History
 

• The Colorado Mounted Rangers have a long history of service to Colorado. Originally formed in 1859 as the Jefferson Rangers to keep peace in the Colorado Territory, they have been called upon by the state’s Governors to protect the state during the mining strikes and the Prohibition period.
   
• In 1861, they were reorganized as the Colorado Rangers and served as the only state law enforcement agency until 1923.
   
• On January 29th, 1923 Governor William Sweet gave an executive order to disband the Rangers as a result of a campaign promise to organized labor. The Colorado Rangers, a state police organization, was abolished leaving Colorado without statewide police protection until 1935 when the Colorado State Patrol was formed.
   
• On February 21st, 1941, Governor Teller Ammons re-organized the Colorado Mounted Rangers as a volunteer group with a single troop in Bailey and a Certificate of Incorporation was issued.
   
• In 1955, The Colorado Mounted Rangers changed their Constitution to form a Squadron of several troops throughout the state.
   
• In 1999, Ranger Edward P. Bell was honored by inclusion in the Colorado Law Enforcement Memorial. Ranger Bell was killed in the line of duty on October 14th, 1922. Rangers Edward Bell and George Jennings, from the Limon Ranger District, responded to an anonymous call for help to prevent a filling station robbery and were found a short time later lying beside the road in a mangled condition. They were given emergency treatment in Limon and and taken to St. Lukes Hospital in Denver. On October 16, Ranger Edward P. Bell died without regaining consciousness following surgery to remove a blood clot from the brain.
   
• The Colorado SENATE of the Sixty-third General Assembly, passed RESOLUTION 02-008 in 2002 to recognize and honor the countless hours of dedicated service the Colorado Mounted Rangers have devoted to the state of Colorado since 1861.
  
  Today
   
• The Colorado Mounted Rangers assist the Colorado state Office of Emergency Management; train with and assist the Colorado Office of Preparedness and Security; provide security in emergency situations such as airline disasters, search and rescue operations, and forest fires; and provide assistance to local, state, and federal authorities as requested.
   
• The Colorado Mounted Rangers have assisted in natural disasters such as the Big Thompson Flood, the Black Ridge Fire, and the Haymen Fire.
   
• While conducting search and rescue efforts over the last 20 years, the Colorado Mounted Rangers have saved the lives of many lost and injured mountain climbers and bikers.
   
• The Colorado Mounted Rangers have volunteered over 10,000 hours of devoted service to the people of Colorado over the past few years.