NPR told me last night that the Lone Ranger is 75 years old, and I finally found out how the Lone Ranger came about. He was a Texas Ranger, who was ambushed while with a group of other Texas Rangers. They were all killed, including his brother, but he survived…just. Tonto comes along and finds him lying wounded among the bodies of his fellow Rangers. Tonto had earlier been saved by the not-yet Lone Ranger and, of course, saves him. The Lone Ranger adopts the mask so his identity remains secret while he hunts down the murderers.