>> THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE
DEPARTMENT WAS CREATED 50 YEARS
AGO WHEN THE GAME AND FISH
COMMISSION AND STATE PARKS
BOARD WERE MERGED.
TO MARK THIS ANNIVERSARY WE TAKE
A LOOK THROUGH THE ARCHIVES TO
SEE HOW THINGS HAVE CHANGED
AND STAYED THE SAME
ACROSS THE DECADES.
(music)
>> I STARTED TO WORK 30 YEARS
AGO THIS JUNE AT 90 DOLLARS A
MONTH AND 75 DOLLARS FOR THE
USE OF MY PRIVATE AUTOMOBILE.
WASN'T A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY
BUT THOSE WERE THE
GOOD OLD DAYS.
>> WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS
LOOKING BACK AT THE FILM?
>> I KNEW ALL OF THEM.
YOU KNOW, I THOUGHT THOSE WERE
THE GOOD OLD DAYS BACK THEN.
WE WERE STILL IN THE KIND OF THE
OLD STYLE OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.
WE DROVE OUR OWN CARS.
WE DIDN'T HAVE RADIOS,
CERTAINLY NO CELL PHONES.
THERE WAS NO WAY
TO SUMMONS HELP.
IF THEY GOT INTO TROUBLE WITH A
BUNCH OF HUNTERS OR ANYBODY,
BANK ROBBERS, WHOEVER,
THEN THEY WERE OUT THERE
ON THEIR OWN.
>> I STARTED TO WORK IN '53
AND 220 DOLLARS A MONTH.
I WAS A LITTLE MORE FORTUNATE
THAN YOU FELLOWS.
THEY SUPPLIED UNIFORMS
AT THAT TIME.
AND I WAS DRIVING MY OWN CAR
AT 6 CENTS A MILE.
>> WELL 6 CENTS A MILE WOULDN'T
COVER ALL OF THE COSTS OF
OPERATING A VEHICLE,
ESPECIALLY OUT WHERE
GAME WARDENS WORKED
AND THAT'S IN THE COUNTRY
OUT ON DIRT ROADS, BRUSH.
BACK THEN GAME WARDENS FURNISHED
THEIR OWN VEHICLES,
OWN MAINTENANCE,
THEIR OWN GASOLINE.
IN ADDITION THEY HAD TO
FURNISH THEIR OWN FIREARMS.
>> STATE GAME WARDEN.
PLACE YOUR HANDS ON THE
TAILGATE OF THE PICKUP PLEASE.
>> IF THEY NEEDED ANYTHING ELSE,
>> NICE LOOKING BUCK
YOU HAVE THERE.
>> HANDCUFFS OR ANYTHING THEN
THEY HAD TO PROVIDE THAT
THEMSELVES.
THE DEPARTMENT DIDN'T FURNISH
ANYTHING EXCEPT A BADGE
AND A LAW BOOK.
>> AFTERNOON!
>> THE AREA THAT THEY WORKED WAS
SO HUGE AT THAT TIME THAT IT'S
NOT EVEN COMPARABLE TO A
GAME WARDEN'S AREA OF
RESPONSIBILITY TODAY.
>> HE SHOULD ALWAYS BE A
GENTLEMAN UNLESS THE SITUATION
DEMANDS OTHERWISE.
THEN HE MUST BE CAPABLE OF
TAKING CARE OF HIMSELF
AND ALWAYS IN CONTROL.
>> BACK THEN YOU WERE JUST ON
YOUR OWN, EITHER CATCH 'EM
OR NOT CATCH 'EM,
ONE OR THE OTHER.
AND THE BIG PROBLEM WAS THAT
WHEN THE DEPARTMENT STARTED
FURNISHING VEHICLES IN 1961,
THEY BOUGHT SIX CYLINDER FORDS
AND THOSE THINGS AT TOP SPEED
I EVER HEARD OF WAS
81 MILES AN HOUR.
AND VERY OFTEN THE LAWS BREAKER
DIDN'T EVEN KNOW HE'D
BEEN IN A CHASE.
I MEAN HE'D JUST DRIVE AT
NORMAL SPEEDS AND OUTRUN
THE GAME WARDEN.
>> THAT'S HOW WE USED
TO STOP CARS.
NOT EVERYBODY HAD RED LIGHTS
AND SIRENS AND THAT
SORT OF THING.
SO THE DEPARTMENT FURNISHED
FLAGS LIKE THAT AND WE WOULD
STAND OUT AND HOLD THEM OUT
AND PEOPLE WOULD STOP.
THAT'S THE ONLY THING WE HAD!
>> THE TEXAS COAST LINE IS THE
THIRD LONGEST IN THE NATION.
IT'S THE DUTY OF THE TEXAS PARKS
AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT'S
GAME WARDENS TO ENFORCE THE
LAWS CONCERNING HUNTING,
FISHING AND WATER SAFETY IN THIS
AREA JUST AS THEY DO INLAND.
>> IN CORPUS CHRISTI, I WAS
STATIONED THERE FOR 11 YEARS,
AND WE PICKED UP LOTS OF NETS,
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF FEET
EVERY YEAR.
THEY'D SET THOSE NETS OUT THERE
AND CATCH JUST BUSHELS
AND BUSHELS OF BLACK DRUM
AND THEN TROUT AND REDFISH.
THE NUMBERS STARTED TO DECLINE.
THAT'S WHEN SPORTSMEN FINALLY
WOKE UP TO WHAT WAS GOING ON
AND REALLY COOPERATED WITH THE
STATE IN PASSING A GOOD LAW
AND PROVIDING THE MEANS
OF ENFORCING IT.
(telephone rings)
>> YES, JUST A MINUTE.
IT'S FOR YOU.
>> GAME WARDEN WIVES ARE REALLY
A BOON TO THE DEPARTMENT.
THEY SPENT A LOT OF TIME
ANSWERING CALLS, GIVING OUT
INFORMATION, OPERATING RADIO.
>> I'LL BE RIGHT OUT.
BYE NOW.
>> AREN'T YOU GOING TO EAT
SUPPER WITH US FIRST?
>> I GOT TO GO TO WORK NOW.
SEE Y'ALL LATER.
>> AND THEY WOULD DISPATCH
GAME WARDENS.
EVEN IF IT DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING
TO DO WITH THEIR HUSBAND,
THEY WOULD DISPATCH FOR
OTHER GAME GAME WARDENS.
AND THEY WERE REALLY JUST
A FREE SOURCE OF LABOR.
>> ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR...
THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE
DEPARTMENT OPERATES ONE OF THE
TOUGHEST TRAINING ACADEMIES
IN THE UNITED STATES.
THE GAME WARDENS OF THE TEXAS
PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT
ARE A DEDICATED GROUP OF MEN.
>> BACK THEN THE BIGGEST
CONCERN OF COURSE WAS
FEMALE GAME WARDENS.
EVERYBODY THOUGHT THERE WOULD BE
HOMES WRECKED AND THINGS WOULD
GO DOWN THE TUBES.
THAT DID NOT HAPPEN.
IN FACT I PINNED THE BADGE
ON THE VERY FIRST ONE.
>> IS THIS WORKING OUT ALRIGHT?
YOU DOING OKAY?
BRINGING BACK GOOD MEMORIES OF
THESE CHARACTERS WATCHING IT?
>> OH YEAH, ANY GAME WARDEN WHO
HAS BEEN ON FOR ANY LENGTH OF
TIME HAS STORIES LIKE THAT.
>> I'M GOING TO TELL YOU A
LITTLE STORY ABOUT,
IT'S A TRUE STORY.
NOT A BIG STORY
BUT A TRUE STORY.
I TRIED TO CATCH THEM AFTER
SEVERAL WEEKS I WENT OUT ON
HORSEBACK ONE NIGHT, A COLD,
MISTY NIGHT.
AND I WALKED OVER AND POURED IT
ON HIS NETS AND SET THEM
ON FIRE.
AND HE WENT BACK INTO TOWN
AND SAID "I MET SOMETHING DOWN
ON THE CREEK TODAY."
HE SAID "THAT FELLOW'S
"SOMETHING ELSE.
"HE NOT ONLY TOOK MY NETS
"AWAY FROM ME.
"HE GOT MY GASOLINE
AND BURNED THEM UP."
>> THERE'S LOTS OF STORIES STILL
FLOATING AROUND.
(music)
>> I'M LIKE THE REST OF YOU.
WHEN YOU TELL THESE STORIES
THROUGH THE YEARS THERE'S
USUALLY SO MANY HUMOROUS ONES
IT'S HARD TO SAY WHICH ONE MIGHT
BE THE FUNNIEST AFTER ALL.
>> YOU KNOW THERE'S SO MANY
STORIES OUT THERE THAT PEOPLE
TELL ON GAME WARDENS AND GAME
WARDENS TELL ON THEMSELVES.
IT'S REALLY NICE TO REMEMBER
ALL OF THOSE TIMES.
>> THE TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE
DEPARTMENT IS PROUD OF THESE
OFFICERS OF THE OUTDOORS,
THE TEXAS GAME WARDEN.
(music)