Tumbledown Ranch in Arizona

At Western University, student Johnny King becomes obsessed with his professor's idea of the "fourth dimension," the belief that time is fluid and it is only personal consciousness that prevents people from going back in time. Johnny represents his college in the Tucson Rodeo for his college, and meets the son of "Crash" Corrigan, a renowned frontier marshal in The Range Busters and the partner of Johnny's father "Dusty." During the competition, Johnny is knocked unconscious when he is thrown from a bucking bronco, and goes back in time to 1900: Dusty awakens on a road, having been knocked unconscious after falling off his horse, and discovers his friend and partner, Crash, by his side. Their other partner, "Alibi" Terhune, then returns from chasing some men who attacked a wagon that was being driven by Judge Uriah Jones and his daughter Dorothy. Jones explains that he was sent to Cactus City by the Department of Justice to hold court in the territory, but now believes that someone is trying to keep him out of town. While Dusty escorts the Joneses to town and flirts with Dorothy, Crash and Alibi ride to Mother Rogers' ranch. Mother is thrilled to see Crash, and explains to him that her once thriving operation is now just "another tumbledown ranch in Arizona" because her ranch hands have defected to work on the railroad. Mother blames hotel proprietor Gallop for her woes, as he is involved with the railroad, and the ranch hands squander their salary at his hotel casino. Crash promises to bring Mother's men back to the ranch and goes to Gallop's hotel. Jones presents his letter of authorization to Sheriff Nye, unaware that he is collaborating with Gallop. When Jones accuses two men of being his attackers, Nye immediately holds court in the saloon and finds the men innocent. Crash then insists that Jones and Dorothy move to Mother's ranch for their own safety. Crash enlists the help of Shorty, one of Mother's longtime ranch hands, to round up her men, but when Gallop tries to stop them, a brawl erupts. The Range Busters rout Gallop and his men and leave with a few loyal ranch hands. Afterward, Gallop's silent partner, Slocum, reprimands Gallop for failing to obtain Mother's ranch, which the railroad needs for a right of way. Slocum goes to see Mother himself, and tricks her into signing a deed by telling her it is a contract to sell some of her cattle to the railroad workers. Gallop then threatens to use the deed against Slocum unless Slocum finally pays him his overdue fees. Mother is shocked to find surveyors on her land, but when she tries to drive them off, Nye produces the deed and insists that he will enforce it. After the Range Busters cleverly send Mother's wagon over a cliff so that it will crash into the surveyors' wagon and destroy their equipment, Nye arrests Mother on trumped-up charges. Later, Jones receives his final written authorization from the government to take over the law in Cactus City, as well as incriminating information about Slocum and Gallop. He deputizes The Range Busters and commissions them to obtain proof of Gallop and Slocum's coercion. That night, Slocum murders Gallop, and shortly afterward, Crash and Dusty break into Gallop's office. Nye finds them with the body and arrests them for murder, but Alibi catches Slocum emerging from the closet with the murder weapon and the bill of sale. Hearing a gunshot, Crash and Dusty escape from the sheriff and rush to help their friend. The Range Busters arrest Nye as well as Slocum, and later, Mother thanks The Range Busters and Jones for restoring law to Cactus City. At that moment, Dusty suddenly becomes dizzy, and Johnny reawakens in a twentieth century hospital. Johnny is surprised to find that his nurse is Dorothy's daughter, and realizes he was dreaming all along.