A Revered Texas Ranger: MT "Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas
Manuel Trazazas "Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas, one of the most well known Texas Rangers of the 1930's, started life in 1891 in the city of Cadiz, Spain. Born to naturalized US citizens, Gonzaullas's journey into law enforcement is often attributed to witnessing the murder of his two brothers by bandits at the age of fifteen.
Manuel Trazazas Gonzaullas, "The Lonewolf" - PC
By the 1930's, the population of Kilgore, Texas exploded. Driven by the East Texas Oil Strikes, the town’s buildings were torn down and replaced by oil derricks. As the oil continued to flow, opportunists – good and bad- flocked to Kilgore. In a span of two weeks the town’s population went from 700 to 10,000. It didn’t take long for Kilgore to earn the title of most lawless town in Texas.
Captain Gonzaullas in the 1920s - PC
After the initial oil boom, "Lone Wolf" Gonzaullas was sent in to restore law and order to the town. He had little use for those who did not make an honest living, and was said to distrust a man lacking callused hands. He quickly made it known that liquor rings, dope, and gambling houses would no longer have a place in his town and advised transients to secure legitimate work, vacate the town, or spend their days in the jail.
One of the Lone Wolf's commemorative pistols - PC
His contempt for criminals was always made known, often by marching criminals down the town’s streets as a warning. He refused to tolerate lawlessness. Gonzaullas made quite an impression, perched atop a black horse; his Ranger star polished brightly on his breast, his two pearl gripped 45s at his side. The Lone Wolf was a collector, said to have amassed a large collection of weapons from the criminals he’d arrested or shot. Some reports show Gonzaullas having shot 75 criminals, but he maintained that was grossly exaggerated.
Some of The Lonewolf's unique pistols - PC
Regarded as a courteous and respected peace officer, his reputation continued well after his retirement from the Texas Rangers in 1951. He shared his expertise as a technical consultant for radio, movies, and televisions show including, "Tales of the Texas Rangers", and in the 1998 book "Lone Wolf Gonzaullas, Texas Ranger".
Texas Ranger Capt. M.T. Gonzaullas - PC
Well known for his religious convictions, Gonzaullas would often hand out Bibles to those he felt could benefit from redemption. In many cases he underlined passages on sinning and forgiveness. Manuel T. Gonzaullas passed in 1977, at the age of 85. The Lone Wolf left his scrapbooks and personal papers to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, where is legacy lives on forever.
Resources:
“Lone Wolf” Gonzaullas, Texas Ranger. American Oil & Gas Historical Society. Retrieved from: https://aoghs.org/oil-almanac/lone-wolf-gonzaullas-texas-ranger/
Manuel Trazazas Gonzaullas “Lonewolf”. Texas Ranger Hall of Fame. Retrieved from: http://www.texasranger.org/halloffame/Gonzaullas_Manuel.htm
