Don Wildman

There's about 300 in a couple of years from then.

And as you explained, they're not only, you know, writing for law, they're writing to help people and scout for people, their couriers, their guides.

They also perform sort of rear guard actions during several battles that are going on with the Mexican army after the Battle of the Alamo.

Why is this such a unique thing to Texas?

I'm curious, you know, why aren't we talking about the Arkansas Rangers?

You know, why Texas?

Let's take a short break.

And when we come back, we'll talk about the notable engagements the rangers fought in and the darker aspects of their history right after this.

Okay, we're back with Professor Benjamin Johnson talking about the Texas Rangers.

No, not the baseball team, the real ones.

We've called them sort of a bit of a militia, kind of a state police.

How were they organized and how did one become a Ranger?

Tell me about a guy named John Hayes.

John Jack Coffee Hayes.

1840s, right?

He had to have been very aware of weapon development and how things were changing back east, I suppose, in what was available.

Yeah, right there in Hartford.

You can drive right past the building.

Once Texas is annexed into the United States, 1845-ish, how did the Rangers change with that?

And then what happens when the Mexican-American War breaks out?