Visiting Texas Ranger Museum

I was excited to again visit the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco. We'd last been a decade ago. The museum is a treasure trove for those who love Texas history.

Hall of Fame

The part of the museum that is the Hall of Fame memorializes 30 Texas Rangers who gave their lives in the line of duty or who served with great distinction. In the Hall of Fame, you'll find displays set up for Rangers like Manuel T. Gonzaullas who was born in 1891 in Cádiz, Spain. He was called El Lobo Solo - Lone Wolf.

El Lobo Solo

Born to a Spanish father and Canadian mother who were naturalized U.S. citizens, Gonzaullas served as a Mexican army major when he was 20. Then he worked for the U.S. Treasury Department for 5 years. He joined the Texas Rangers in 1920 and for the next two decades, he enforced the law in the oil fields and on the border, pursuing bootleggers, gamblers and drug runners alone. After all, he was El Lobo Solo. (Must have been the inspiration for the Lone Wolf McQuade movie starring Chuck Norris as a Ranger.)

After he retired in 1951, Ranger Gonzaullas became a technical consultant for radio, motion pictures, and television shows such as Tales of the Texas Rangers. He helped found the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in 1968.

This is just one fascinating story from the Texas Ranger Museum. I came away with copious notes and photographs. (Yes, they let you photograph inside.)

You owe it to yourself to visit the Ranger museum, especially if you have kids. These men were real heroes who gave birth to the mythic Texas Ranger. They worked this wild and untamed land when the philosophy of one riot; one Ranger was a statement of truth about the ability of a Ranger to handle any situation.

Contact Info

I-35 and University Parks Drive
P. O. Box 2570, Waco, TX 76702-2570
254-750-8631

Admission: Adults: $6.00; Children (6-12): $3.00; Under 6, free.

Monday - Sunday; 9 - 5 with Last Guest Admitted at 4:30pm.

Closed: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's.

Takeaway Truth

Celebrate real heroes. Let your children hear about the achievements of men and women who honored their commitments and sometimes gave their lives in the line of duty.