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White Hats

Texas Monthly

From Texas Monthly comes a story of the Wild West, the first American superheroes, the legendary riders in white hats, Los Diablos Tejanos—the Texas Rangers. “White Hats” tells the true history of these larger-than-life rangers, who have become one of the defining symbols of the state. Join host Jack Herrera as we explore the fantastical tales of Ranger legends like Jack Coffee Hays, who rode into battle with the Lipan Apache chief Flacco, and Frank Hamer, who hunted down the outlaws Bonnie and Clyde. For many Texans, the white hats became synonymous with justice and protection. But many other Texans grew up hearing haunting memories of “los Rinches,” and the violence they visited upon Mexicans and Mexican Americans a century ago. On the eve of the Rangers’ 200th anniversary, "White Hats" explores the Rangers’ true place in Texas history.

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  • 10 episodes
  • Avg 28 min
  • English
  • S1 · E6
    Apr 29, 2025 · 5 min

    Introducing the Final Flight of Captain Forrester

    A woman’s search for her father—a pilot who disappeared during a mission in Vietnam—collides with the fight over what we owe those who never returned from war. From the producers of "White Hats," "America's Girls," and "Tom Brown's Body," and hosted...

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  • Feb 28, 2025 · 2 min

    Introducing TM Out Loud

    Subscribe to Texas Monthly Audio today for access to exclusive new audio productions based on the latest issue of the magazine, in our new podcast feed TM Out Loud. Visit http://texasmonthly.com/audio for more.

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  • S1 · E6
    Nov 4, 2024 · 4 min

    Introducing Viva Tejano

    Introducing the latest podcast from Texas Monthly, "Viva Tejano.” Latin music is ascending in the U.S., and, in some surprising ways, much of the story behind the trend begins in Texas. On Viva Tejano, host J.B. Sauceda talks with legendary tejano...

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  • S1 · E6
    Dec 13, 2022 · 45 min

    6. Memorials and Monuments

    In the past decade, historians and descendants of victims of La Hora de Sangre have raised awareness of the violence against Mexican Americans in the 1910s—including with new historical markers placed by the State of Texas. But organizers of the Texas...

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  • S1 · E5
    Dec 6, 2022 · 42 min

    5. Bias Toward Action

    Today’s Texas Rangers make a hard distinction between themselves and the men who rode alongside Jack Hays, J. M. Fox, or even Frank Hamer. But the hat and the badge—the Ranger mystique—still count for something. How does that Rangerness affect their...

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  • S1 · E4
    Nov 29, 2022 · 43 min

    4. The Cold Case

    One year after the Porvenir massacre, the Texas Rangers are a subject of an inquiry at the Texas capitol led by state representative J. T. Canales. In this episode, we hear testimony from the hearings about the Rangers’ violence, as well as attempts...

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  • S1 · E3
    Nov 22, 2022 · 44 min

    3. La Hora de Sangre

    After the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution, as fighters crossed into Texas to raid ranches, Texas hired hundreds more Rangers to defend the state—many with hardly any qualifications. The atmosphere of suspicion and fear between Anglo and Mexican...

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  • S1 · E2
    Nov 15, 2022 · 50 min

    2. Ghosts of the Wild West

    To understand how the Texas Rangers’ legend took hold, we explore three stories about their early conflicts with Native and Mexican American people. First, we follow the footsteps of Ranger Captain Jack Coffee Hays, up Enchanted Rock to the site of...

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  • S1 · E1
    Nov 15, 2022 · 43 min

    1. Rangers and 'Rinches'

    On the first episode of “White Hats,” we visit the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum in Waco, searching for how the Rangers became such enduring Texan symbols. Then we drive to the Rio Grande Valley, where historian Trinidad Gonzales recalls the...

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  • Nov 1, 2022 · 4 min

    Introducing White Hats

    From Texas Monthly comes a story of the Wild West, the first American superheroes, the legendary riders in white hats, Los Diablos Tejanos—the Texas Rangers. “White Hats” tells the true history of these larger-than-life rangers, who have become one of...

    • Transcript
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