The Gritty, Raw History of the Texas Rangers
Unanticipated Tales Concerning the Texas Rangers' Exploits
The Texas Rangers aren't just a baseball team or aTV show about a karate-kicking lawman. These guys are the real deal - a powerful and influential law enforcement agency found deep in the heart of Texas.
But their roots took hold long before Texas seceded from Mexico or became a part of the Union. In 1821, Stephen F. Austin, America's first colonizer in Texas, struck a deal with Mexico for a land grant, promising to populate the region with white settlers. As more Americans flooded in, tensions rose among the locals. Native Americans and Mexican settlers saw the Americans as intruders, and violence erupted. Austin appealed to the Texan leadership for help, but they sent a weak militia that didn't cut it. So, Austin took matters into his own hands and formed the Texas Rangers in 1823.
A Famous Ranger's First On-Duty Death
One of the first men to settle in Austin's colony was John Tumlinson. Tumlinson set up a homestead along the Colorado River and was elected as the local magistrate. With bandits always lurking, Tumlinson's top priority was protecting the settlers. When the Rangers were officially formed in 1823, Tumlinson jumped at the chance to join, but his fate was sealed just weeks later when he was ambushed and killed by Waco tribe warriors on his way to San Antonio for a meeting about securing the border region. His body was never found, but his death inspired Austin to aggressively push ahead with his security plans.
Crusades and Massacres
When Mexico declared its independence from Spain in 1821, Texas was still under Mexican law. Yet American settlers like Austin kept pouring in and clashed with the Mexicans living there. By the time Texas became its own Republic and then a state, the Rangers were already fighting on the front lines of the Mexican-American War.
The Ranger's brutal tactics were evident from the start. They were called "Los Diablos Tejanos," or the Texas Devils, by their Mexican foes. In one brutal skirmish, the Rangers massacred over 100 Mexican civilians, earning a reputation for their ferocity and disregard for human life.
A Force Against Native Americans
While the Rangers fought against Mexico, they also battled Native American tribes for control of the land. In 1838, when Texas declared independence, President Mirabeau B. Lamar requested a full column of frontier guards. The result was the Texas Rangers as a military force, tasked with protecting the new nation's borders.
For decades, the Rangers waged brutal wars against Indian tribes, with one of their most famous victories coming in 1858 when Ranger John Salmon "Rip" Ford led a six-month pursuit of a group of Comanche warriors, killing over 80 of them. The Rangers cemented their legend with such one-sided battles.
Supporting Secession
When the Civil War broke out, Texas jumped at the chance to join the Confederacy. The Rangers were explicitly asked not to fight for the Confederacy but were ordered to remain on the Mexican border to protect against raiders. But they couldn't resist the call to arms, and thousands of Rangers joined Confederate forces in 1861. They took part in numerous battles, earning praise from Confederate generals like Robert E. Lee and Albert Sidney Johnston for their fearless tactics.
Catching Outlaws
In the late 1800s, train and bank robberies were rampant on the American frontier. Sam Bass, one of the most notorious outlaws of the time, was known for his string of heists. When he settled in Texas, the Rangers didn't waste any time pursuing him. In 1878, they caught up to him in Round Rock, and a gunfight ensued. Although Bass was gravely wounded, he managed to escape. Landmarks like clots of his blood still stain the ground there today.
Months later, when the Rangers discovered his trail, they were able to track him down and finally put an end to his outlaw ways.
The Tragedy at Porvenir
In 1918, Captain J.M. Fox led a group of Rangers to the Mexican village of Porvenir. The Rangers believed the villagers were spies aiding against them. When they arrived in the town, supposedly under cover of darkness, they came under fire, leading the Rangers to kill 15 "bandits." Investigations later revealed that the victims were local farmers who had nothing to do with any battles or raids. They were innocent men, cattle ranchers, and their wives who had been taken prisoner before being executed. The massacre is still one of the darkest moments in Texas Rangers history.
Politicians Take Oversight
Just a year after the massacre at Porvenir, Texas’s first Mexican-American politician, Jose Canales, took action. Canales submitted misconduct charges against 19 Rangers and introduced a bill that would cut their funding and reduce their numbers. The bill was quickly shot down, but Canales' investigation into the Rangers uncovered serious misconduct, leading to the disbanding of the controversial Loyalty Rangers group, the resignation of several officers, and more oversight of the Rangers’ activities.
Fighting Against Integration
After the Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954, desegregation began in Texas's schools. But white supremacists did not take the news lightly. In 1956, a mob of white men assembled in Mansfield, Texas, to protest the desegregation of Mansfield High School. Governor Allan Shivers dispatched the Texas Rangers to support the white mob and protect them from pro-desegregation protesters. The Rangers arrested dozens of people and effectively prevented any Black students from attending the school for the remainder of the year.
Averting an Assassination
In 1909, President Porfirio Diaz of Mexico met with President William Howard Taft in El Paso, Texas, for talks about economic security. With tension still running high, the meeting could have easily turned violent. But the ever-alert Ranger Private C.R. Moore noticed a man with a gun hidden in his sleeve. Moore quickly disarmed the would-be assassin, averting disaster.
Final Thoughts
The Texas Rangers have had a long and complex history, marked by significant influence, controversy, and more than a few dark moments. From bloody battles against Native Americans to violent clashes with Mexican soldiers, the Rangers played a crucial role in the early days of Texas. While their reputation for brutality and racism has tarnished their legacy, they remain an iconic institution in Texas's history and continue to uphold law and order across the state.
- The top 10 mysteries in Texas history might include the bizarre circumstances surrounding the disappearance of John Tumlinson, the first man to join the Texas Rangers, whose body was never found after he was ambushed by Waco tribe warriors.
- As technology advanced, the Texas Rangers found themselves on the cutting edge of investigations, racing against time to catch outlaws like Sam Bass who terrorized the frontier with train and bank robberies.
- In the realm of sports, the Texas Rangers, the powerful law enforcement agency, have had to share the name with a Major League Baseball team, adding to the complexity of their history and their ongoing efforts to uphold law and order.
