The Colorful Sheriffs of Texas

According to Wikipedia the term 'sheriff' goes alll the way back to Anglo-Saxon England. We're talking about the days of King Arthur and Robin Hood here. Of course, the notorious Sheriff of Nottingham comes immediately to mind. Over the years the function of the office hasn't changed all that much. The sheriff is still the official responsible for keeping the peace within a county jurisdiction. Which brings us to Texas. While I hesitate to call Texas sheriffs notorious, (rather unpatriotic you know) I will definitely call them colorful. Their contibutions to Texas history may not be as well known as those of the Texas Rangers, but within their stomping grounds the stories often still live on. If you are into history, some of the titles below may catch your fancy.

Cowboy Justice: the tale of a Texas lawman / Jim Gober.

The Texas Sheriff: lord of the county line / Thad Sitton

200 Texas Outlaws and Lawmen, 1835 - 1935 / Laurence J. Yadon with Dan Anderson

And if you're just looking for a good story, here are some authors writing fiction about Texas sheriffs.

Any of the Sheriff Dan Rhodes mysteries by Bill Crider are fun.

Two Sheriff Hackberry Holland mysteries by James Lee Burke are noteworthy.

And of course the classic No County for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy, featuring the aging but memorable Sheriff Bell.

And finally, the romance of the Texas sheriff will always find an audience.