Fullerton's Rangers: A History of the New Mexico Territorial Mounted Police

by Chuck Hornung

In 1890, the U.S. government declared the frontier settled, and the “Wild West” was history. In the territory of New Mexico, however, crime still knew no limit and the gun was the final answer to all problems. Aware that New Mexico would never achieve statehood without effective law and order, its leaders decided they needed a mounted police force like those that had tamed Texas and Arizona. This book describes the birth of the New Mexico Mounted Police in 1905 and tells the stories of the members of the original Mounties, starting with their first captain, John F. Fullerton. It details the many challenges of their first year of operation and offers an inside look at a territorial police force in action. Information drawn from personal interviews with ranger family members (many of whom provided photographs), Fullerton’s personal papers and official Mounted Police records brings a wealth of detail to this story from New Mexico’s rich history. Fred Lambert, the last surviving member of the territorial rangers, provides a foreword.

269 pages, Hardcover

First published October 17, 2005