Texas Ranger Division

:For other uses see Texas Rangers (disambiguation).

Rangers' badges and uniforms

Modern-day Rangers (as well as their predecessors) do not have a prescribed uniform; rather, they wear what they please. Historically, according to pictorial evidence, Rangers wore whatever clothes they could afford or muster, which were usually worn out due heavy use, as well as lack of money to buy new ones. Most Rangers preferred to wear broader-brimmed sombreros as opposed to cowboy hats, and preferred square-cut, knee-high boots with a high heel and pointed toes, in a more Spanish style. Many wore their handguns in cross-draw holsters, which made it easier to draw while riding a horse.

Related Topics:
Sombreros - Cowboy hat - Spanish - Holsters

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Wearing badges did not become common until the last 20 years of the 19th century. Historians have put forth several reasons for the lack of regular use of a badge; some Rangers felt a shiny badge was a tempting target. Other historians have speculated that there was no real need to show a badge to a hostile Indian or outlaw who no doubt knew he was in for a fight. Additionally, historically Rangers' pay was so scanty that there was likely no money for such fancy accoutrements.

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Still, some Rangers did wear badges. The first "star in a wheel" badges appeared in the late 1800s; they were made by cutting a star out of a Mexican silver coin (usually a five-peso coin). The star design is reminiscent of Texas' Lone Star flag; using a Mexican peso was probably a dig at Texas' southern neighbor, with whom a bloody battle had recently been fought.

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Though present-day Rangers wear the familiar star in a wheel badge, it was only recently adopted. The current design of the Rangers' badge was adopted in 1962, when Ranger Hardy L. Purvis and his mother donated enough Mexican five-peso coins to the DPS to provide badges for all 62 Rangers who were then working as commissioned officers. The design has stayed largely the same since then.

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