By Hilderbran                                         H.R. No. 1065
         77R16000 MMS-D                           
                                 R E S O L U T I O N
 1-1           WHEREAS, The Former Texas Rangers Association is doing
 1-2     admirable work in preserving the history of the Texas Rangers, and
 1-3     the city of Kerrville would make a most appropriate location for a
 1-4     center dedicated to interpreting the history and traditions of this
 1-5     legendary force; and
 1-6           WHEREAS, Texas Rangers first appeared on the scene in 1823,
 1-7     when Stephen F. Austin commissioned 10 experienced frontiersmen to
 1-8     undertake a punitive expedition against a band of Indians;
 1-9     constituted as a regular body in 1835 and reorganized at various
1-10     times over the years, the Rangers have played a significant role at
1-11     virtually every turn in the state's history, suppressing the
1-12     frontier tribes and banditry, apprehending cattle rustlers, and
1-13     quelling violent feuds and the lawlessness of oil boomtowns, to
1-14     name only a few of their many assignments; and
1-15           WHEREAS, Efforts to establish an association of ex-Rangers
1-16     date back to 1897; the Former Texas Rangers Association, a
1-17     descendant of previous groups, was incorporated in 1971 for the
1-18     purposes of preserving and perpetuating the history of the Rangers,
1-19     commemorating landmarks related to Ranger history, administering a
1-20     scholarship program, and bringing former and present Rangers and
1-21     their families together for fellowship, support, and the pursuit of
1-22     mutual goals; the association is also pledged to maintain and
1-23     operate a Texas Rangers museum, and since 1973 the group has
1-24     overseen a museum dedicated to the Rangers in Memorial Hall,
 2-1     adjacent to the Witte Museum in San Antonio; and
 2-2           WHEREAS, The association is presently considering the
 2-3     construction of a new historical center to tell the story of the
 2-4     Rangers, and it would indeed be fitting to locate such a facility
 2-5     in the city of Kerrville, for this part of the Hill Country has
 2-6     strong associations with the Rangers' early history; and
 2-7           WHEREAS, Several encounters between Rangers and Indians took
 2-8     place in this district; in 1843 John Coffee "Jack" Hays and a band
 2-9     of Rangers were ambushed by Comanches at Bandera Pass, but Hays and
2-10     his group repelled the assault with the aid of their new Colt
2-11     revolvers; on another occasion, Hays single-handedly stood off an
2-12     Indian attack at Enchanted Rock; and
2-13           WHEREAS, When the famed Frontier Battalion of Texas Rangers
2-14     was formed in 1874 to combat Indians and desperados, one of its six
2-15     companies, Company "F," was commanded by Captain Neil Caldwell of
2-16     Kerr County, and the company's members were all drawn from Kerr
2-17     County and the surrounding area; in addition, 32 Rangers lie buried
2-18     at Center Point, more than are interred at the State Cemetery or at
2-19     any other place; and
2-20           WHEREAS, To fully understand the development of the Lone Star
2-21     State, one must appreciate the part Texas Rangers have played in
2-22     this saga for well over a century and a half; now, therefore, be it
2-23           RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
2-24     Legislature hereby honor the Former Texas Rangers Association for
2-25     its great service in preserving Texas history and that it encourage
2-26     the association to build its new center in the city of Kerrville.