Season Five: TEXAS RANGERS
They wore no uniforms. They implored no dress codes. But the men of the "spy companies" or "mounted volunteers" were easily recognized by their gruff appearance, superior horses and array of weapons.
In the years between the Texas revolution and the American Civil War, these men became officially known as the Texas Rangers. Legendary commanders led the Rangers through battles with Comanches, bandits and the Mexican army.
This season covers the stories of John Coffee Hays, Ben McCulloch, Samuel Walker, Bigfoot Wallace, John “RIP” Ford, and Lawrence “Sul” Ross from 1840 to 1860.
Edited and mixed by Michael Martin at Sneaky Big Studios in Phoenix, Arizona.
The theme song, “Yellow Rose of Texas,” was arranged and recorded by The Mighty Orq in Houston, Texas.
Music by Robb Vallier in Phoenix, Arizona.
Additional music from Pond 5 and Free SFX.
Sound effects from Adobe, Pond 5 and Free SFX.
“A Texas Ranger” sketch and “General Scott’s Grand Entrance Into The Mexican Capital” sketch provided by Dickinson Research Center, National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
SOURCES
“The Texas Rangers: Wearing the Cinco Peso, 1821-1900,” by Mike Cox. Tom Doherty Associates, LLC, 2008
“The Ranger Ideal: Texas Rangers in the Hall of Fame, Volume 1,” by Darren L. Ivey. University of North Texas Press, 2017
“Texas Rangers: Lives, Legend, and Legacy,” by Bob Alexander and Donaly E. Brice. University of North Texas Press, 2017
“The Texas Rangers: A Century of Frontier Defense,” by Walter Prescott Webb. University of Texas Press, 1935
“Comanches: A History of the People,” by T.R. Fehrenbach. Random House, 1974
“Charles Goodnight: Cowman and Plainsman,” by J. Evetts Haley. University of Oklahoma Press, 1936
History of the Colt Paterson revolver: Armourersbench.com
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame: TexasRanger.org
The Battle of Palo Alto: Pbs.org
The Battle of Palo Alto: Texas State Historical Association tshaonline.org
The Santa Fe Expedition: NewMexicoHistory.org
Reservation War: Texas State Historical Association tshaonline.org
Abraham Lincoln’s Spot Resolutions: National Archives archives.org
Pease River Fight — “Pease River Massacre: Texas Rangers Defeat Comanche, Rescue Cynthia Parker After 25 Years Captivity”
Pease River Fight — “Myth, Memory and Massacre: The Pease River Capture of Cynthia Ann Parker”
Pease River Fight — “EARLY TIMES IN TEXAS AND HISTORY OF PARKER FAMILY (Ben Parker)” Originally published in The Tracings, Volume 3, No. 1, Winter 1984, by the Anderson County Genealogical Society, copyright assigned to the East Texas Genealogical Society.