Heritage, 2007, Volume 3 Page: 20
31 p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Why I Collect Texas Ranger Memorabilia
By Kurt HouseGrowing up on a ranch in South Texas at Three Rivers, I
became fascinated with tales of the Texas Rangers told to me
by my father and grandfather. By the time I was 14 years old,
this fascination had transformed me into a bona fide collector
of Western Americana and Texas Ranger memorabilia. Why?
While I cannot answer for all collectors, to me it was the desire
to own and study an authentic item that was used by a Texas
Ranger in the performance of what I considered his noble duties.
Why Texas Ranger memorabilia? Although I collect other
items of Western Americana, to me the Texas Rangers embodied
all the ideals admirable in good American citizens, and they
were my heroes as I became of age. Along with Jack Hays,
Samuel Walker, Bill McDonald, and Frank Hamer, my heroes
were Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, The Lone Ranger, and other role
models who I saw on my cousin's television.
For me, as much as anything, Texas Rangers are the embodiment
of Texas; they represent all that is good and worthy in this
society, and as heroes, they have great value to a culture that is
searching for what is meaningful in life. Have all of them been
perfect? They are no different from us; they are us!
But on with the story: by the time I was 14, I was a devoted
fan of the Old West, and everyone knows what a big role the
Texas Rangers had in that. That is about the time when I can
identify acquiring memorabilia that permitted me to emulate
Rangers, to escape, to dream, and to imagine that I too was a
participant in the West, even though I was born too late. But
I could read about them, nostalgically and vicariously enjoying
their exploits: out-numbered Jack Hays fighting Comanches
at Walker Creek; brave Samuel Walker fighting in Mexico for
American ideals; Leander McNelly restoring peace to southern
Texas; Frank Jones and his trusty few comrades at Pirate Island;
diminutive Bill McDonald overcoming bigger men and
groups of men; John Armstrong capturing John Wesley Hardin;
Frank Hamer putting an end to Bonnie and Clyde; these were
just some of the incidents I admired and wanted to learn moreabout. Those men had qualities that everyone admires.
When I was a poor college student I had my first chance to
buy an authentic Texas Ranger pistol; inscribed on the butt was
"Parker Weston, Co. A, TSR" and after trading some old Winchester
1873 carbines that I had bought in South Texas for $30
and $40 apiece, I realized my dream of actually owning a real
Texas Ranger sidearm. But it wasn't just a gun to me. It was
a symbol, and the history of this antique weapon intrigued me
enough to drag my wife to the cemetery in Sutherland Springs,
Texas to visit Ranger Weston's grave. The real treat was locating
his daughter and hearing of her father's exploits first hand.
Those experiences are what make following Texas Ranger history
fun!
By this time, I had the "Texas Ranger Memorabilitis" disease
bad and only wanted to know more and to acquire more-I
guess to make me more familiar with their exploits and in some
way to connect with the drama. The search continued through
my Ph.D. graduate school work, and if I thought I was poor as
an undergraduate, trading my Suburban for a gun once and
having to walk away, proved otherwise. After relocating to San
Antonio to take over management of our ranch when my father
died in 1992, I entered the cattle business. It didn't take long
for me to realize that I didn't enjoy the cattle business as much
as I thought I would, so I traded my entire cattle herd for a
Henry rifle that MIGHT have been used by a Ranger. I told
my wife at least the Henry didn't eat and bawl during the night
to have me come pull a calf while stepping over rattlesnakes.
Soon I was able to acquire several more Ranger guns, badges,
holsters, spurs, saddles, scabbards, documents, and other pieces,
and I had a (probably) terminal case of Ranger Memorabilitis. If
you contract this disease, I would recommend your loved ones
confer with my wife and daughter who have suffered though
my frantic calls to widows disposing of gear, bizarre visits to
Ranger graves, staying until midnight at old Ranger homes,
countless interviews of strangers, and a lifetime sentence ofHERITAGE i Volume 3 2007
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Texas Historical Foundation. Heritage, 2007, Volume 3, periodical, 2007; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth45361/m1/20/: accessed March 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Historical Foundation.