For your consideration is this early 2000s, authentic Arizona Rangers badge, donated to the Tombstone Heritage Museum by the Arizona Rangers. Violence and criminal activity, including as cattle rustling, train and stagecoach robberies, and killings, were common across Arizona Territory at the close of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries. Ranch and mine owners, as well as railroad barons, lobbied for the development of a Ranger force to contain the violence required for Arizona to become a state in the union. The Arizona Rangers were formed to combat outlaw infestations, particularly rustlers, in Arizona's thinly inhabited Territory, particularly near the Mexican border. They were an elite, well-trained, and initially undercover outfit mounted on the best horses money could buy and armed with the most advanced weapons of the day. The Arizona Rangers' badges were originally issued in 1903, under Rynning's command. They were solid silver five-pointed ball-tipped stars with blue enamel lettering and blue etched engravings. Officer badges were engraved with their ranks, whereas enlisted badges were numbered. When a Ranger resigned, he surrendered his badge, which was then available to be issued to another Ranger. In March 1903, the authorized force was expanded to 26 soldiers (1 captain, 1 lieutenant, 4 sergeants, and 20 privates). The Rangers, many of whom had previously served with Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders, were adept horsemen, trackers, and marksmen. The present Arizona Rangers descended from the Arizona Rangers of 1901-1909. They were revived in 1957 by a few surviving members of the original Arizona Territorial Rangers. Arizona Governor Jane Hull signed Legislative Act 41 in 2002, officially recognizing the present-day Arizona Rangers. This badge shows a five pointed star with a gold color and black enameled lettering reading, "Arizona Rangers". The center piece is marked reading, "State of Arizona" and features the Ranger's motto reading, "Ditat Deus" (God Enriches). It shows good condition overall with some slight wear present, but no major signs of damage is noted. It measures 2 1/2" L x 2 1/2" W x 5/8" D and weighs 36.8 grams. Provenance: From the Tombstone Western Heritage Museum in Tombstone, Arizona. LO45