This is a military history of the settlement of Bandera County. As a cross-section history of the Texas Rangers from the mid-1850s to the early 1880s, the story is mostly of rangers and Indians, but also of soldiers, settlers, lawmen, and outlaws. In the time and region covered, rangers were sometimes called upon to deal with outlaws, but they were generally meant to counter Indian raids. There is some overview history of the settlement of the West Texas Frontier and, perhaps, some genealogical information for area residents.