Arizona Rangers
Encyclopedia
The Arizona Rangers is an Arizona
law enforcement agency
modeled on the Texas Rangers
. The Arizona Rangers were created by the Arizona Territorial Legislature
in 1901, disbanded in 1909, and subsequently reformed in 1957. They were created to deal with the infestations of outlaw
s in the sparsely populated Territory of Arizona, especially along the Mexican border. The rangers were an elite, well-trained, and originally a secretive agency mounted on quality horses and well equipped with modern weapons at the state's expense. The rangers were very effective in apprehending members of outlaw bands, often surprising them by descending on them without warning.
's Rough Riders
, 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
s by Mexican workers at mine
s in Arizona and at a mine at Cananea, in Sonora
, Mexico
. Contemporary news reports in the New York Times on June 3, 1906 reported that on June 1, 1906 strikers destroyed a lumber mill and killed two brothers who were defending the mine. In all, twenty three people were killed and twenty-two others were wounded or injured. Responding to a telegraphed plea from Colonel
William Cornell Greene
of the Greene Consolidated Copper Company, a posse
of 275 volunteers from Bisbee
, Douglas
and Naco
Arizona
, commanded by Captain Thomas H. Rynning
of the Arizona Rangers, entered Mexico against the orders of Joseph Henry Kibbey
Governor of Arizona Territory, and at the invitation of Rafael Yzabel, the Governor of Sonora
, reinforced the Sonoran rurales
. Mexican troops were reported en route to the city. Four troops of the 5th Cavalry
, en route from Fort Huachuca
, were held at Naco, Arizona
on the border on the orders of President
William Howard Taft
. According to Colonel Greene the "trouble was incited by a Socialistic organization that has been formed by malcontents opposed to the Diaz
government."
On February 15, 1909 the act establishing the Arizona Rangers was repealed. During the seven and a half years of its existence, 107 men served with the rangers. The vote to disband was vetoed by Republican
Territorial Governor Joseph Henry Kibbey
, but the Democratic
-dominated assembly overrode the veto, backed by political pressure from county sheriffs and district attorneys in northern Arizona.
The Officer Down Memorial Page
website lists one member of the Arizona Rangers, Carlos Tofolla, killed in the line of duty on October 8, 1901 during the Battleground Gunfight
. In reality, there were two killed in the line of duty, the second being Jeff Kidder
, who died on April 5, 1908 as a result of a gunfight days earlier. A former member of the Arizona Rangers was also killed in 1908 while serving as a Nevada Deputy Sherriff
After the Arizona Rangers disbanded, many of the former Rangers stayed in law enforcement. Harry Wheeler
became the sheriff
of Cochise County
. Tom Rynning
was a prison warden in Yuma, Arizona
.
Seven former Rangers reunited in 1940 to ride together in the Prescott Rodeo Parade and in 1955, Arizona authorized a $100 monthly pension
for former Rangers who had served at least six months and who still lived in Arizona. Five men qualified for this pension.
in the State of Arizona who work co-operatively at the request of and under the direction, control, and supervision of established law enforcement officials and officers. They also provide youth support and community service and work to preserve the tradition, honor, and history of the original Arizona Rangers.
. Mossman, who had previously been manager of the 2 million acres (8,093.7 km²) Aztec Land and Cattle Co, also called the "Hash Knife outfit", in northern Arizona near Holbrook
and Winslow
, had some success in controlling rustling of his company's cattle.
In July, 1902 after successfully recruiting and organizing the original Rangers, Mossman resigned, returning to the cattle business and was replaced by Thomas H. Rynning
. The third and last commander of the Arizona Rangers was Harry C. Wheeler
.
In general the men of the Arizona Rangers were extremely capable men whose exploits were extensively reported by the newspapers of the day. Many of these reports are collected in the book, The Arizona Rangers edited by Joseph Miller. A tale of at least one bad apple, Sergeant Jeff Kidder, who exchanged gunfire with Mexican police in Naco, Sonora
while intoxicated, is also recorded, as is the story of Manuel Sarabia, a Mexican revolutionary.
Badge
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.
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 Baylors Confederate Army 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
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 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
making John H. Jackson its Captain. They were to be similar to Texas Rangers and combat outlaw
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 Police. Across the Mexican border in northern Sonora
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.
and his son Tim Holt
.
The Arizona Rangers were featured in the song, "Big Iron
", in Western singer Marty Robbins
' album "Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
". The last surviving Arizona Ranger, John R. Clarke, died in 1982 at the age of ninety-seven.
The syndicated
western
television series, 26 Men
, aired from 1957–1959, focuses on true exploits of the Arizona Rangers. It stars Tristram Coffin as Ranger Thomas H. Rynning.
The Arizona Territorial Rangers Reenactment Group, headquartered in Netcong, New Jersey
, is a historical reenactment
group.
In the music video for "Beer For My Horses" by Toby Keith featuring Willy Nelson, an Arizona Rangers badge is seen sitting on a shelf.
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
law enforcement agency
Law enforcement agency
In North American English, a law enforcement agency is a government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.Outside North America, such organizations are called police services. In North America, some of these services are called police while others have other names In North American...
modeled on the Texas Rangers
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
. The Arizona Rangers were created by the Arizona Territorial Legislature
Arizona Territorial Legislature
The Arizona Territorial Legislature was the legislative body of Arizona Territory. It was a bicameral legislature consisting of a lower house, the House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Council. Created by the Arizona Organic Act, the legislature initially consisted of nine members in...
in 1901, disbanded in 1909, and subsequently reformed in 1957. They were created to deal with the infestations of outlaw
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
s in the sparsely populated Territory of Arizona, especially along the Mexican border. The rangers were an elite, well-trained, and originally a secretive agency mounted on quality horses and well equipped with modern weapons at the state's expense. The rangers were very effective in apprehending members of outlaw bands, often surprising them by descending on them without warning.
History
Originally, only one company was authorized, consisting of a captain, a sergeant and not more than twelve privates. In 1903, the authorized force was increased to twenty-six. The rangers, many of whom in the early years were veterans of Theodore RooseveltTheodore Roosevelt
Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was the 26th President of the United States . He is noted for his exuberant personality, range of interests and achievements, and his leadership of the Progressive Movement, as well as his "cowboy" persona and robust masculinity...
's Rough Riders
Rough Riders
The Rough Riders is the name bestowed on the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish-American War and the only one of the three to see action. The United States Army was weakened and left with little manpower after the American Civil War...
, 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
Cattle raiding
Cattle raiding is the act of stealing cattle.In Australia, such stealing is often referred to as duffing, and the person as a duffer...
, and other outlaws, the rangers were called on to deal with several large strike
Labor unrest
Labor unrest is a term used by employers or those generally in the business community to describe organizing and strike actions undertaken by labor unions, especially where labor disputes become violent or where industrial actions in which members of a workforce obstruct the normal process of...
s by Mexican workers at mine
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
s in Arizona and at a mine at Cananea, in Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Contemporary news reports in the New York Times on June 3, 1906 reported that on June 1, 1906 strikers destroyed a lumber mill and killed two brothers who were defending the mine. In all, twenty three people were killed and twenty-two others were wounded or injured. Responding to a telegraphed plea from Colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
William Cornell Greene
William Cornell Greene
William Cornell Greene was an American businessman, who was famous for discovering rich copper reserves in Cananea, Mexico and founded the Greene Consolidated Copper Company in 1899. By 1905, William Greene was one of the wealthiest businessmen in the world.- Early life :Greene was born in Duck...
of the Greene Consolidated Copper Company, a posse
Posse comitatus (common law)
Posse comitatus or sheriff's posse is the common-law or statute law authority of a county sheriff or other law officer to conscript any able-bodied males to assist him in keeping the peace or to pursue and arrest a felon, similar to the concept of the "hue and cry"...
of 275 volunteers from Bisbee
Bisbee, Arizona
Bisbee is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, 82 miles southeast of Tucson. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 6,177...
, Douglas
Douglas, Arizona
Douglas is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. Douglas has a border crossing with Mexico and a history of mining.The population was 14,312 at the 2000 census...
and Naco
Naco, Arizona
Naco is a census-designated place in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. Its population was 833 at the 2000 census. It is across the United States–Mexico border from Naco, Sonora. The Naco port of entry is open 24 hours per day....
Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, commanded by Captain Thomas H. Rynning
Thomas H. Rynning
Thomas H. Rynning was an American law enforcement officer, warden of Yuma Territorial Prison and a captain in the Arizona Rangers, serving as head of the organization from 1902 to 1907.-Biography:...
of the Arizona Rangers, entered Mexico against the orders of Joseph Henry Kibbey
Joseph Henry Kibbey
Joseph Henry Kibbey was an American politician, who most notably served as Governor of Arizona Territory from 1905 to 1909.-Early life:...
Governor of Arizona Territory, and at the invitation of Rafael Yzabel, the Governor of Sonora
Governor of Sonora
List of governors of Sonora since 1917:*2009–2015 Guillermo Padrés Elías*2003–2009 Eduardo Bours Castelo*1997–2003 Armando López Nogales*1991–1997 Manlio Fabio Beltrones Rivera*1991–1991 Mario Morúa Johnson...
, reinforced the Sonoran rurales
Rurales
Rurales was the name commonly used to designate the Mexican Guardia Rural : a force of mounted police or gendarmerie that existed between 1861 and 1914...
. Mexican troops were reported en route to the city. Four troops of the 5th Cavalry
U.S. 5th Cavalry Regiment
The 5th Cavalry Regiment is a historical unit of the United States Army that began its service in the decade prior to the American Civil War and continues in modified organizational format in the U.S. Army.-Nineteenth century:...
, en route from Fort Huachuca
Fort Huachuca
Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about north of the border with Mexico. Beginning in 1913, for 20 years the fort was the base for the "Buffalo...
, were held at Naco, Arizona
Naco, Arizona
Naco is a census-designated place in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. Its population was 833 at the 2000 census. It is across the United States–Mexico border from Naco, Sonora. The Naco port of entry is open 24 hours per day....
on the border on the orders of President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft was the 27th President of the United States and later the tenth Chief Justice of the United States...
. According to Colonel Greene the "trouble was incited by a Socialistic organization that has been formed by malcontents opposed to the Diaz
Porfirio Díaz
José de la Cruz Porfirio Díaz Mori was a Mexican-American War volunteer and French intervention hero, an accomplished general and the President of Mexico continuously from 1876 to 1911, with the exception of a brief term in 1876 when he left Juan N...
government."
On February 15, 1909 the act establishing the Arizona Rangers was repealed. During the seven and a half years of its existence, 107 men served with the rangers. The vote to disband was vetoed by Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Territorial Governor Joseph Henry Kibbey
Joseph Henry Kibbey
Joseph Henry Kibbey was an American politician, who most notably served as Governor of Arizona Territory from 1905 to 1909.-Early life:...
, but the Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
-dominated assembly overrode the veto, backed by political pressure from county sheriffs and district attorneys in northern Arizona.
The Officer Down Memorial Page
Officer Down Memorial Page
The Officer Down Memorial Page, Inc. is a non-profit organization that maintains a website listing American, Canadian, central European, Australian, and New Zealander law enforcement officers and prison officers who have died in the line of duty....
website lists one member of the Arizona Rangers, Carlos Tofolla, killed in the line of duty on October 8, 1901 during the Battleground Gunfight
Battleground Gunfight
The Battleground Gunfight was a shootout in 1901 between a posse of American lawmen and the Smith Gang. It occurred on the Fort Apache Reservation in Arizona at a clearing in the forest known today as "Battle Ground"...
. In reality, there were two killed in the line of duty, the second being Jeff Kidder
Jeff Kidder
Jeff Kidder was a little known police officer in the closing days of the American Old West. He is profiled in the book "Deadly Dozen", written by author Robert K...
, who died on April 5, 1908 as a result of a gunfight days earlier. A former member of the Arizona Rangers was also killed in 1908 while serving as a Nevada Deputy Sherriff
After the Arizona Rangers disbanded, many of the former Rangers stayed in law enforcement. Harry Wheeler
Harry C. Wheeler
Harry Cornwall Wheeler was an Arizona lawman who was the third and final captain of the Arizona Rangers and was elected sheriff of Cochise County.-Early life:...
became the sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Cochise County
Cochise County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*78.5% White*4.2% Black*1.2% Native American*1.9% Asian*0.3% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*4.0% Two or more races*9.6% Other races*32.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
. Tom Rynning
Thomas H. Rynning
Thomas H. Rynning was an American law enforcement officer, warden of Yuma Territorial Prison and a captain in the Arizona Rangers, serving as head of the organization from 1902 to 1907.-Biography:...
was a prison warden in Yuma, Arizona
Yuma, Arizona
Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....
.
Seven former Rangers reunited in 1940 to ride together in the Prescott Rodeo Parade and in 1955, Arizona authorized a $100 monthly pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
for former Rangers who had served at least six months and who still lived in Arizona. Five men qualified for this pension.
Modern-day Arizona Rangers
In 1957, a voluntary service organization called the Arizona Rangers was organized. Founded with the assistance of four former members of the original agency. The modern Arizona Rangers were officially recognized by the state of Arizona in 2002, when Arizona Governor Jane Hull signed Legislative Act 41. 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 present day Arizona Rangers are an unpaid, all volunteer, law enforcement support and assistance civilian auxiliary policeAuxiliary police
Auxiliary police or special constables in England) are usually the part-time reserves of a regular police force. They may be armed or unarmed. They may be unpaid volunteers or paid members of the police service with which they are affiliated...
in the State of Arizona who work co-operatively at the request of and under the direction, control, and supervision of established law enforcement officials and officers. They also provide youth support and community service and work to preserve the tradition, honor, and history of the original Arizona Rangers.
Leadership
The first Captain of the Arizona Rangers was Burton C. Mossman of Bisbee, ArizonaBisbee, Arizona
Bisbee is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, 82 miles southeast of Tucson. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 6,177...
. Mossman, who had previously been manager of the 2 million acres (8,093.7 km²) Aztec Land and Cattle Co, also called the "Hash Knife outfit", in northern Arizona near Holbrook
Holbrook, Arizona
-Historical events:*During 1881 & 1882, railroad tracks were laid down and a railroad station was built. The community was then named Holbrook after the first engineer of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad...
and Winslow
Winslow, Arizona
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 9,520 people, 2,754 households, and 1,991 families residing in the city. The population density was 773.1 people per square mile . There were 3,198 housing units at an average density of 259.7 per square mile...
, had some success in controlling rustling of his company's cattle.
In July, 1902 after successfully recruiting and organizing the original Rangers, Mossman resigned, returning to the cattle business and was replaced by Thomas H. Rynning
Thomas H. Rynning
Thomas H. Rynning was an American law enforcement officer, warden of Yuma Territorial Prison and a captain in the Arizona Rangers, serving as head of the organization from 1902 to 1907.-Biography:...
. The third and last commander of the Arizona Rangers was Harry C. Wheeler
Harry C. Wheeler
Harry Cornwall Wheeler was an Arizona lawman who was the third and final captain of the Arizona Rangers and was elected sheriff of Cochise County.-Early life:...
.
In general the men of the Arizona Rangers were extremely capable men whose exploits were extensively reported by the newspapers of the day. Many of these reports are collected in the book, The Arizona Rangers edited by Joseph Miller. A tale of at least one bad apple, Sergeant Jeff Kidder, who exchanged gunfire with Mexican police in Naco, Sonora
Naco, Sonora
Naco is a Mexican town and municipality located in the northeast part of Sonora state on the border with the United States. It is directly across from the unincorporated town of Naco, Arizona. The name Naco comes from the Opata language and means nopal cactus. The town saw fighting during the...
while intoxicated, is also recorded, as is the story of Manuel Sarabia, a Mexican revolutionary.
Uniforms and insignia
Arizona Rangers were not issued standardized uniforms, as they were originally intended to operate undercover.Badge
Badge
A badge is a device or fashion 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 , a sign of legitimate employment or student status, or as a simple...
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 1860 Provisional Territorial Government, principally to protect against ApacheApache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
raids. The intent was to have three companies of Territorial Rangers, two were formed in the mining camp of Pinos Altos
Pinos Altos, New Mexico
Pinos Altos, in Grant County, New Mexico, was a mining town, formed in 1860 following the discovery of gold in the nearby Pinos Altos Mountains. The town site is located about five to ten miles north of the present day Silver City, New Mexico...
, known as the (Arizona Guards and the Minute Men, and another, the Arizona Rangers, in Mesilla
Mesilla, New Mexico
Mesilla is a town in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,180 at the 2000 census...
by Captain James Henry Tevis.
With the arrival of Baylors Confederate Army in Mesilla
Mesilla, New Mexico
Mesilla is a town in Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,180 at the 2000 census...
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
San Elizario Spy Company
The San Elizario Spy Company or Coopwood Spy Company was an Independent Volunteer Company of cavalry formed by Captain Bethel Coopwood and mustered into Confederate service on July 11, 1861 in El Paso, Texas. It had four officers, eight NCOs and 36 personnel, some from California but most from the...
in the Confederate Army. The Confederate Territorial Governor, General Baylor eventually saw the need for the rangers also and formed Company A, Arizona Rangers
Company A, Arizona Rangers
Company A, Arizona Rangers was one of the Confederate military units raised in the Confederate Arizona Territory.- Origin of the Arizona Rangers :...
as the first of three companies for the defense of Arizona Territory. It was commanded by Captain Sherod Hunter
Sherod Hunter
Sherod Hunter was the commander of the Confederate unit operating against Union Army forces in present day Arizona during the American Civil War...
and Second Lieutenant James Henry Tevis. The Arizona Rangers were sent to Tucson to defend western Arizona Territory. When the California Column
California Column
The California Column, a force of Union volunteers, marched from April to August 1862 over 900 miles from California, across the southern New Mexico Territory to the Rio Grande and then into western Texas during the American Civil War. At the time, this was the longest trek through desert terrain...
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
Frederick Augustus Tritle
Frederick Augustus Tritle was an American politician, businessman, and attorney. He served as the sixth Governor of Arizona Territory and held a number of lesser government positions there and in Nevada...
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
Tombstone, Arizona
Tombstone is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 by Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County, Arizona Territory. It was one of the last wide-open frontier boomtowns in the American Old West. From about 1877 to 1890, the town's mines produced USD $40 to $85 million...
making John H. Jackson its Captain. They were to be similar to Texas Rangers and combat outlaw
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
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
Earp vendetta ride
The Earp Vendetta Ride, lasting from March 20 to April 15, 1882, was a manhunt for outlaw Cowboys led by newly appointed Deputy U.S. Marshal Wyatt Earp. He was searching for men he held responsible for maiming his brother Virgil, the Tombstone Marshal and Deputy U.S. Marshal, and assassinating his...
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 Police. Across the Mexican border in northern Sonora
Sonora
Sonora officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 72 municipalities; the capital city is Hermosillo....
was a similar law enforcement agency called the Guardia Rural, colloquially known as the rurales
Rurales
Rurales was the name commonly used to designate the Mexican Guardia Rural : a force of mounted police or gendarmerie that existed between 1861 and 1914...
. 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
Emilio Kosterlitzky
Emilio Kosterlitzky, also known as Emil Kosterlitzky, was a Russian-born polyglot linguist and soldier of fortune who eventually became a spy for the United States....
, who cooperated closely with the Rangers.
Another group known as the Arizona Rangers is based in Tucson and is part of Missouri Western Shooters.
Fallen officers
During the tenure of the Arizona Rangers, two officers have died in the line of duty.| Officer | Date of Death | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Carlos Tofolla | |
Killed after the Battleground Gunfight Battleground Gunfight The Battleground Gunfight was a shootout in 1901 between a posse of American lawmen and the Smith Gang. It occurred on the Fort Apache Reservation in Arizona at a clearing in the forest known today as "Battle Ground"... |
| Officer | Date of Death | Details |
| Jeff Kidder Jeff Kidder Jeff Kidder was a little known police officer in the closing days of the American Old West. He is profiled in the book "Deadly Dozen", written by author Robert K... |
|
Killed after a gunfight in Naco Naco, Sonora Naco is a Mexican town and municipality located in the northeast part of Sonora state on the border with the United States. It is directly across from the unincorporated town of Naco, Arizona. The name Naco comes from the Opata language and means nopal cactus. The town saw fighting during the... |
Popular culture
Arizona Ranger, a low-budget black-and-white film produced by RKO, was released in 1948, starring Jack HoltJack Holt (actor)
Jack Holt was an American motion picture actor. He was a leading man of silent and sound films, and was known for his many roles in Westerns.-Early life:...
and his son Tim Holt
Tim Holt
Tim Holt was an American film actor perhaps best known for co-starring in the 1948 film The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.-Early life:...
.
The Arizona Rangers were featured in the song, "Big Iron
Big Iron
"Big Iron" is a country ballad by Marty Robbins, originally released as an album track on Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs in September 1959, then as a single in February 1960....
", in Western singer Marty Robbins
Marty Robbins
Martin David Robinson , known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist...
' album "Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs
Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs is an album released by Marty Robbins on the Columbia Records label in September 1959, peaking at #6 on the U.S. pop albums chart. It was recorded on April 7, 1959...
". The last surviving Arizona Ranger, John R. Clarke, died in 1982 at the age of ninety-seven.
The syndicated
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
television series, 26 Men
26 Men
26 Men is a syndicated American western television series about the Arizona Rangers, an elite group commissioned in 1901 by the legislature of the Arizona Territory and limited, for financial reasons, to twenty-six active members. Russell Hayden was the producer of the series and the co-composer of...
, aired from 1957–1959, focuses on true exploits of the Arizona Rangers. It stars Tristram Coffin as Ranger Thomas H. Rynning.
The Arizona Territorial Rangers Reenactment Group, headquartered in Netcong, New Jersey
Netcong, New Jersey
Netcong is a Borough in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 2,580. Its estimated population in 2006 was 3,292...
, is a historical reenactment
Historical reenactment
Historical reenactment is an educational activity in which participants attempt torecreate some aspects of a historical event or period. This may be as narrow as a specific moment from a battle, such as the reenactment of Pickett's Charge at the Great Reunion of 1913, or as broad as an entire...
group.
In the music video for "Beer For My Horses" by Toby Keith featuring Willy Nelson, an Arizona Rangers badge is seen sitting on a shelf.
See also
- List of law enforcement agencies in Arizona
- Texas RangersTexas Ranger DivisionThe Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
- California Rangers
- Colorado Mounted RangersColorado Mounted RangersThe Colorado Mounted Rangers, or the Colorado Rangers, are the oldest statewide law enforcement organization in Colorado, organized in 1861.-Origin & Early Days:...
Further reading
- DeSoucy, M. David, Arizona Rangers, Arcadia Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-0738548319
- Miller, Joseph, editor, The Arizona Rangers, Hastings House, 1975, hardcover, 268 pages, ISBN 0-8038-0353-2
- O'Neal, Bill, The Arizona Rangers, Eakin Press, 1987, ISBN 0-89015-610-7