in the I85os -- The Cortina Troubles, I859-I860 -- West Texas in I889 -- The Texas Panhandle in the I89os -- South Texas in I887 -- Illustrations follow pages II4 and 242..