The Cochise County Cowboys were a loosely organized group of outlaw cowboys in Pima and Cochise County, Arizona Territory in the late 19th century. The term "cowboy" had only begun to come into wider usage during the 1870s, and in the place and time, "Cowboy" was synonymous with " rustler." The cattle thieves frequently rode across the international border into Mexico and stole cattle from Mexican ranches, which they drove back across the border and sold in the United States.