Mr. Ranger

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Lore & Background

The Rangers have taken part in many of the most important events of Texas history, such as stopping the assassination of presidents William Howard Taft and Porfirio Díaz in El Paso, and in some of the best-known criminal cases in the history of the Old West, such as those of gunfighter John Wesley Hardin, bank robber Sam Bass, and outlaws Bonnie and Clyde. Scores of books have been written about the Rangers, from well-researched works of nonfiction to pulp novels and other such fiction, making the Rangers significant participants in the mythology of the Wild West and modern culture. The Lone Ranger, perhaps the best-known example of a fictional character derived from the Texas Rangers, draws his alias from having once been a Texas Ranger. Following close after, a classic titled Lone Star Justice by Robert Utley explains the life of Texas Rangers from the very beginning, showcasing the development of the now structured law force. More well-known examples include the radio and television series Tales of the Texas Rangers, Augustus McCrae and Woodrow Call from the Larry McMurtry novel series Lonesome Dove, and Chuck Norris portraying Cordell Walker in Walker, Texas Ranger. The Major League Baseball (MLB) team Texas Rangers is named after the division. There is no legal protection against disbandment, and the Rangers have been disbanded multiple times throughout their history. There is a museum dedicated to the Texas Rangers known as the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco, Texas, which celebrates the cultural significance of the Rangers.

In Their Own Story

The history of the division that inspired the team includes pivotal moments like the formal constitution in 1835 under Major Robert McAlpin Williamson. In November of that year, Williamson became the first Major of the Rangers. By 1837, ten Rangers were killed in the Battle of Stone Houses during campaigns against the Cherokee and Comanche under President Mirabeau B. Lamar. The force expanded to 150 men by Sam Houston in 1841. During the Mexican-American War, famous figures like John Coffee 'Jack' Hays and Ben McCulloch advised General William Jenkins Worth at the Battle of Monterrey in September 1846, where Richard Addison Gillespie died and a hill was renamed 'Mount Gillespie.' These specific events form the factual backbone of the legacy the team represents.

Reader's Guide

The rangers were founded in 1823 when Stephen F. Austin, known as the Father of Texas, employed ten men to act as rangers to protect 600 to 700 newly settled families who arrived in Mexican Texas following the Mexican War of Independence. While there is some discussion as to when Austin actually employed men as 'rangers', Texas Ranger lore dates the year of their organization to this event. The Texas Rangers were formally constituted in 1835, and in November, Robert McAlpin Williamson was chosen to be the first Major of the Texas Rangers. Within two years the Rangers comprised more than 300 men. Following the Texas Revolution and the creation of the Republic of Texas, newly elected president Mirabeau B. Lamar raised a force of 56 Rangers to fight the Cherokee and the Comanche, partly in retaliation for the support they had given the Mexicans at the Cordova Rebellion against the Republic. Ten Rangers were killed in the Battle of Stone Houses in 1837. The size of the Ranger force was increased from 56 to 150 men by Sam Houston, as President of the Republic, in 1841. The Rangers continued to participate in skirmishes with Native Americans through 1846, when the annexation of Texas to the United States and the Mexican–American War saw several companies of Rangers mustered into federal service. They played important roles at various battles, acting as guides and participating in counter-guerrilla warfare. At the Battle of Monterrey in September 1846, famous Texas Rangers such as John Coffee 'Jack' Hays, Ben McCulloch, Bigfoot Wallace and Samuel Hamilton Walker played important roles in the battle, including advising General William Jenkins Worth on the tactics required to fight inside a Mexican city. Richard Addison Gillespie, a famed Texas Ranger, died at Monterrey, and General Worth renamed a hill 'Mount Gillespie' after him. The First Regiment of Texas Mounted Rifle Volunteers was also known as 'Hays' Texas Rangers'. Colonel Hays organized a second regiment of Texas Rangers, including Rip Ford, who fought with General Winfield Scott in his Mexico City Campaign and the Anti-guerrilla campaign along his line of communications to Vera Cruz. Throughout the 19th century the Texas Rangers relied heavily on multi-generation families raised on the frontier who were able to help during many conflicts. The Highsmith family displays this well as several members served in

Did You Know?

• The Texas Rangers were unofficially created by Stephen F. Austin in a call-to-arms written in 1823.
• The Lone Ranger, a famous fictional character, draws his alias from having once been a Texas Ranger.
• The Major League Baseball team Texas Rangers is named after the division.
• There is a museum dedicated to the Texas Rangers known as the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco, Texas.