Badges That Won the West - Texas Ranger's Badge

The Texas Ranger badge is the emblem of a proud tradition of service that began 185 years ago and continues today. Rugged frontier Indian fighters, revolutionaries, detectives and lawmen--the Texas Rangers are the stuff of Western Legend.

The Texas Rangers had their beginnings as a citizen militia organized by Stephen Austin in 1823 to protect several hundred settlers who had migrated to Texas from across the United States and settled near the Gulf of Mexico. The militiamen were referred to as "rangers" because they ranged over the entire newly formed country of the Republic of Texas.

Their formal inauguration as "Texas Rangers" took place in 1835, when a resolution drafted by Austin established a corps of Texas Rangers, with 25 assigned to guard and defend the frontier between the Brazos and Trinity Rivers, 10 more assigned to the same duty on the east side of the Trinity, and a further corps of 25 to patrol between the Brazos and Colorado, to protect settlers against Indian attack until the Texan revolutionary war with Mexico was over, and the army would be able to pursue the Comanches and Apaches that raided all over the Texas frontier.

Privates in the Texas Rangers received the munificent sum of $1.25 per day, plus rations, clothing and horse feed and care. They enlisted for one year, and protected the citizens of the infant republic from raiding Comanches and Apaches while Sam Houson and his army fought--and eventually defeated--General Santa Anna and the Mexican army.

The Congress of the Republic passed a law in the winter of 1836 providing for the raising of a batallion of 280 mounted troops to protect the frontier. The Rangers would serve for a term of 6 months. With the Republic of Texas bankrupt and seeking statehood, they served under the most harrowing conditions, and often without pay.Other troops were subsequently added to the Rangers' ranks, and it was during this period of expansion that the heroic tales of Ranger exploits began to
spread--even beyond the borders of Texas.

Following the Civil War, the Rangers were organized into six companies, with 75 men per company. They were stationed at strategic points throughout the state, and instead of being the quasi-military organization they had been before, now were given the status of peace officers. In reality, they served as both--whichever was needed. When the threat was external--such as raiding Comanche or Mexicans, they were soldiers. But when the enemy was from within--outlaws, train robbers and road bandits--they served as detectives and policemen. Their duties transcended city and county borders, ranging over the entire state. They were often called upon to investigate when a case crossed local jurisdictional borders. By the late 1800s, they were battling a new kind of enemy--horse thieves and cattle rustlers.

As the frontier disappeared, the Rangers gradually evolved into the modern law enforcement agency it is today, formally merging with the Department of Public Safety and assuming the duty of serving as the State Troopers of Texas. With 185 years of continuous service, the Texas Rangers is the oldest police force with state-wide jurisdiction on the North American continent.

The badge itself is highly symbolic. Each is made from a Mexican five peso silver coin, in honor of the state's Mexican roots. You can clearly see the coin's lined edge in the edges of the badge, and the coin's image on the back side of the badge. The star, of course, represents the "Lone Star" symbol of Texas. The oak leaves on the left side stand for strength, and the olive branch on the right for peace. The five-point star inside a "wagon wheel" is common in Texas Ranger badges from the late 1800s, and is still used by Texas Rangers today.