The picture is possibly from the late 1910s. Funny I found it since I just started reading (very belatedly) A Rifleman Went to War and I found out that the militias back then were all volunteer members who had to pay for just about all their equipment and instruction. So basically what you see in the photo are people who were ready to stand for their city, state and country but did not make a dent on the public till.  Back then, if the militia could afford it, they would even have crew served weapons like machine guns in its component.

And to think that today, some idiots freak at the idea of common people being equally equipped as a regular soldier.