The Arizona Rangers scan for cattle rustlers from a hilltop.

In March of 1901, the 21st Assembly of the Arizona Territorial Legislature authorized Gov. Nathan Murphy to form the Arizona Rangers. The Rangers only consisted of 14 men; a captain, a sergeant, and 12 privates; and were charged with enforcing the law where local lawmen were overtaxed. The Rangers were also charged with clearing areas where criminals congregated, which was mostly along the Arizona/Mexico international boundary.
Burt Mossman was appointed the first captain of the Arizona Rangers. Mossman had been the manager of the 2-million acre Aztec Land and Cattle Company, or Hashknife outfit, in northern Arizona. Mossman was born in 1867 in Illinois and had also been a farmer and a former member of the Rough Riders. Mossman spoke fluent Spanish and was known as a great storyteller.
Mossman only recruited Rangers who were good riders, ropers and shooters. The average distance a Ranger rode each month was more than 390 miles. In the first year of their existence, Arizona Rangers captured more than 125 criminals and killed at least one outlaw, all in the line of duty.
Arizona Rangers were supposed to be familiar with the type of men they were chasing. Some Rangers may have been a bit too familiar with outlaws since they also had records. Rangers came from different parts of the state so that at least one Ranger would know the topography, trails and watering holes of the areas they were working.
Rangers typically did their investigations undercover. Ranger Joe Pearce once said, “Arizona Rangers had no uniforms, no dress parades, no flags, no saluting. We just had that five-pointed silver star badge which we wore most of the time under the vest or the jacket. When we went to arrest a bad man, we placed the star in plain view.”
In 1903, the Legislature increased the size of the Rangers to one captain, one lieutenant, four sergeants and 20 privates. During this time, the main work of the Rangers was protecting the livestock industry. They attended roundups, served as livestock inspectors and arrested rustlers. By 1905, Gov. Alexander Brodie reported that cattle rustling was “practically wiped out in Arizona.”
Sometimes, the Arizona Rangers were accused of being brutal to criminals and being overbearing with sheriffs and local lawmen. During the time the Rangers’ headquarters were in Douglas, the Arizona Silver Belt newspaper reported on a Ranger-involved shooting. The paper reported five Rangers were saloon hopping one night in early 1903. “…Anyone familiar with the delectable dives of the toughest town on the Mexican border, can readily picture this mob or gang of officers, conservators of the law armed with six-shooters, swaggering about ‘painting the town’ and terrorizing the red light district.”
Three Rangers entered the Cowboy Saloon and one of the owners, a gunman named Sam Bass, was shot and killed. Some witnesses said that Bass did not have a gun in his hand when he was killed. A few days later, the Cowboy Saloon conveniently burned to the ground before evidence that may have verified the witness accounts could be collected. The Rangers were subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing.
The Arizona Rangers mainly worked along the border to reduce crime and deter smuggling from Mexico. By 1909, the counties that did not receive much support from the Rangers were complaining they had to foot the bill for something they received little or no benefit from.
A battle between the Democrat-controlled Legislature and the Republican Gov. Joseph Kibbey erupted in 1909. The Legislature stripped the governor of responsibility for the Arizona Rangers. Several newspapers wrote that the Rangers had completed their mission in Arizona. Even though the Arizona Rangers brought law and order to the territory, they were quickly legislated into history.
Mike Miller. Photo courtesy of the Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, Archives Division, Phoenix, #97-7173.