RANGER CANYON. Ranger Canyon begins a half mile south of Ranger Peak and five miles southwest of Alpine in northwestern Brewster County (at 30°16' N, 103°43' W) and runs three miles northeast to its mouth (at 30°19' N, 103°42' W) a mile southeast of the Twin Peaks and three miles southwest of Alpine. Alpine Creek, an intermittent stream, rises in Ranger Canyon and runs through Alpine, across northern Brewster County, and into Pecos County. The local terrain is rugged, with shallow stony soils that support live oak, piñon pine, juniper, and grasses. The canyon was named in 1880, when Texas Rangersqv under Capt. Charles L. Nevill camped there while guarding the laborers building the Southern Pacific line. On August 28, 1892, a heavy downpour in Ranger Canyon caused Alpine Creek to flood in Alpine, washing out a portion of the railroad and forcing many residents to flee to College Hill, east of town.
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article."RANGER CANYON," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/rkr01), accessed April 18, 2014. Uploaded on June 15, 2010. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.