A mounted unit, the Mountain Rangers were officially Company A, 1st Regiment, 1st Brigade, Oregon State Militia.

They agreed to buy military fatigue caps, furnish their own horses and wear grey shirts and blue overalls.

Jackson County officials rented a saloon in Ashland to serve as an armory for weapons and ammunition supplied by the state.

[3] A highlight for the Oregon militiamen was the Military Ball at the Ashland Hotel on Jan. 8, 1864, in celebration of the anniversary of the Battle of New Orleans.

[4] The Mountain Rangers are one of the best documented Oregon militia units because of the meticulous journal kept by company journalist and future captain Oliver Applegate.