South East Arizona 1900-Imagine yourself and family, pulling out of the Southern Pacific Train Station in Benson Arizona. The lumbering steam engine belching out smoke and steam as you begin to make your trip up out of the San Pedro River basin East to Dragoon. The trip so far from Tucson has been uneventful passing through the watering stops of Pantano and Mescal and down into Benson. As the engine reaches its top speed of 10 miles per hour, pulling the uphill grade you settle in for the next leg of the journey. 25 minutes into the ride, you are startled by the familiar crack of pistol and rifle shots. Soon after, the screech of the trains brakes come on and the train jerks to a sudden stop. You notice a figure through the door window of your train car, sensing something is terribly wrong, the door is kicked open as a shot rings out over your head, and an order is yelled out, “Throw up your hands, this is a robbery!” Welcome to the Arizona Territory, you have just met Billy Stiles, one of the many reasons that the Arizona Rangers were established.
South East Arizona was in a very lawless state of existence. Tombstone had pretty much died out after the mines filled with water and Bisbee, Arizona became the next “Boomtown” of the Territory. The Copper Queen Mine was at its peak of producing copper ore and a new smelter was built in Douglas. This growth brought the attention of thieves, train robbers and cattle rustlers that had been chased out of Texas due to the formation of the Texas Rangers, and the banditos from Northen Mexico. The Governor of the Territory at the time, Nathan Oaks Murphy wanted to get control of the crime in Arizona to obtain Statehood. With the local law agencies unwilling to enforce, arrest and convict the villains, and pressure from the cattlemen, railroads and newspapers Governor Oaks passed a bill in 1901 forming the Arizona Rangers. Oaks enlisted a cattle smart man, Burt Mossman, as the first Captain of the Rangers. It was Mossman’s task to recruit 11 more men to fill the roster.
The Arizona Rangers set up the first headquarters in Bisbee, Arizona, right in the heart of the most trouble and spent most of their time patrolling from the Mexican border, North to the White Mountains, mostly along the New Mexico border. They very ever displayed their badges, a silver 5- point star with blue lettering, until they were to make the arrest. The Rangers were armed with the Colt .45 revolver and .30-40 Krag rifle. They were required to ride at least 600 miles a month, earning $55- $125 a month, depending on rank.
For the next 8 years, the Arizona Rangers established themselves as professional lawmen and were given a reputation among the outlaws as a group not to mess with. The Rangers didn’t answer to local law jurisdictions and acted on orders from the Governor. This brought some ill-will from the local sheriffs and town marshals. The Rangers had made numerous arrests of dangerous outlaws such as Billy Stiles and Augustine Chacon.
In 1909, with the Territory’s government being mainly Democrats, and the Arizona Rangers being initiated by a Republican leadership, the Arizona Rangers were up for a battle they couldn’t win. February 3rd, 1909 brought about the repeal of the “Arizona Ranger Bill”.
The current Arizona Rangers were established in 1957 as a community service organization to support their four main goals. Many current Rangers take their debt to the past seriously and are expert horsemen and marksmen. There are 15 companies of the Rangers in eight counties.
