The need for special skills in tracking and fighting were a must for the Rangers as they were nearly always up against out-numbering odds. This lead to many memorable quotes as follows: "One riot, one Ranger", "... to ride like Mexicans, to shoot like Tennesseeans, and fight like the very devil ...", and a quote that could be described as the creed of all Rangers, "No man in the wrong can stand against a fellow that's in the right and keeps on a'comin' ...", by Texas Ranger, Captain Bill McDonald.
The W5R Special Event Story This Special Event was created and managed by Larry Merritt, KC5BFM and with the help of his loving wife, Julia Merritt, KC5BFL.
The Central Texas HF Society, along with members of my family and other area amateur radio operators were very proud to bring you this extra special event, the 175th Anniversary of the Texas Rangers. It is our hope that the certificate, as well as the enclosed information, will be as enjoyable for you as it was for us to present you this important milestone in the history of Texas.
Most of this special event station was operated from inside the famous Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum and Fort Fisher camping park, that is conveniently located just off Interstate 35 and the historic banks of the Brazos River, in Waco, Texas.
A great deal of recognition and debt of thanks go to Stewart Lauterbach, the museum's curator of History and Collection. In a Texas summer when temperatures of 110F in the shade are no exaggeration, his effort in making us welcome and setting aside a place for event operations inside the air-conditioned museum was most appreciated. Also, for those that would like to see more about the museum can visit http://www.texasranger.org the site for the Official State Hall of Fame and Repository for the Texas Rangers. The art work and wording for this certificate was done by Larry Merritt, KC5BFM, using Windows 95 paint, WordPerfect, and printed with a HP 682C. The image of the 1880s Texas Ranger has considerable authenticity, from the bandana about the neck to the rifle, bowie knife, six-shooter Colts, and while in the field, a blanket rolled behind the saddle for bedding. The Texas Rangers are recognized as being the oldest law enforcement agency in North America. The Rangers were first organized on the eve of the Texas Revolution, by the famous American pioneer and colonizer Stephen F. Austin, to protect the settlers from attacks by the Comanche and the Apache Indians. Austin's very first mounted force in 1823 was comprised of ten Rangers. Early in the year of 1837, the Rangers established a fort to protect nearby settlements in a place which, at that time, was called Waco village, named after the Waco Indians. The area near this location later became the city of Waco in 1856. The Ranger outpost was named Fort Fisher. This same site has now been developed into the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum and Fort Fisher park-picnic grounds. The Rangers played an important role in the 1870s as frontier fighters, combating the lawlessness among raiding Indians and Mexicans, feuding cattlemen, desperadoes, and doing much to bring peace to the state of Texas. Today the Texas Rangers have been organized into several companies that are assigned to various counties in the state of Texas. They are now serving the state's Texas Department of Public Safety, essentially as a special investigative force, also aiding the local police and sheriff departments. Armed with the latest in law enforcement equipment, they continue bringing order and law to Texas, making the state a much better place to live.
Soon the log of the W5R special event will be posted here.