Who was the Arizona Ranger with the “Big Iron” on his hip?
Arizona Rangers, 1903
By Steven “Pacheco” McCann
There have been a fair amount of trail songs penned and sung about the original Texas Rangers since their formal inception as a state-sponsored law corps in 1835. This lengthy list includes “The Texas Rangers” by Tex Ritter, “Come All You Texas Rangers” by various artists and “Texas Rangers” by Michael Martin Murphy, to name just a few. However, to my knowledge, not very many ballads have been written about the not as famous but no less legendary Arizona Rangers that served from 1901 until they were disbanded in 1909. The only such song of any significance was the very popular “Big Iron” by Marty Robbins released in 1959 as part of his Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs album. In 2010, members of the Western Writers of America chose “Big Iron” as the 11th-best Western song of all time.
Marty Robbins was born on September 26th, 1925, in Glendale, Arizona. He taught himself to play guitar during his service time in the Navy during World War Two. After his discharge, he perfected his trade by performing in local clubs in and around his home state which eventually gained him his well deserved fame. The story goes that Marty got the idea for the song when he visited a gun store displaying a custom Colt single action revolver wearing 1890 Army grips with a sawed-off Marlin rifle barrel making for a very big, long hand gun. Hence the “Big Iron” song title and theme.
Marty Robbins “Big Iron” on Columbia Records.
A portion of the “Big Iron” Lyrics Single released in 1960
It was over in a moment and the folks had gathered round
There before them lay the body of the outlaw on the ground
Oh he might have went on living but he made one fatal slip
When he tried to match the ranger with the big iron on his hip
Big iron on his hip
For your consideration: I propose that the lawman in Marty’s well-known song would certainly have been the most heralded Arizona Ranger of all, Captain Harry C. Wheeler.
Harry Wheeler, Arizona Lawman.
The town of Aqua Fria (meaning Cold Water) was a fictitious city, but if real, it would have probably been situated in the southern part of Arizona, where the various Arizona Rangers headquarters were located during their existence. Also, Harry Wheeler did a majority of his arrests in this part of the state, and where two of his actual historic deadly Arizona gunfights took place, in Tucson and Benson, respectively.
The song’s Arizona Ranger was described as a handsome stranger who didn’t have too much to say and holstered a big revolver. Harry C. Wheeler was definitely a good-looking Ranger and truly a man of few words.
All of the 107 total eventual Rangers were required to provide their own high caliber revolvers (the most common being the Colt 1873 Single Action 45 and the Colt 1873 Six Shooter in the 44-40) and a Winchester 1895 lever action box magazine loading rifle in the 30-40 Krag caliber with the more powerful, pointed Spitzer bullets. It was designed to handle the increased pressures of modern smokeless power cartridges and was considered to be the strongest lever action Winchester at the time. This was the rifle of choice for several reasons, the first is due to the recently ended Spanish-American War in December 1898 there were a significant amount of these rifles and ammo available at the numerous military Forts throughout the state as well as in local gun stores. The second reason was that traditional tube loading rifles were susceptible to possible chain fire from the bullet’s pointed tips hitting the primers of the shell in front of it caused by a sudden impact or jarring to the gun while in the horse’s scabbard or by accidental drops. And finally, the Winchester 1895 rifle was an extremely accurate firearm able to be quickly chambered with the next potent round.
Arizona Rangers Captain Harry Wheeler’s “Big Iron” Colt 45’with his name engraved on the backstrap.
Even though Harry Wheeler was short in height, 5 foot 8 inches, he was much bigger by his perceived stature and fortitude, unafraid to face down a wanted outlaw any time, any place. Wheeler carried a case-hardened Colt 45 Single Action 5 ½” barreled revolver with his name engraved on the backstrap. In combination with Harry’s smaller body size, this Colt would have appeared to be a much larger handgun, a Big Iron on his Hip!
Also, Harry’s revolver was more likely to match the largest revolver that any of the Arizona Rangers would wear, as any bigger a gun, like a modified long-barreled Colt or a Dragoon, would be way too heavy and extremely uncomfortable to carry on their many long posse rides. It would also be way too long and very awkward to draw in an actual gunfight.
Former Texas Ranger and celebrated Arizona Lawman Jefferson Davis Milton held a very high opinion of Wheeler’s firearms handling and marksmanship abilities, calling him “the best shooter he had ever seen,” including John Wesley Hardin. Coming from the fabled officer Milton, this was significant praise. One can only surmise that if Harry had been born 25 years earlier, we would be talking about him in the same breath as Wild Bill Hickock, Buffalo Bill Cody, and Wyatt Earp.
Harry C. Wheeler when serving as Sheriff of Cochise County, 1916.
Now, obviously, the idea that the Arizona Ranger with the Big Iron on his hip referred to in Robbins’ song could have, should have and most certainly would have been based on the real life Arizona Ranger Captain Wheeler if Marty had known about Harry’s storied lawman career. Therefore, it is this author’s personal opinion that Wheeler deserved the song’s recognition and tribute. I do know of at least two other people directly related to this fine officer who also hold this same view. Through recent conversations with Harry Wheeler’s granddaughter, I have learned that both she and her mother have always believed the song was most certainly pertaining to him.
Every time upon hearing this classic Western ballad, I visualize in my mind Captain Wheeler meeting up with Texas Red in the streets of Aqua Fria planning to bring this bad guy to justice, “alive or maybe dead”! As Harry said after his first deadly shootout at the Palace Saloon in Tucson, Arizona “it was either his life or mine”!
Arizona Rangers Captain Harry Wheeler’s “Big Iron” Colt 45′
The fictional Texas Red severely underestimated the quickness and accurate shooting abilities of the handsome stranger just like the rest of the unfortunate shootout victims of Arizona Ranger Harry C. Wheeler. The Captain was once quoted in a Bisbee newspaper that “I will never be the first to fire” so you know how fast he had to be with the outlaw not clearing leather before being shot down.
So maybe the next time you hear this Marty Robbins song, you too may picture the handsome Arizona Ranger Harry Wheeler with the Big Iron on his hip!
©Steven “Pacheco” McCann, for Legends of America. November 2025.
Also see:
Bound by Duty & United in Friendship (the Nabor Pacheco/Harry Wheeler Story)
Author Steven McCann
About the Author: Steven “Pacheco” McCann is an Arizona native with a family history on his mother’s side dating back to the 1700s when the family patriarchs were ranching and farming on lands in southern Arizona. They used the state’s oldest recorded cattle brand, the Diamond Bell, granted to them by the King of Spain in 1888.
Steve grew up spending quality cowboy time with his grandfather on Ricardo’s ranches located around Tucson where his love of western life and its historical significance was born. During his youth he branded numerous cattle with his grandfather’s A Triangle Bar and Box 3 branding irons and learned to ride and rope right beside this giant of a man that he idolized.
With some knowledge of his great-grandfather Nabor Pacheco’s decade-plus time as an Arizona law enforcement officer, Steve’s interest in the history of early Arizona law enforcement has grown into a deep, sincere passion. Reading several books on the Arizona Rangers by renowned author Bill O’Neal lit a fire in Steve from Bill’s detailed accounts of several of Sheriff Nabor Pacheco’s co-captained posses with the Arizona Rangers. Captain Harry Wheeler, Captain Thomas Rynning, Sargent Jeff Kidder, Billy Old, and many more of the Rangers’ best, to mention a few. Steve has enjoyed the pleasure of talking and becoming friends with Bill O’Neal and has grown to share Bill’s fervor for these never-to-be-forgotten heroes, but especially the mutual love of Captain Harry Wheeler.
Photos of the family’s 1907 Colt Bisley, fully engraved & nickel plated 45 caliber revolver, a favorite gun of Lawman Nabor Pacheco.
The multiple assignments Pacheco and Wheeler performed together and their deep friendship has become one of Steve’s focused areas of interest. They shared so much in common, as both men were shot and wounded during in the line of duty gunfights, both men served as Arizona Sheriffs (Pima and Cochise Countys respectively), and both men wore the badge of Deputy U.S. Marshal. They both possessed strong convictions of righting the many wrongs they encountered during their time of service, both men were highly proficient in handling their high caliber Colt 45 revolvers and lever action rifles and unfortuately, both men died of natural causes much too early. Steve enjoys participating in local Cowboy Fast Draw competitions with his own Colt Bisley 45 Caliber revolvers when not researching and writing about Arizona’s Old West History in hopes his two sons will develop the “interest” as well.