Beyond the Badge: The Work and Records of the Texas Rangers
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Reading About Rangers
When researching Texas Rangers, it is good to start with what others have already written about them. The state library collections contain hundreds of publications related to the topic. Rangers have been featured in popular media, as well as the subject of folklore and songs by those who would make them heroes and those who viewed them as villains. Historians, journalists, and other researchers have delved into the archive to write books about rangers from a variety of perspectives and publish works for both academic and general audiences. Examples from pop fiction to in-depth examinations of individual rangers are available at TSLAC. www.tsl.texas.gov/catalog.
A Texas Ranger by Napoleon Augustus (N.A. Jennings), 1899. 917.64 J445T 1899. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
The rangers helped craft their own image. Author N.A. Jennings presented his book as an autobiographical account of his time with the rangers in the 1870s.
![A photograph of a book cover with a man with a black mask, black cowboy hat, a silver badge, holding two crossed swords, with a blook red sky background. El Rinche: The Ghost Ranger of the Rio Grande by Christopher Carmona, [2018]. 813.6 C213r V.1.](/sites/default/files/public/tslac/exhibits/beyondthebadge/ElRinche_001.png "A photograph of a book cover with a man with a black mask, black cowboy hat, a silver badge, holding two crossed swords, with a blook red sky background. El Rinche: The Ghost Ranger of the Rio Grande by Christopher Carmona, [2018]. 813.6 C213r V.1.")
El Rinche: The Ghost Ranger of the Rio Grande by Christopher Carmona, [2018]. 813.6 C213r V.1. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
In this alternative to the traditional Lone Ranger story, fictional Chicano superhero Ascencion “Chonnie” Ruiz de Plata disguises himself as the ghost of a Texas Ranger, “El Rinche,” to defend the Mexican American community.
![A page of sheet music in a book with two rows of musical notes at the top and the lyrics of the song below that. "With His Pistol in His Hand," a Border Ballad and Its Hero by Américo Paredes, [1958]. 398.22 P214.](/sites/default/files/public/tslac/exhibits/beyondthebadge/GregorioCortez_001.png "A page of sheet music in a book with two rows of musical notes at the top and the lyrics of the song below that. \"With His Pistol in His Hand,\" a Border Ballad and Its Hero by Américo Paredes, [1958]. 398.22 P214.")
"With His Pistol in His Hand," a Border Ballad and Its Hero by Américo Paredes, [1958]. 398.22 P214. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
Corridos, or musical ballads, of the South Texas border region often told stories of Mexican heroes fighting against Texas Rangers. El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez was one of the most popular and enduring of this genre.
Gregorio Cortez, March 15, 1905. William Deming Hornaday photograph collection, 1975/070-5237. Front and back. Click or tap on links and image to view larger versions.
The note on the back of this photo of Gregorio Cortez describes the incident in the corrido named for him. The note reads: Killed sheriff Moris of Karnes Co Texas. Wednesday June 11th 1901. Killed sheriff Glover and constable Snavel of Gonzales Co Texas June 13th 1901. Captured near Palafox about 50 miles above Laredo June 22nd 1901 by Captain J. H. Rodgers of the State rangers…
"The Cowboy Sings: Traditional Songs of the Western Frontier Arranged for General Singing by Kenneth S. Clark, c1932. 784 C544s. Cover, pages 30 and 31, pages 32 and 33, pages 58 and 59. Click or tap on links and images to view larger versions.
This collection includes several tunes about the rangers, including “The Texas Rangers,” which was likely first written about the Battle of the Alamo and later adapted to romanticize confrontations between the rangers and indigenous peoples of Texas.
![An opened book showing a drawing in the inside front cover of a man on a horse with chaps and a white cowboy hat. The second page has the title with a border around the information.The Gentlemen in the White Hats; Dramatic Episodes in the History of the Texas Rangers by Claude Leroy (C. L.) Douglas, [c1934]. 976.404 D745G.](/sites/default/files/public/tslac/exhibits/beyondthebadge/WhiteHats_001.png "An opened book showing a drawing in the inside front cover of a man on a horse with chaps and a white cowboy hat. The second page has the title with a border around the information.The Gentlemen in the White Hats; Dramatic Episodes in the History of the Texas Rangers by Claude Leroy (C. L.) Douglas, [c1934]. 976.404 D745G.")
The Gentlemen in the White Hats; Dramatic Episodes in the History of the Texas Rangers by Claude Leroy (C. L.) Douglas, [c1934]. 976.404 D745G. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
Rangers became known for their iconic white hats. The ranger dress code states: “Hats will be light-colored and shaped in a businessman's style. Styles commonly called the Rancher or Cattleman will be the only styles acceptable.”
The Adventures of Big-foot Wallace: The Texas Ranger and Hunter 2d ed. by John Crittenden (J. C.) Duval, 1872. 920.7 D956a 1872. Inside front cover and first page. Click or tap on links and images to view larger version.
William A. A. “Bigfoot” Wallace was a famous Texas Ranger during the Republic of Texas era and the Mexican- American War. John William (J. W.) Orr, one of the most well-known wood engravers of his time, drew this frontispiece illustration of Wallace.
W. A. A. “Bigfoot” Wallace, William Deming Hornaday photograph collection, 1975/70-3683. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
![Front cover of a book with drawings of Santa Clause, a longhorn, wreath decorated cacti, and an orange colored Texas shape in the background. Text of The Night Before Christmas in Texas. The Night before Christmas in Texas by Catherine Smith, [1992]. 811.54 SM51n YALL.](/sites/default/files/public/tslac/exhibits/beyondthebadge/xmas_001.png "Front cover of a book with drawings of Santa Clause, a longhorn, wreath decorated cacti, and an orange colored Texas shape in the background. Text of The Night Before Christmas in Texas. The Night before Christmas in Texas by Catherine Smith, [1992]. 811.54 SM51n YALL")
![Two pages in an opened book with the text: Howdy Santa! Ah’ll help! Ah know just where tuh go. The way tuh the great Texas Rangers ah’ll show. The Night before Christmas in Texas by Catherine Smith, [1992]. 811.54 SM51n YALL.](/sites/default/files/public/tslac/exhibits/beyondthebadge/xmas_001b.png "Two pages in an opened book with the text: Howdy Santa! Ah’ll help! Ah know just where tuh go. The way tuh the great Texas Rangers ah’ll show. The Night before Christmas in Texas by Catherine Smith, [1992]. 811.54 SM51n YALL.")
The Night before Christmas in Texas by Catherine Smith, [1992]. 811.54 SM51n YALL. Front cover and two pages. Click or tap on links and images to view larger versions.
When Santa gets caught in a Texas dust storm and needs help delivering all of his presents in time, an armadillo leads Santa to the Texas Rangers for assistance.
![An opened book showing two pages, on the left page is a drawing of an abolitionist cartoon showing a representative of the nation's newest state atop a manacled black man. On the right is the text Chapter 8 Crossing the River. Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers by Doug J. Swanson, [2020]. 363.209 SW24c.](/sites/default/files/public/tslac/exhibits/beyondthebadge/CultOfGlory_001.png "An opened book showing two pages, on the left page is a drawing of an abolitionist cartoon showing a representative of the nation's newest state atop a manacled black man. On the right is the text Chapter 8 Crossing the River. Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers by Doug J. Swanson, [2020]. 363.209 SW24c.")
Cult of Glory: The Bold and Brutal History of the Texas Rangers by Doug J. Swanson, [2020]. 363.209 SW24c. Click or tap on image to view larger version.
“They have always been a small, elite force. It’s the image that grew big” says Swanson in his 2020 narrative that challenges the ranger mythology.