Lew and Janice Skelton
Donation of Artifacts from
Ranger Walter F. Hale
and
Ranger Walter F. Hale, Jr.

Mr. and Mrs. Lew and Janice Skelton of Rogers, Arkansas, have donated an important collection of memorabilia used by Texas Ranger Walter F. Hale and Walter F. Hale, Jr.

The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame is very grateful to the Skeltons for giving this fascinating material - a Texas Ranger Badge, pistol and holster -- to future generations.

Walter F. Hale and Walter F. Hale, Jr.

Walter Fleetwood Hale, Sr. purchased this pistol between 1910-1913. It is a Colt Single Action with Eagle Grips and Silver Plate in .45 caliber S/N #221374. He enlisted as a Texas Ranger in 1918 and served with distinction.

His son, W.F. Hale, Jr. carried the weapon as a Waco Police Officer in the 1920s, in the Texas Ranger service in 1932-33, as a peace officer in Calvert and Marfa, Texas in the 1930s. Walter Jr. also served in the U.S. Navy in World War II, in the U.S. Border Patrol and as an insurance company investigator into the 1950s.

The silver Texas Ranger badge may have been worn by both father and son; it is known to have been worn by the son. The pistol is accompanied by a leather holster made by a Texas firm, probably about 1915. The Skeltons prepared a detailed documentation file on the pistol and on the law enforcement careers of the Hale family.

In recognition of their generosity, the Mr./Mrs. Skelton have been made life members of the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum.

- Byron A. Johnson, Director