Ranging the Frontier: The storied history of the Texas Rangers

Paid Content: From 1823 to the present day, a courageous group of men and women have been chosen to protect and serve the people of Texas.

"They were protecting settlers as neighbors, helping neighbors, and now they are elite criminal investigators for the state," said Christine Rothenbush, Marketing and Development Coordinator on behalf of the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.  Nearly 200 years ago, Texas was a state of about 700 citizens. With no regular army to protect its citizens from Native Americans or other threats, Stephen F. Austin, known as the "Father of Texas," formed the Rangers. He was contracted by the Mexican government to bring settlers in from what was consider the old South of the U.S., as well as Europe, to settle Texas.  "The Rangers started because the government of Mexico was unable to provide any protection in the Northern Province of Mexico, which is what Texas was at the time," said Johnson.