Skip to content
Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum  Waco, Texas

Welcome to the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum Online Collections!

The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum opened to the public in 1968 as the Homer Garrison Jr. Memorial Museum. Today it serves as the official historical center of the Texas Rangers and houses the Texas Ranger Museum, Texas Ranger Hall of Fame, Tobin and Anne Armstrong Texas Ranger Research Center, Texas Ranger Public Safety Education Center, John Knox Texas Ranger Memorial Center and Texas Ranger Company “F” Headquarters.

The museum’s mission is to disseminate knowledge and inspire appreciation of the Texas Rangers, a legendary symbol of Texas and the American West; to collect, preserve, study and exhibit artifacts, artwork, and archives relating to the Texas Ranger service; and to permanently document and honor the service of Texas Rangers past and present. Our collection includes over 20,000 artifacts, photographs, archival items, and books related to the Texas Rangers and the history of Texas and the American West. This site includes only a small portion of our extensive holdings, but please check back often as we continue to add new materials.

The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum provides access to these materials for education, research purposes, and personal enjoyment. Any other use, for example in web pages, documentary films, or publications of any kind, must be approved by the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum. If you have questions or would like to request images or additional information, please contact the museum by calling 254-750-8631 or emailing info@texasranger.org.

Texas Ranger Collection

The Texas Ranger Collection includes artifacts and archive/library materials associated with a specific Texas Ranger or Ranger Company. This includes guns, badges, personal effects and equipment used during Ranger service.

View the collection

Art Collection

The Art Collection includes paintings, sculpture, art photography and other works of fine art depicting Texas Rangers and/or the American West. Documentary photographs are not included in this collection but can be found in the Photograph Collection.

View the collection

Pop Culture Collection

The Popular Culture Collection includes artifacts and archive/library materials related to American and worldwide popular culture associated with the Texas Rangers. This includes items related to such popular culture icons as The Lone Ranger and Walker Texas Ranger. It also includes more generic Texas Ranger toys and merchandise.

View the collection

General Weapons Collection

The General Weapons Collection includes weapons of various types that may have been used by the Texas Rangers throughout their history, but are not associated with any specific Ranger.

View the collection

Currency Collection

The Currency Collection comprises US and foreign paper currency, including Mexican-era banknotes of Texas, Republic of Texas banknotes, silver and gold certificates and other miscellaneous banknotes from around the world.

View the collection

History Collection

The History Collection includes artifacts and archival materials related to general history of Texas, the American West, and law enforcement. This includes a wide variety of items such as equipment, souvenirs, textiles and household items.

View the collection

Allied Agencies Collection

The Allied Agencies Collection includes artifacts from or related to any of the various law enforcement agencies that the Texas Rangers work or are associated with. This includes badges, patches, and personal items from members of law enforcement agencies worldwide.

View the collection

Museum Highlights

The Museum Highlights are a curated collection of artifacts, photos and archival material that represent the wide range of items housed in the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum. These items are the must-see museum artifacts, whether they are historically significant, rare, or just have a great story to tell.

View the collection

Tips for Searching

Keyword Search

The Keyword Search button allows you to perform a general search across multiple fields for any catalog records online. Keyword searches use OR as the default connector between words (e.g. a search for King Ranch will return records associated with King OR Ranch). If you want to find records where both keywords are found, type in AND between the two words. To search for a specific phrase, be sure to put the phrase within quotes (e.g. "Frontier Battalion"). You can also use the asterisk (*) as a wildcard (e.g. a search for histor* would come up with records containing history, histories, historical, etc.). Searches are not case sensitive.

Advanced Search

The Advanced Search button can help you be more specific with your search. You can search for a word or phrase within a particular search category or use multiple categories to further narrow down your search results. For example, searching White in the People field will bring up any records associated with a member of the White family, without having to sift through black & white photographs. You can also search People and Creator records through Advanced Search. Phrase searching with quotes and use of wildcards (*) are available in Advanced Search.

Random Images

The Random Images button is a great way to just browse the collection. Each Random Images page displays a random assortment of images from the records online. If something piques your interest, click the thumbnail to view a larger version of the image.

Catalog Searches (Archives / Photos / Libraries / Objects)

The catalog buttons can also help narrow down your search, by searching a specific catalog. If you only want to search for Photos, click the Photos button and type in your keyword(s) or phrase. You can also browse records within that catalog without performing a search. Phrase searching, wildcards (*) as well as AND/OR statements are available when performing catalog searches.