February 2020
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame Newsletter
Sponsored by the City of Waco
Official State Historical Center of the Texas Rangers
Home of Texas Ranger Bicentennial 1823-2023
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On Saturday March 7th, TRHFM will be hosting our annual Spring Break Round Up. Bring your family down to the museum from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM to see a 1870s chuck wagon camp and learn about the Rangers through their almost 200 year history! See Texas Ranger reenactment groups the Texas Top Guns and the Legends of the Texas Rangers.
Meet Texas Ranger Travis Dendy at our
Texas Ranger Talks!
at 10:30AM and 2:00PM.
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Loan of Ranger Dan Hines Presentation Revolvers
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The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum is grateful to Hines Harrison, the grandson of Ranger Dan Hines, for loaning the pair of Smith & Wesson Registered .357 Magnum revolvers presented to Ranger Hines in December 1935 by the citizens of San Augustine, Texas. This pair of registered .357 Magnums, numbered REG 729 and REG 730, represent not only the first year of the manufacture of the powerful Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum, but also a rare pair of consecutively numbered registration numbers. The pair of presentation pistols is included in the new exhibit on the San Augustine Rangers.
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Museum board members Doug Dukes and Bob Alexander with Hines Harrison (center).
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The San Augustine Rangers Exhibit
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A new exhibit has been installed featuring the pairs of presentation pistols awarded to Captain J.W. McCormick and Ranger Dan Hines for their role, along with Ranger Leo Bishop, in relieving the east Texas town of San Augustine of the crime and corruption that they suffered at the hands of the McClanahan-Burleson gang. The gang intimidated, assaulted, robbed, extorted and murdered many of San Augustine’s residents in the late 1920s and early 1930s, including black sharecroppers and tenant farmers who were not afforded the same protections as whites in the Jim Crow south.
The Burleson-McClanahan gang continued to firmly enforce their own rule of law in San Augustine until Governor James Allred was inaugurated on January 18, 1935. Governor Allred appointed a new Ranger force, many of whom had served as Rangers prior to the Ferguson administration. Several newly-commissioned Rangers arrived in San Augustine only days later with Captain J.W. McCormick at the helm, as well as Rangers Dan Hines and Leo Bishop.
When the Rangers arrived in San Augustine they made their presence known. They looked the part in their ten-gallon hats and cowboy boots, carrying their Winchester rifles, with pistols prominently exposed in holsters. They announced their presence, openly confronted known gang members and stripped Ferguson-appointed Rangers of their revoked commissions. Within days, the citizens of San Augustine were put at ease. The Rangers protected victims and witnesses and sought justice for victims in the black community who were especially vulnerable and quickly gained their trust. The Rangers publicly arrested miscreants and set up informal headquarters in popular cafes and stores. Within days, they had made a noticeable difference in the town. Justice was swift. Ranger Dan Hines was stationed in San Augustine along with Ranger Leo Bishop, and under the leadership of Captain McCormick, law and order there had been reestablished by the end of 1935.
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Pair of Presentation Smith & Wesson Registered .357 Magnum Revolvers
presented to Ranger Dan Hines by the grateful citizens of San Augustine in December of 1935. Inscribed:
Grateful
Citizens of San Augustine to Dan Hines “Ranger”
Pair of Presentation Colt Single Action Army Prewar Model Revolvers
presented to Captain McCormick by the grateful citizens of San Augustine in December of 1935. Inscribed on the barrel:
Citizens of San Augustine to Capt. J.W. McCormick
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Texas Ranger Lee Hall: From the Red River to the Rio Grande
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The University of North Texas Press has published the eighth title in the official Texas Ranger Bicentennial™ publications program:
Texas Ranger Lee Hall: From the Red River to the Rio Grande
by Chuck Parsons.
Jesse Lee Hall (1849-1911) came to Texas in 1870. Initially working as a school teacher, he became a deputy sheriff, later joining the Texas Rangers and commanding Capt. Leander McNelly’s Special State Troops on the border. He rounded up the King Fisher gang, ended the Sutton-Taylor Feud and participated in the Sam Bass gun fight in Round Rock.
Chuck Parsons has authored eight books about Texas Rangers, feuds and Reconstruction.
Texas Ranger Lee Hall
is available at the Museum Store, call toll free 1-877-750-8631. See the other volumes in the series at
Bicentennial Publications
.
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We are excited it's a Leap Year! We're celebrating with an offer so good, it only comes around once every four years! In the month of February, Texas Ranger Bicentennial memberships are
Buy 3 get 1 Free!
This is the perfect gift for your history-buff and Ranger-enthusiast friends and family.
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Texas Ranger Bicentennial
TM
Partners Program
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Be part of the Texas Ranger Bicentennial! The Texas Rangers will commemorate their landmark 200th anniversary in 2023. With a $100 contribution, you will receive:
- A limited-edition enameled bronze pin featuring the official Texas Ranger Bicentennial™ seal
- A certificate signed by an active or distinguished retired Texas Ranger
- Your name or family name on the online roster of Bicentennial Partners™
- A one-time-use family admission ticket (admits 4) to the Museum.
$90 of the contribution qualifies as a charitable contribution. The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame is a 170(c) government-owned nonprofit.
Please
click here
to learn more about the program.
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In January Daniel Hurd, a man with a mission, visited the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame. Hurd founded the non-profit "One Pedal at a Time," which is dedicated to helping suicide prevention efforts.
Teen suicide rates have increased 56% in the US over the last decade, and the suicide rate among veterans is 50% greater than those among the general population. Hurd, a Navy veteran and a suicide survivor, believes "Everyday is a blessing." He has the goal of raising awareness by visiting every state in the continental United States. In his almost 2-year journey he has gone through 37 states.
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What an honor to have Daniel Hurd visit the Museum! Please
click here
to read his story.
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Grant Awarded TRHFM from the Tugmans
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TRHFM received a generous grant from the Michael and Suzan Tugman Donor Advised Fund - Wichita Falls Area Community Foundation in Whichita Falls, Texas.
"We sincerely hope that this grant award will further your organization's philanthropic mission." - Michael and Suzan Tugman
We appreciate their generous support of the Museum's educational mission. This grant will be used to plan educational programs, such as our summertime "Texas Ranger Talks!" series coming in June.
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What Makes Texas, Texas? Part 1
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For the
Georgetown View Magazine
,
AnnMarie
Kennon
interviewed Texas Ranger Lieutenant Matt Lindemann.
As a young man, Lt. Lindemann wanted to be a firefighter but was eager to start a career. When the chief of police in Bartlett offered to sponsor him at a law enforcement academy and carry his commission after graduation, he jumped at the opportunity. “I went to college in Killeen then went to work at the Williamson County jail. It was so much more like Mayberry then; there were about 35 employees and maybe 100 inmates. At times, I and one other officer ran the whole jail—two teenagers—I can’t imagine that today.”
Matt says working in a jail is a great experience because handling inmates is an education on trying to keep people happy without giving them what they want. “It all comes down to treating them like human beings.”
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He says he met a Texas Ranger for the first time when two officers brought Henry Lee Lucas to the jail, and that meeting was a big part of what led him to want to be a Ranger himself. “They were taking Lucas all over the country and I thought, ‘Wow, these guys must be really important.’”
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The Texas Ranger Museum was proud to partner with Historic Waco Foundation (HWF) for their Speakeasy Fundraiser featuring a roaring 20s theme. Guests dressed for the occasion, were able to mix their own authentic cocktails from the era and posed with a loaned Thompson Sub-machine gun from the TRHFM collections. It was a night to remember!
The mission of Historic Waco Foundation is to preserve the heritage of Waco and McLennan County, Texas for future generations and to present enriching diverse historical experiences for audiences of all ages.
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Education Center
The following groups utilized the Education Center for programs in January:
Texas Rangers
City of Waco Convention and Visitors Bureau
Baylor Scott & White
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Save $1.00 off regular adult admission for up to two adults. Coupon not valid on discounted senior or military admission. No cash value.
The museum is open 9am to 5pm with the last guest admitted at 4:30pm. The museum is located off I-35 and University Parks Drive in Waco, Texas. For more information, call (254) 750-8631 or visit
www.texasranger.org
.
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Newsletter Compiled by Christine Rothenbush, Marketing & Development Specialist
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