A new attempt to fight crime.
The dawning of the 20th century brought little improvement to the notorious reputation Arizona had earned during the tumultuous years of outlawry, feuds and Indian wars. To make matters worse, county lawmen couldn’t cross into another county in hot pursuit. In 1901, Governor Nathan Oakes Murphy decided to take strong action against the outlaws by organizing a company of lawmen patterned after the storied Texas Rangers. The Arizona Rangers proved effective—but they weren’t popular with local lawmen. Seven years later, they were disbanded.