14 Secrets of the Texas Rangers Police Force
The Texas Rangers are a state police force with a fearsome reputation.
Published 6 months ago in Wow
The Texas Rangers are a state police force with a fearsome reputation. Originally a frontier militia, they made a name for themselves for over 200 years with acts both heroic and despicable. Thanks to Hollywood, most everyone has heard of the Rangers and has an image of them in their head. But there are many facts that the general public might not know.
There’s more to the Texas Rangers than meets the eye, so forget the TV shows & movies and dive into some of these lesser-known facts about the rough-riding, revolver-toting enforcers of Texas.
1
The Texas Rangers have existed almost continuously from the year of Texas’ colonization to the present
Stephen F. Austin, known as the "Father of Texas," founded the Texas Rangers all the way back in 1823 as a militia to protect the burgeoning community from various threats. The Rangers still exist today, and now are a state police force.
2
The Texas Rangers weren’t always heroic
Though their name conjures up images of heroic protectors, the Texas Rangers weren’t always so noble. Texas Rangers were known to steal whiskey and livestock from Mexican Peasants. After the Battle of Monterrey, one group of Rangers burned houses and killed around 100 civilians. General Zachary Taylor was quoted as saying “There is scarcely a form of crime that has not been reported to me as committed by [the Texas Rangers].”
3
The Texas Rangers REALLY weren’t always heroic
In 1915, Texas Rangers were stationed on the Texas-Mexico border to restore order after tensions between Texas and Mexico exploded into violence. The Rangers’ idea of maintaining the peace was to execute at least 300 “suspected Mexicans” without due process of any kind. The violence continued for years.
4
The Rangers weren’t so politically savvy
The Texas Rangers made a major political blunder in 1932, when they backed incumbent governor Ross Sterling against candidate Miriam “Ma” Ferguson. When Ferguson was elected, she fired every single Ranger on the force for supporting her opponent. The Rangers had to rebuild from scratch.
5
A TV show helped the Rangers paper over their previous misdeeds
The hugely popular TV show The Lone Ranger came out in 1949, as the Rangers were professionalizing and moving away from their image as frontier lawmen. The show helped the Rangers whitewash their problematic legacy and be seen as heroes once again.
6
Being a Texas Ranger did not pay well
Being a Texas Ranger was originally only a part time job. Not only that, but Rangers were originally only paid about 15 dollars a month– in property, not in cash– and often they didn’t even get paid. Rangers also had to provide all their own equipment, including horses and guns.
7
The Texas Rangers prevented a presidential assassination
In 1909, President Taft met with Mexican President Porfirio Diaz for the first time in El Paso, Texas. A Texas Ranger discovered a man with a pistol waiting along the route of their travel and arrested him, saving the lives of both presidents.
9
Germany thought the Texas Rangers were coming to get them
During World War II, the German press mistakenly reported that the Army Rangers that had landed in France were actually Texas Rangers. The daunting reputation of the Texas Rangers caused a panic among German citizens when this news was reported.
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