In 1822 Stephen Austin founded the first English-American colony in Texas. Austin hired a gang of horse-men to protect and defend the area against hostile indians.The gang was founded in 1835 and it was´nt until the 1870s they were called Texas Rangers. Members of the Texas Rangers were among others; Charles Goodnight, John Coffee Hays and William Wallace. Silas Parker (1802-1836) who participated in the war against Black Hawk in 1832 when he lived in Illinois, moved to Texas and was one of the founders of Fort Parker in the spring of 1835. He was choosen on the 17th of October 1835 to be the leader of the 25 man strong Texas Rangers. Parker was killed when Comanche indians attacked Fort Parker on the 19th of May 1836. Two of his children were kidnapped by the indians, Cynthia Ann and John Parker. His other two children Orlena and Silas Jr. survived and came to live with their families in the eastern Texas.

In 1840 John Coffe Hays became a Captain of the Rangers. He provided his men with Colt revolvers. The Comanche warriors were used to fight against whites who could only fire one bullit per loading, and they were defeated by the Texas Rangers at Plum Creek (1840), Enchanted Rock (1841) and Bandera Pass (1842). In 1850 William Wallace, who fought with Hays in the Mexican war, got the leadership of one company of Texas Rangers. They fought against indians and Mexican bandits and protected Texas against the Union Army in the Civil War. In 1874 Texas Rangers was divided into two groups. The Frontier Battalion fighting indians, attacking white settlers and the Special Force fighting caddle thiefs and robbers. The Special Force was disbanded in 1881. Later on Texas Rangers became the Texas Department of Public Safety.