This history of the Texas Rangers as an agency of law enforcement is a complicated one and the historical record is not neutral. This research guide attempts to avoid perpetuating inherent bias, power, and racism and promotes the researcher's candid evaluation and interrogation of the historical record. While UTRGV Special Collections & Archives is tasked with access and preservation of our collections, we do not approve, endorse, or support the attitudes, prejudices, or behaviors found among these materials.
This research guide seeks to provide researchers with information regarding the early history of the Texas Rangers by providing students with suggestions for primary or secondary source materials, including archival and digital collections, books and episodes for further research. This guide only contains information about the organization’s history and origins, not the modern iteration of the Texas Rangers. (See also Lynching of Ethnic Mexicans.)
Founded in 1823 by Stephen F. Austin, the Texas Rangers is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction that started out as a group of citizens, who served as the first protectors of the Texas frontier following the Mexican War of Independence.
The Texas Rangers would go through several changes after its initial inception. In 1835 the Rangers would be split into three companies consisting of a captain and 56 men. The Rangers were mostly tasked with protecting the Texas frontier settlers from Native Americans and took part in many historic battles such as the Battle of Plum Creek in 1840.
The Texas Ranger companies also played a role in the Texas Revolution, Mexican American War, U.S. Civil War, and the Mexican Revolution. During this time the Rangers reputation would spread further throughout Texas, serving as both a military unit and a police force.
Black and white photographs. Three photographs. "Col. Herbert J. Heackok Commanding Officer of the U.S. 16th Cavalry Fort Brown. He returned from a turkey hunt in Brooks county. "Capt. E. V. Spence, U.S. Army Military Intelligence Officer Fort Brown." Texas Rangers (possibly) from left to right, "Kott, Salt, Bridges, John, Jesse."
See more from the John Randall Peavey Collection.
Certificate appointing and commissioning John Randell Peavey of McAllen, Texas as a Special Texas Ranger on February 2, 1971 by William E. Sheir.
See more from the John Randall Peavey Collection.
![[Group portrait of Texas Rangers]](https://libapps.s3.amazonaws.com/accounts/113421/images/metapth704070_m_ASPL_AR-X-016-D091_01.med_res.jpg)
From the UNT's Portal to Texas History: Photograph of a group of Texas rangers. Each ranger is holding a rifle of their own. Identified on the back are Jim King, Bass Outlaw, Riley Boston, Charles Fusselman, -- Derbin, Ernest Rodgers, Charles Barton, Walter Jones, Bob Bell, Cal Aten, Captain frank Jones, Walter Durbin, Jim Robinson, and Frank Schmidt (1932).
Stephen Fuller Austin (1793-1836) was Texas's first successful colonizer, bringing 300 families from the United States to the region in 1825.
Learn more about "The Father of Texas" from HumanitiesTexas.org
Newspaper clipping regarding Jacinto Treviño who is alleged to have killed Jimmy Darwin in retribution for the death of his brother Natividad and another man in Los Indios, Texas on May 28, 1910. Article is titled "Jacinto Treviño rides again"; published in the Valley Morning Star, 23 Oct 2005.
See also "Story of Jacinto Trevino" to learn about the famous corrido.
Marker text, "On September 27, 1915, Jesus Bazán and his son-in-law, Antonio Longoria – both recognized Tejano community leaders and the latter a Hidalgo County Commissioner – traveled to a local Texas Ranger camp on the Sam Lane ranch to report a horse robbery that occurred a few days prior at their ranch north of the Rio Grande in Hidalgo County. Although Bazán and Longoria should have had the law on their side, anti-Mexican violence in the region was persistent..."
See also Jesus Bazán and Antonio Longoria Marker Dedication Ceremony
"In the late 19th and early 20th century, racial tensions near the United States - Mexico border and the lower Rio Grande Valley erupted into violence. The change from ranching to commercial agriculture and a shift in racial hierarchies led to increased discrimination against Mexican Americans and Mexicans in the region. In addition, economic problems and the Mexican Revolution increased the immigrant population to Texas. This influx along with the rise in Anglo immigration to South Texas increased racial tensions..." Continue reading.
See also "Refusing to Forget"
José Tomás "JT" Canales (1877 – 1976) was an American businessman, lawyer, and politician based in Brownsville, Texas. He served five terms in the State House, where he was the only Hispanic representative at the time. He is best known for his work on behalf of Mexican-Americans and Tejanos in Texas, defending civil rights of Hispanic and other minorities.
See also the J.T. Canales Investigation (1919).
The entire typed transcript of the 1919 Ranger investigation (almost 1500 pages) is also available from the Texas State Library in PDF format.
Half-plate ambrotype of John Salmon Ford (c. 1858), photographed while serving as a Texas Ranger, wearing a fringed buckskin coat, gauntlets and flap revolver holsters.
Learn more about Captain Rip Ford from the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame.
Captain Frank Hamer on Horseback. Photo of from the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum, Waco, Texas.
Learn more about Frank Hamer from this two-part series by Dr. Ken Bridges.
Image from UNT's Portal to Texas History: Hand-colored stone lithograph of a West Lipan Apache warrior sitting astride a horse and carrying a rifle; from Emory's United States and Mexican Boundary Survey, Washington, 1857.
The Lipans Apaches were formally recognized as friends of the Republic of Texas (1836-1845) by the Treaty of Live Oak Point with Chief Cuelgas de Castro in 1838. Lipans are said to have ridden with the Texas militia and the Rangers, including Chief Flacco (circa. 1790-1850) led a Lower Lipan band that ranged from east of San Antonio to areas southwest of San Antonio (particularly Medina and Uvalde counties). He was a close associate of Ranger Capt. Jack Hays.
Read more about Chief Flacco and other notable Lipan leaders
John "Jack" Coffee Hays (1817–1883) joined the Rangers in 1836 when he moved to Texas. He led two regiments of mounted volunteers in the Mexican-American War. He was promoted to Captain in 1840. According to the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Museum, "His Ranger companies, often mixed groups of Anglos, Hispanics and Indians, engaged in battles and skirmishes with both the Comanches and other Indian tribes, as well as Mexican troops, throughout the early years of the 1840s." continue reading.
John Randall Peavey, 1892-1985. During his long career in law enforcement he served as a deputy sheriff, as chief scout for the U.S. Army border troops from 1916 to 1920, and as assistant chief of the Valley sector of the U.S. Border Patrol. He also served as a Texas Ranger and after his retirement, he continued to hold a commission as a special Ranger.
See also the John R. Peavey Scrapbook. Scrapbook of John R. Peavey reflecting his days as a U. S. Border Patrolman in the Rio Grande Valley. WARNING: Graphic content and offensive language are present.
Texas Rangers: Mostly newspaper clippings and articles from the 1950s about the early history of the Texas Rangers.
Anderson Yancey "A.Y." Baker (1874-1930) A. Y. Baker joined the Texas Rangers in 1896.
The born-digital collection consists of images and recordings of the Jesus Bazán and Antonio Longoria marker dedication ceremony. This marker commemorates the double murder of Jesus Bazán and his son-in-law, Antonio Longoria, on September 27, 1915 along a dirt road near their ranch outside of Edinburg.
John Randall Peavey (Parts 1-9), 1981. Peavey reflects on his life history spanning the early family history and 1905-1915 period through his Sheriff's campaign of 1946. This interview was conducted by Hubert J. Miller in between December 22-23, 1981.
Delia Ramirez Alaniz Oral History, 1987. Delia Ramirez Alaniz talks about life as a child: family, education, religion, and funerals in Havanna, Texas. She also talks about marriage and land grants. Additionally, she talks about how one of her teachers stated a Tabasco school on fire, how Texas Rangers killed a Mexican, Patricio Perez and Senovia Perez, A.Y. Baker of Edinburg, how Juan Cortina is a relative, Clay Henry Davis, Josefa De La Garza Perez, land title for Fort Ringold, Porciones 70, 71, 72, 78, 80, 81, 88, 104, the history of Havana, Matias Tijerina, the Walkers, and how the Great Depression wasn't felt in the ranches. Interview conducted in Spanish by Ruben Alaniz in 1987.
Antonio Villegas Sr. Oral History, 1978-09-10. Antonio Villegas Sr. talks about Los Tubitos Ranch, Aniceto Pizana, Luis De La Rosa, Las Norias raid, Captain W.M. Hanson, land selling, 1915 Olmito railroad derailment, Texas Rangers, Military Highway, Juan Cortina, Jesus Acevedo, ca1915 burning, and Japanese soldiers who came to South Texas. Oral recording took place on 10 September, 1978 in Pharr, Texas.
Maria Brewster Castillo, 1987. Mary Brewster Castillo (1916-1998) tells how the Brewster family came from Mississippi or Alabama in covered wagons during the late 1800's. Her father was John Manuel Brewster, a Texas Ranger and physician. She talks in great detail about memories of her father and the early history Hidalgo County and Chapin (prior to Edinburg), including how people traveled between Texas and Mexico. She discusses A.Y. Baker, former Texas Ranger and mayor of Edinburg. Interview conducted on 31 March 1987 by Norma Linda Canales. Learn more about Mary.
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum: 1919 Canales Investigation
Explore the rich historical heritage of the Rio Grande Valley. The series includes articles written by scholars from a variety of institutions across the United States and Northern Mexico. Users can browse or search the collection for relevant articles.
William Bennett is a former student assistant at Special Collections & Archives. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in mass communication at UTRGV with minors in history and anthropology. William hopes to pursue a career in either broadcast or print journalism in the future, but he still has an interest in history. During his time with Special Collections & Archives, William collaborated and assisted with the creation of several exhibits and events and compiled resources for research guides.
The research guides compiled by UTRGV staff and students are intended to assist patrons who are embarking upon new research endeavors. Our goal is to expand their knowledge of the types of resources available on a given topic, including books, archival materials, and websites. In so doing, our compilers have taken care to include collections, digital items, and resources that may be accessed not only through UTRGV but also via other institutions, repositories, and websites.
We wholeheartedly respect the research interests of others. Therefore, please contact us if you wish to submit a resource for consideration, or if you have a question about or an issue with a specific cited resource.
Border Boss by
Naturally self-effacing and deferential, Captain John Reynolds Hughes is not as famous today as his publicity-hog contemporary Captain Bill McDonald. Yet, Texas Rangers of the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries considered him an authentic hero, a straight-ahead lawman that did his job and left the talking to journalists. Hughes became a ranger in 1887, serving in the celebrated Frontier Battalion. In 1900, he won appointment as captain in command of Company D. During his long career he served primarily along the Texas-Mexico border where his word became law. State offi cials subsequently promoted him senior captain, moving his headquarters to Austin. Hughes retired in 1915-having served as ranger and captain longer than any man on the force. This State House Press reprint of Border Boss makes this Texas classic available to a new generation of readers and introduces them to one of the bravest rangers who ever sported the cinco peso.
Buck Barry, Texas Ranger and Frontiersman by
Although Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett were more celebrated, Buck Barry did as much or more to tame the Old Southwest. During a long and useful life he was a professional soldier, stock farmer, sheriff, and member of the legislature. His memoirs are never dull, and no wonder. In 1845 young James Buckner Barry joined the newly formed Texas Rangers and for the next twenty years his life was one of unremitting activity and danger. These pages show him fighting outlaws and Indians from the Red River to the Rio Grande. He served in the Mexican and Civil wars, coming out as a lieutenant colonel. Then he confronted the daily perils of ranching in Bosque County, Texas. Peace officer, legislator, "he served his people well even to the neglect of his private advantage." Such is the tribute of the historian James K. Greer, who edited Buck Barry's private papers and reminiscences and shaped them into this book.
A Crooked River by
During the turbulent years of the Civil War and Reconstruction, a squall of violence and lawlessness swept through the Nueces Strip and the Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas. Cattle rustlers, regular troops, and Texas Rangers, as well as Civil War deserters and other characters of questionable reputation, clashed with Mexicans, Germans, and Indians over unionism, race, livestock, land, and national sovereignty, among other issues. In A Crooked River, Michael L. Collins presents a rousing narrative of these events that reflects perspectives of people on both sides of the Rio Grande. Retracing a path first opened by historian Walter Prescott Webb, A Crooked River reveals parts of the tale that Webb never told. Collins brings a cross-cultural perspective to the role of the Texas Rangers in the continuing strife along the border during the late nineteenth century. He draws on many rare and obscure sources to chronicle the incidents of the period, bringing unprecedented depth and detail to such episodes as the "skinning wars," the raids on El Remolino and Las Cuevas, and the attack on Nuecestown. Along the way, he dispels many entrenched legends of Texas history--in particular, the long-held belief that almost all of the era's cattle thieves were Mexican. A balanced and thorough reevaluation, A Crooked River adds a new dimension to the history of the racial and cultural conflict that defined the border region and that still echoes today.
Gunpowder Justice by
Focuses on corruption and reorganization in the 1930s, the elitist, nature of the Texas Rangers, and its role in violating civil liberties and the rights of Mexican-Americans.
Just One Riot by
The Texas Rangers - Emotions evoked by these words run the gamut, from undying admiration and respect, to fear and hatred. John Salmon "Rip" Ford, an early Texas Ranger captain who fought the Comanches to a standstill, described the Rangers in this manner: "They ride like Mexicans, trail like Indians, shoot like Tennesseans, and fight like the devil." Ben Procter, veteran Texas historian, takes up where the later Walter Prescott Webb, noted historian of the frontier, including the Texas Rangers, left off. The book chronicles episodes of the Texas Rangers in the twentieth century.
Savage Frontier by
This fourth and final volume of the Savage Frontier series completes the history of the Texas Rangers and frontier warfare in the Republic of Texas era. During this period of time, fabled Captain John Coffee Hays and his small band of Rangers were often the only government-authorized frontier fighters employed to keep the peace. Author Stephen L. Moore covers the assembly of Texan forces to repel two Mexican incursions during 1842, the Vasquez and Woll invasions. This volume covers the resulting battle at Salado Creek, the defeat of Dawson's men, and a skirmish at Hondo Creek near San Antonio. Texas Rangers also played a role in the ill-fated Somervell and Mier expeditions. By 1844, Captain Hays' Rangers had forever changed the nature of frontier warfare with the use of the Colt five-shooter repeating pistol. This new weapon allowed his men to remain on horseback and keep up a continuous and deadly fire in the face of overwhelming odds, especially at Walker's Creek. Through extensive use of primary military documents and first-person accounts, Moore sets the record straight on some of Jack Hays' lesser-known Comanche encounters. For the exacting historian or genealogist of early Texas, the Savage Frontier series is an indispensable resource on early nineteenth-century Texas frontier warfare. PRAISE FOR SAVAGE FRONTIER VOL IV "Moore's fourth and final volume of the Savage Frontier series contains many compelling battle narratives, but there is a wealth of social as well as military history lurking in these chapters. No one who is interested in the people and the problems of the Texas Republic can afford to leave these pages unread."--James E. Crisp, author of How Did Davy Die? And Why Do We Care So Much? "The early 1840s was one of the most turbulent chapters in the history of the lower Rio Grande valley. Readers familiar with earlier volumes in the Savage Frontier series will find much to admire in Steven Moore's eminently readable account."--Sam W. Haynes, author of Soldiers of Misfortune: The Somervell and Mier Expeditions PRAISE FOR THE SAVAGE FRONTIER SERIES "An exhaustively researched study of the pervasive violence that confronted the newborn Texas Rangers even in colonial days."--Kent Biffle, Dallas Morning News "The volumes of Savage Frontier provide exciting action and accurate history. In addition, important genealogical material is given for anyone seeking the role of his or her ancestors in early Texas history."--Chuck Parsons, Texas Ranger Dispatch "Moore has done an extraordinary job of exhaustively researching his subject. I am not aware of any other book that investigates this period of Ranger history with such thoroughness as Savage Frontier."--Donaly Brice, author of The Great Comanche Raid
A Tejano Son of Texas by
A chronological timeline of the life of Jose Policarpio Rodriguez from 1829 to 1914. This book is written to be simple enough for younger or ESL readers, yet still able to engage older audiences. This book meets or exceeds TEKS and TAKS requirements.
Texas Devils by
The Texas Rangers have been the source of tall tales and the stuff of legend as well as a growing darker reputation. But the story of the Rangers along the Mexican border between Texas statehood and the onset of the Civil War has been largely overlooked--until now. This engaging history pulls readers back to a chaotic time along the lower Rio Grande in the mid-nineteenth century. Texas Devils challenges the time-honored image of "good guys in white hats" to reveal the more complicated and sobering reality behind the Ranger Myth. Michael L. Collins demonstrates that, rather than bringing peace to the region, the Texas Rangers contributed to the violence and were often brutal in their injustices against Spanish-speaking inhabitants, who dubbed them los diablos Tejanos--the Texas devils. Collins goes beyond other, more laudatory Ranger histories to focus on the origins of the legend, casting Ranger immortals such as John Coffee "Jack" Hays, Ben McCulloch, and John S. "Rip" Ford in a new and not always flattering light. In revealing a barbaric code of conduct on the Rio Grande frontier, Collins shows that much of the Ranger Myth doesn't hold up to close historical scrutiny. Texas Devils offers exciting true stories of the Rangers for anyone captivated by their legend, even as it provides a corrective to that legend.
Texas Ranger Indian War Pensions by
This study of the Texas Ranger Indian Warpension files in the National Archives was made possible through a grant from the Harris and Eliza Kempner Fund, whose generosity is acknowledged and appreciated. Without the financial assistance received the project could not have been undertaken.
The Texas Rangers and the Mexican Revolution by
The decade 1910-1920 was the bloodiest in the controversial history of one of the most famous law enforcement agencies in the world--the Texas Rangers. Much of the bloodshed was along the thousand-mile Texas/Mexico border because these were the years of the Mexican Revolution. Charles Harris III and Louis Sadler shed new light on this turbulent period by uncovering the clandestine role of Mexican President Venustiano Carranza in the border violence. They document two virtually unknown invasions of Texas by Mexican Army troops acting under Carranza's orders. Harris and Sadler suggest the notorious "Plan de San Diego," usually portrayed by historians as a plot hatched in South Texas, was actually spawned in Mexico by Carranza. This irredentist conspiracy, which called for the execution of all Anglo males sixteen and older and the establishment of a Hispanic republic, was designed to cause a race war between Hispanics and Anglos. One of Carranza's goals was to end the support being given by border residents to his rival Pancho Villa. The "Plan de San Diego" caused the governor of Texas to order the Texas Rangers to wipe out the insurgency along the border. This resulted in an estimated 300 Hispanics being killed by the Rangers and others without benefit of judge and jury. The Texas Rangers and the Mexican Revolution is the first Ranger history to utilize Mexican government archives and the voluminous declassified FBI records on the Mexican Revolution. "There is no other book that focuses on the Texas Rangers in the period 1910-1920. This will be the standard book on the Rangers for this period and probably the most thoroughly researched book on the Rangers in any period."--Alwyn Barr, Professor of History, Texas Tech University "Harris and Sadler provide the first definitive evaluation of the Texas Rangers and their activities during the first and most violent decade of the Mexican Revolution, 1910-1920. This is a really outstanding, important work"--William H. Beezley, Professor of Latin American History, University of Arizona
Time of the Rangers by
Texas writer-historian Mike Cox explores the origin and rise of the famed Texas Rangers in Time of the Rangers. Starting in 1821 with just a handful of men, the Rangers' first purpose was to keep settlers safe from the feared and gruesome Karankawa Indians, a cannibalistic tribe that wandered the Texas territory. As the influx of settlers grew, the attacks increased, and it became clear that a larger, better trained force was necessary. Taking readers through the major social and political movements of the Texas territory and into its statehood, Cox shows how the Rangers were a defining force in the stabilization and the creation of Texas. From Stephen Austin in the early days through the Civil War, the first eighty years of the Texas Rangers were nothing less than phenomenal, and the efforts put forth in those days set the foundation for the Texas Rangers who keep Texas safe today.
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