The Arizona Rangers are a non-commissioned civilian auxiliary that supports law enforcement in the state of
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
.
In 2002, the modern-day Arizona Rangers were officially recognized by the State of Arizona when the Legislature passed Arizona Revised Statute (ARS) 41-4201 authorizing the Arizona Rangers to provide armed law enforcement assistance to any Local, State, Federal or Tribal
law enforcement
Law enforcement is the activity of some members of the government or other social institutions who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by investigating, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules and norms gove ...
agency in Arizona, which was then signed into law by Governor
Jane Hull amending ARS Title 41 – State Government. In addition, the Arizona Rangers are exempt from private security regulations under ARS 32-2606 authorizing the Rangers to provide armed public safety services for a variety of nonprofit organizations.
In 1901, the Arizona Rangers were created to rid the
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona, commonly known as the Arizona Territory, was a territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863, until February 14, 1912, when the remaining extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the ...
of outlaws and corruption. At the time, the Territory was very dangerous. The United States Congress had denied the Governor's application for Arizona to become a State in part because there was no law and order. The Rangers were well-trained, well-equipped, and very effective at apprehending even the most dangerous of outlaws, evolving into one of the finest law enforcement agencies in the country. Modeled after the
Texas Rangers, the Arizona Rangers were tasked with hunting down and arresting
outlaw
An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...
s in the Territory, especially along the
Mexican border. By 1908, most of the outlaws had been arrested, killed, or had fled into Mexico. The Rangers were disbanded for political reasons in 1909. Shortly afterward, Arizona became the 48th state.
The Rangers were resurrected again in 1957 and continue to serve the State of Arizona today. They receive no governmental funding, with each Ranger paying for their own training and equipment.
Police departments often call in the Rangers to assist with tasks such as traffic control, surveillance, crime scene preservation, court security, and prisoner transportation. Each hour a Ranger donates allows those police officers extra time to protect each other and the communities they serve. For smaller agencies, the Rangers are a
force multiplier and work alongside local law enforcement performing a variety of tasks. School Districts have called upon the Arizona Rangers to provide Resource Officers at several schools throughout the State. Arizona Rangers may exercise powers of arrest under ARS 13–3884, arrest by private person. However, while working certain duties (for example, court security and prisoner transportation) or at the direction and under the authority of requesting agencies, the Arizona Rangers do have full
arrest authority.
In many circumstances, Rangers Train-to-Task to support the functions of a specific law enforcement duty, such as working with the railroad police. For example, the Tucson Company of the Arizona Rangers operates as an enhanced law enforcement assist group. Those Rangers complete additional training and physical conditioning and are then approved by the requesting agency to perform specialized support services, such as saturation patrol and second man in car while responding to calls for service.
History
First Territorial Rangers
The Territorial Governor created the Arizona Rangers in 1901. The Arizona Rangers were created to rid the territory of crime and corruption so Arizona could become a State. The Arizona Rangers are often confused with similar-sounding groups formed in the early 1860s; however, there is no connection. The first Territorial Rangers were organized to police the new gold boomtowns and mining camps in the western half of the New Mexico Territory that arose after the first gold strike in 1858 in
Gila City.
The Original Arizona Rangers
Originally, only one company was authorized, consisting of a
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
, a
sergeant
Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
and not more than twelve
privates, but, in 1903, the force was increased to twenty-six men. The Rangers, many of whom in the early years were veterans of
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
's
Rough Riders
The Rough Riders was a nickname given to the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish–American War and the only one to see combat. The United States Army was small, understaffed, and diso ...
, were skilled horsemen, trackers and marksmen. Though originally intended to be covert, the group became widely publicized and conspicuous, sported their badges boldly, and were distinctively well-armed.
In addition to dealing with
rustlers, and other outlaws, the Rangers were called on to deal with several large
strike
Strike may refer to:
People
*Strike (surname)
* Hobart Huson, author of several drug related books
Physical confrontation or removal
*Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm
* Airstrike, ...
s by Mexican workers at
mines in Arizona and
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...
,
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
. During the
Cananea Riot in 1906, managers of the mine stampeded horses and fired shots into a crowd of striking Mexican miners, killing two. The Mexicans retaliated, burning a building with four Americans trapped inside. In response, and against the Governor's orders, Captain
Thomas H. Rynning joined a civilian
posse of 275 men and rode to Cananea to assist Mexican Federal Troops and state mounted police. Tensions flared and shots were fired. When the smoke cleared, more than twenty-five men, both Mexican and American lay dead.
On February 15, 1909, the Arizona legislature repealed the act establishing the Arizona Rangers. During the seven years of its operations, 107 men served with the Rangers. The vote to disband was vetoed by
Republican Governor
A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
Joseph Henry Kibbey, but the
Democratic-dominated assembly overrode the veto, backed by political pressure from county sheriffs and district attorneys in northern Arizona.
After the Arizona Rangers disbanded, many of the former Rangers stayed in law enforcement.
Harry C. Wheeler
Harry Cornwall Wheeler (July 23, 1875 – December 17, 1925) was an Arizona lawman who was the third captain of the Arizona Rangers, as well as the sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona, Cochise County, serving from 1912 into 1918. He is known as t ...
was elected
sheriff
A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...
of
Cochise County and Thomas Rynning became the
prison warden
The warden ( US, Canada) or governor ( UK, Australia), also known as a superintendent (US, South Asia) or director (UK, New Zealand), is the official who is in charge of a prison.
Name
In the United States, Mexico, and Canada, warden is the m ...
in
Yuma, Arizona
Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. The city's population was 95,548 at the 2020 census, up from the 2010 census population of 93,064.
Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona, Metropolitan ...
.
Seven former Rangers reunited in 1940 to ride together in the Prescott Rodeo Parade. In 1955, the Arizona legislature authorized a $100 monthly
pension
A pension (; ) is a fund into which amounts are paid regularly during an individual's working career, and from which periodic payments are made to support the person's retirement from work. A pension may be either a " defined benefit plan", wh ...
for former Rangers who had served at least six months and who still lived in Arizona. Five men qualified for this pension.
William MacLeod Raine wrote the following about crime in Arizona Territory and the effectiveness of the Arizona Rangers in a 1905 edition of
Pearson's Magazine:
The Modern Arizona Rangers
In 1957 a nonprofit organization called the Arizona Rangers was organized, founded with the assistance of four former members of the agency. The modern Arizona Rangers were officially recognized by the state of Arizona in 2002, when Arizona Governor
Jane Hull signed Legislative Act 41–4201. The purpose of this act was "to recognize the Arizona Rangers, who formed in 1901, disbanded in 1909 and reestablished in 1957 by original Arizona Rangers." The recognition by the State of Arizona gives no law enforcement authority to the organization. Members of the organization receive 24 hours of initial training and then ongoing monthly training. Rangers are required to qualify to Arizona Peace Officers Standard of Training (AZPOST) with their firearms, batons, Tasers, handcuffs, and OC spray.
The present-day Arizona Rangers are an unpaid, all-volunteer, law enforcement support and assistance civilian nonprofit organization in the state of Arizona. They fulfill a three-point mission: 1. Law Enforcement support, by working co-operatively at the request of and under the direction, control, and supervision of established law enforcement officials and officers; 2. Government and non-profit security services; and 3. Youth support and community services. All aspects of their mission preserve the tradition, honor, and history of the original Arizona Rangers.

The Rangers operate throughout the State of Arizona, but use about 22 Companies that operate semi-independently as local geography and community needs dictate while operating within the guidelines of a statewide organization. Each Company has a Captain who is a member of the Board of Governors and operationally reports to an Area Commander. So while there is only one Arizona Rangers organization, the Company Captains have latitude to make adjustments as to how their Company fulfills the mission in their local area.
When an applicant applies to become a Ranger, a full background investigation and a physical fitness test are performed to ensure qualified candidates are selected. When an applicant is accepted, they are placed on probation until they complete all requirements, which includes the Arizona Ranger Training Academy, a minimum of 24 hours of supervised duty with a field training officer, a minimum of 90 days on probation status, and meet any other requirements placed upon them by the company.
Leadership
The first captain of the Arizona Rangers was
Burton C. Mossman of
Bisbee, Arizona
Bisbee is a city in and the county seat of Cochise County, Arizona, Cochise County in southeastern Arizona, United States. It is southeast of Tucson, Arizona, Tucson and north of the Mexican border. According to the 2020 United States census, ...
. Mossman, who had previously been manager of the
Aztec Land and Cattle Company in northern Arizona, had some success in controlling
rustling of his company's cattle.
In July 1902, after successfully recruiting and organizing the original Rangers, Mossman resigned to return to
ranching
A ranch (from /Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm. These terms are most often applied to li ...
. He was replaced by
Thomas H. Rynning. The third and last commander of the Arizona Rangers was
Harry C. Wheeler
Harry Cornwall Wheeler (July 23, 1875 – December 17, 1925) was an Arizona lawman who was the third captain of the Arizona Rangers, as well as the sheriff of Cochise County, Arizona, Cochise County, serving from 1912 into 1918. He is known as t ...
.
In general, the men of the Arizona Rangers were extremely capable; their exploits were widely reported by the newspapers of the day. Many of these reports are collected in the book, ''The Arizona Rangers,'' edited by Joseph Miller.
Uniforms and insignia
Arizona Rangers were not issued standardized uniforms, as they were originally intended to operate undercover.
Badge
A badge is a device or accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and fir ...
s of the Arizona Rangers, which were first issued in 1903 were solid silver five-pointed ball-tipped stars, lettered in blue enamel with engravings etched in blue, and are a valuable collectible. An officer's badge was engraved with the Ranger's name, while badges for enlisted men were numbered. Upon resignation, a Ranger returned his badge, which was then available to be assigned to a new Ranger.
Similar agencies
The Arizona Rangers had been preceded by the organization of the Arizona Territorial Rangers in 1860. This group was formed by the Provisional Territorial Government, principally to protect against
Apache
The Apache ( ) are several Southern Athabaskan language-speaking peoples of the Southwestern United States, Southwest, the Southern Plains and Northern Mexico. They are linguistically related to the Navajo. They migrated from the Athabascan ho ...
raids. The intent was to have three companies of Territorial Rangers, two were formed in the mining camp of
Pinos Altos, known as the "
Arizona Guards" and the "
Minute Men", and another, the "Arizona Rangers", in
Mesilla by Captain James Henry Tevis.
With the arrival of Baylor's
Confederate Army
The Confederate States Army (CSA), also called the Confederate army or the Southern army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fi ...
in
Mesilla and his declaration of a
Confederate Territory of Arizona in early 1862, the Arizona Territorial Rangers were disbanded by Captain Tevis who joined
San Elizario Spy Company in the Confederate Army. The Confederate Territorial Governor, General Baylor eventually saw the need for the rangers also and formed
Company A, Arizona Rangers
The Company A, Arizona Rangers (also known as "Oury's Company, Herbert's Battalion, Arizona Cavalry") was a Cavalry in the American Civil War, cavalry formation of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.
Origin of the Arizo ...
as the first of three companies for the defense of Arizona Territory. It was commanded by Captain
Sherod Hunter and Second Lieutenant James Henry Tevis. The Arizona Rangers were sent to
Tucson
Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...
to defend western Arizona Territory. When the
California Column drove the Confederates out of Arizona Territory, plans for organizing the Arizona Rangers were put off for years.
In the early 1880s, Arizona was not only having an
Indian war, but border crimes and killings were making Arizona unfit to live in. Upon taking office, Governor
Frederick Augustus Tritle faced a problem of lawlessness within the territory caused by outlaw cowboys and hostile natives. On April 24, 1882, he authorized formation of the 1st Company of Arizona Rangers in
Tombstone
A gravestone or tombstone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. A marker set at the head of the grave may be called a headstone. An especially old or elaborate stone slab may be called a funeral stele, stela, or slab. The us ...
making John H. Jackson its captain. They were to be similar to Texas Rangers and combat
outlaw
An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them. ...
s and hostile Indians. His first assignment to the Rangers was to scout near the border of the territory for Indians, and for those who recently killed a teamster there. The Rangers Captain was only able to pay the first months wages, and the Governor despite his best efforts was never able to get them funded by the Territorial Legislature or Congress. On May 20, he wrote Johnston informing them they should continue until the end of the month when their pay ran out. Following the
Earp Vendetta Ride and the departure of the Earps lawlessness in the area seems to have quieted.
The analogous agency in the
Territory of New Mexico, organized in 1905, was called the
New Mexico Mounted Patrol
The New Mexico Mounted Patrol is an all-volunteer state law enforcement agency. Mounted Patrol Troopers complete an intensive night/weekend academy and must meet the same strict requirements as any peace officer in New Mexico. State statutes dic ...
. Across the Mexican border in northern
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...
was a similar law enforcement agency called the
Guardia Rural, colloquially known as the
rurales. This group is often confused with another group often referred to with the same colloquialism, the Guardia Fiscal, which was commanded by a Russian, Colonel
Emilio Kosterlitzky, who cooperated closely with the Rangers.
Another group known as the Arizona Rangers is based in Tucson and is part of Missouri Western Shooters.
Popular culture
''
The Arizona Ranger'', a low-budget black-and-white film produced by
RKO, was released in 1948, starring
Jack Holt and his son
Tim Holt.
In the 1976 film ''
The Last Hard Men'', actor
Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Cinema of the United States, Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction f ...
portrayed Captain Sam Burgade, a retired Captain of the Arizona Rangers who pursues the ruthless outlaw who has escaped from prison and kidnapped Burgade's daughter for revenge. Burgade had been the arresting officer for the crime that sent the outlaw to prison.
An Arizona Ranger is featured in the song, "
Big Iron", in
Western singer Marty Robbins
Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American country and western singer and songwriter. He was one of the most popular and successful singers of his genre for most o ...
' album ''
Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs''. The song was re-recorded by
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...
in 2002 and later used in ''
Fallout: New Vegas''.
The
television series
A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
''
26 Men'', aired from 1957 to 1959, told the stories of the Arizona Rangers.
The Arizona Territorial Rangers Reenactment Group, headquartered in
Netcong, New Jersey
Netcong is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in southwestern Morris County, New Jersey, Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 3,375, an increase of 143 (+4.4%) from the 20 ...
, is a
historical reenactment
Historical reenactment (or re-enactment) is an educational entertainment, educational or entertainment activity in which mainly amateur hobbyists and history enthusiasts dress in historical uniforms and follow a plan to recreate aspects of a histor ...
group.
In the video for
Toby Keith
Toby Keith Covel (July 8, 1961 – February 5, 2024) was an American country music singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and businessman.
Keith released his chart-topping debut single, "Should've Been a Cowboy", in 1993. During the 1990s ...
's song, "
Beer For My Horses",
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...
portrays a retired Arizona Ranger.
Western Author:
Ralph Cotton has penned over thirty adventure novels starring fictional Arizona Territory Ranger Sam Burrack.
The Arizona-based Desert Rangers are featured as the protagonists of the
Wasteland video game series, and are named for, and modelled after, the Arizona and Texas Rangers, though the group was formed from an Army National Guard unit.
Fallen Rangers
During the tenure of the Arizona Rangers, three officers died in the line of duty.
See also
*
List of Arizona Rangers
*
List of law enforcement agencies in Arizona
*
Texas Rangers
*
California Rangers
The California Rangers was a paramilitary state police force in California, United States, established in May 1853 and disestablished in August of the same year. It was the first statewide law enforcement agency in California. It was founded ...
*
Colorado Rangers
The Colorado Rangers Law Enforcement Shared Reserve (CLER), known publicly as the Colorado Rangers, is a statewide police agency in the U.S. state of Colorado. It is a statewide law enforcement reserve of sworn Peace Officer Standards and Traini ...
*
Indiana Rangers
*
New Mexico Mounted Patrol
The New Mexico Mounted Patrol is an all-volunteer state law enforcement agency. Mounted Patrol Troopers complete an intensive night/weekend academy and must meet the same strict requirements as any peace officer in New Mexico. State statutes dic ...
Notes
References
* Adapted from the
Wikinfo
The history of wikis began in 1994, when Ward Cunningham gave the name "WikiWikiWeb" to the knowledge base, which ran on his company's website at c2.com, and the wiki software that powered it.
The wiki went public in March 1995, the date used in ...
article, "Arizona Rangers" https://web.archive.org/web/20070713010922/http://www.internet-encyclopedia.org/wiki.phtml?title=Arizona_Rangers March 6, 2004
Further reading
* DeSoucy, M. David, ''Arizona Rangers'', Arcadia Publishing, 2008,
* Miller, Joseph, editor, ''The Arizona Rangers'', Hastings House, 1975, hardcover, 268 pages,
* O'Neal, Bill, ''The Arizona Rangers'', Eakin Press, 1987,
* Moyer, Geff, ''Billy Old, Arizona Ranger'', Sunstone Press, Santa Fe, NM, 2016, 269 pages,
External links
Official website
{{Authority control
History of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...
American frontier
1901 establishments in Arizona Territory
Military units and formations established in 1901