The Truth About the Texas Rangers They Don’t Want You to Know

The Untold Truth About Slavery in Texas

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Following World War II, the government recognized the need for soldiers trained in tank-destroying tactics, leading to the establishment of Fort Hood as a permanent military installation in 1950. This process involved taking 160,000 acres of land from local residents. Efforts are needed to identify the individuals who lost their land during this process.

The US military illegally confiscated some of the best farmland in the region which resulted in a shift from an agricultural economy to its current military-industrial complex. Racial violence and terror became prevalent in Bell County with historical documentation noting incidents of lynchings in 1911, 1915, and 1920.

History of Killeen

Killeen was founded in an area rich in agricultural resources, making it a lucrative region for farming and profitable agricultural shipping. Approximately 41% to 50% of Bell County consisted of prime farmland, along with abundant mineral deposits such as limestone, oil and gas, sand and gravel, and dolomite.

When African slaves arrived in Spanish Texas in 1528, they were captured by the Coahuiltecan tribe of Native Americans. Due to the influx of Anglos, The number of slaves in Mexican Texas tripled. In 1792, there were only 34 Blacks and 414 Mulattos residing in Bell County. Texas remained under Spanish rule until 1821, and then the state joined the Union as a slave state in 1845.

Bell County was established in 1850, but even before its creation, a significant population of former slaves lived there, comprising 25% of the county’s population. The 1850 Slave Schedule included records from Bell, Milam, and Williamson counties. Belton, located in Bell County, was the third-largest town in the county.

By 1860, Bell County had a population of 3,794 Whites and 1,005 Blacks. During Reconstruction, in 1868, Bell County openly opposed (and resented the successful) reconstruction efforts of Freedmen.

The county formed a vigilante group, akin to the Ku Klux Klan, called Texas Rangers. Unlike the characters in the popular CBS show starring Chuck Norris, Texas Rangers incited racial violence…