Tag: Texas Rangers

Colt Walker

Today in History, January 4: 1847 –

Samuel Colt sells 1,000 revolvers to the Texas Rangers. Capt. Samuel Walker of the Rangers had used one of Colt’s revolvers in the Seminole wars and was so impressed that he traveled to New York City to find Colt. He ordered the revolvers, insisting that the order include 6 shots rather than 5, and have enough caliber to kill man or horse. The finished product was named the “Colt Walker”, and was followed by another thousand, which allowed Colt to build his own factory.

Colt was not the first to make a “revolving gun”, but he did perfect interchangeable parts and an assembly line to make his reliable pistols.

Texas Rangers Become Official

Today in History, November 24: 1835 –

The provincial legislature of Texas, before Texas was a nation or a state, orders the creation of companies of “Rangers” to patrol the range, or frontier. Their job, continuing a less official group of rangers begun by Stephen F. Austin in 1823, was to protect citizens from Indians and bandits.

The Rangers would see success at fighting Commanche and bandits. When the Texas war for independence came they served as scouts and couriers.

During the Mexican-American War they would earn more fame (or infamy depending on your position…the Mexican populace referred to them as los Diablos Tejanos, or Texas Devils) for their fighting acumen and scouting for the US Army. How many police agencies can say they were recruited as a unit to fight alongside the military at war?

Over the next century and a half the Rangers would have their highs and lows…being all but disbanded during the Civil War and due to politics on other occasions.

But when it counted they were there to track down bad guys like John Wesley Hardin, Sam Bass and other terrors as the West was settled, and Bonnie and Clyde during the thirties.

The Rangers were known for their relentless tactics against the Native American tribes and others. They also took the fight to the KKK and against lynchings.

Today the Texas Rangers are much different. They are still the elite response unit…but as part of the Texas Department of Public Safety they are the investigators working with the patrol arm of the Highway Patrol.