Happy 200th, Texas Rangers
Birthdays fall into one of three broad categories for most of us. A birthday is:
a time of gratitude and joy spent with loved ones,
a time of quiet reflection,
or a morose time where the burden of regret feels nearly too heavy to bear.
Some birthdays are a cocktail of all the above and milestone birthdays hit us the hardest, don’t they? The bigger the milestone, the harder we scrutinize what we see in the rearview mirror. If we are wise, we come to terms with our regrets and misdeeds; we take solace in our victories, and hope our time here has been a net good.
We’re human. This is what we do. The growing pains never stop if we never stop growing.
Organizational birthdays are a mixed bag, too, because human endeavors necessarily bear the hallmarks of humanity. Nations, businesses, law enforcement agencies— they all bear the scars of leadership failure and wear the crowns of leadership successes. If you don’t believe me, I encourage you to watch how 2023 plays out as Texas commemorates 200 years of Ranger service. More on this in a minute…
The Ranger Bicentennial is a year-long birthday that kicked off on January 13 at the Fort Worth Stock Show & Rodeo. I had the great good fortune of being there for the festivities.
The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame was in from Waco to record their new Law & Legends podcast in the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. Many esteemed guests were interviewed—historians, professors, judges, mayors, a former Ranger Chief….and then there was me.
Dr. Jody Ginn, Lacy Finley and I chatted about the impact two centuries of Rangers have had on the settlement and prosperity of Texas. I learned about the latest gear and speciality training of the 21st-century force. Of course, we touched on the cadre of modern scholars who have a reticle fixed upon the reputation of the Rangers—historical and present.
L to R: Dr. Jody E. Ginn (Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum), Michelle Haas (Texas History Trust), Lacy Finley (Texas Ranger Association Foundation). Photo courtesy of Dan Rodriguez of TRAF.
Upstairs at the museum, I saw the new Ranger Bicentennial history exhibit. From firearms to uniforms and badges, and a wall dedicated to the faces of active Rangers, the exhibit is appropriate for Texans of all ages and is a crash course in twenty decades of service to Texas.
A small part of the Ranger Bicentennial exhibit at the Ft. Worth Museum
At eye level (I’m 5’ 4” — your mileage may vary) is a beautifully designed timeline that helps us visualize each epoch of the Rangers and see it in the broader perspective of Texas history.
The Ft. Worth Museum exhibit will run through summer 2023!
If you’re headed to the Rodeo, you’ll find a Ranger exhibit there, too. Stop by Booths 807 & 808 in the Amon Carter Exhibit Hall at the Will Rogers complex for some history and hospitality. A Texas Ranger rides in the grand entry each night of the rodeo.
Active and former Rangers, Chief Taylor, former Ranger Chiefs, mayors, other dignitaries, and a celebrity or two have dropped in to visit the exhibit since it launched. You never know who you might meet at Booth 808.
During my Ft. Worth visit, the museum exhibit launch was followed by receptions, good food, good folks, and the Stock Show & Rodeo official opening! I can’t say more about it other than the grand entry thrilled my little Texan soul. FWSSR is exactly what you’d expect after 126 years of perfecting the art of rodeo.
A good time was had by all, thanks to the incomparable abilities of Lacy Finley, Executive Director of the Texas Ranger Association Foundation.
I considered myself a hard worker until I saw Lacy in action. I tip my hat to her and her team, who moved mountains to orchestrate a seamless kickoff worthy of the occasion. When you’re juggling a hundred complex tasks and as many people, but can still bring a smile to everyone’s face, you’re doing something right.
If you can’t visit the Ranger exhibits in Fort Worth, don’t despair. There’s a good chance the Rangers will come to you! There are events planned across the state, from Laredo to San Antonio, El Paso to Houston, Midland to Waco. Find a full schedule of events here.
Like I said, big birthdays put us in a celebratory, grateful frame of mind but naturally make us squint a little harder when we look at the past. That’s healthy, both when we examine ourselves and when we look at history.
But there’s a caveat: we must avoid tunnel vision as we glance back.
In the coming year, we’ll look out over the vista of Ranger history together. Texas History Trust will hold up an eye chart for myopic historians who see only a few decades in the panorama, and see them through a racialized lens. We’ll provide you with the context they omit because that’s what we do. We’ll talk about Ranger heroes, a few Ranger villains, and how this never-static law enforcement unit has evolved with the people of Texas.
So buckle up for 2023, y’all. Let’s show gratitude. Let’s reflect. And let’s all get out there and meet some Texas Rangers!
