Law on the Last Frontier: Texas Ranger Authur Hill

In a career forged in the saddle on scout duty along the Rio Grande, Arthur Hill witnessed dramatic changes from 1947 to 1974. Whether inspecting brands, deterring smugglers of everything from cattle to candelilla wax, or giving chase on horseback across merciless terrain—often into Mexico—Hill found himself immersed in a world that straddled centuries as well as cultures. Promotion to sergeant of Ranger Company B in 1957 took Hill to Dallas, where he brought his brush-country methods to bear on urban crimes. Yet after only a year, and despite the opportunity for advancement to captain, Hill knew his place and heart were back in the Big Bend, where rampant drug trade was altering his beloved border irrevocably from an existence that had remained the same for hundreds of years. From the Lone Star Steel strike, the KKK, and the "Dixie Mafia” to problems of drug-running and illegal immigration, Arthur Hill’s life as a Texas ranger illuminates present issues as well as the past. I hope to give the reader the chance to ride through the Big Bend with Hill, and hear of the Texas that was and the Texas that emerged on his watch. — S. E. Spinks

In a career forged in the saddle on scout duty along the Rio Grande, Arthur Hill witnessed dramatic changes in his working life as a Texas Ranger from 1947 to 1974. Whether inspecting brands, deterring smugglers of everything from cattle to candle wax, or giving horseback pursuit across unforgiving terrain, often into Mexico, Hill found himself immersed day to day in a world that straddled centuries as well as cultures. Promotion to sergeant of Ranger Company B in 1957 took Hill to Dallas, where he headed the Ranger contingency in the Lone Star Steel Strike and investigated the "Dixie Mafia," KKK, and Dallas/Fort Worth gambling syndicates. Yet he knew his place and his heart were back in the Big Bend, where rampant drug trade was altering the border irrevocably from what had remained the same for hundreds of years. The author pays particular attention to methods and techniques employed by Rangers during that little-documented time. In a career forged in the saddle on scout duty along the Rio Grande, Arthur Hill witnessed dramatic changes in his working life as a Texas Ranger from 1947 to 1974. Whether inspecting brands, deterring smugglers of everything from cattle to candle wax, or giving horseback pursuit across unforgiving terrain, often into Mexico, Hill found himself immersed day to day in a world that straddled centuries as well as cultures. Promotion to sergeant of Ranger Company B in 1957 took Hill to Dallas, where he headed the Ranger contingency in the Lone Star Steel Strike and investigated the "Dixie Mafia," KKK, and Dallas/Fort Worth gambling syndicates. Yet he knew his place and his heart were back in the Big Bend, where rampant drug trade was altering the borderirrevocably from what had remained the same for hundreds of years. The author pays particular attention to methods and techniques employed by Rangers during that little-documented time.

S. E. Spinks has had a lifelong fascination with Texas and Western history. Law on the Last Frontier is the culmination of four years of research in archival collections across the state as well as Hill’s personal papers. An active member of the Former Texas Rangers, she lives with her husband and sons in New Braunfels, Texas.