ORIGINAL 1880 “TOMBSTONE EPITAPH” TERRITORIAL ARIZONA WILD WEST NEWSPAPER For Sale

An original four-page, two -sheet December 13th 1880 issue of The Tombstone Epitaph newspaper published 10 months before the infamous gunfight at the O.K. Coral.

The paper has been removed from a bound volume and the original binding holes are visible. This is not an issue that was cut out of a bond volume with the two sheets archivaly reattached. Although there is minor paper loss along the top and bottom of the center fold the two sheets remain securely attached to one another in the middle.

The paper is toned and brittle but can be safely handled due to the application of archival document mending tissue along a portion of the margins. The photos were taken with a bright photography lamp and appear brighter than the original pages

The Tombstone Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaThis article includes a list of generalreferences, butit lacks sufficient correspondinginline citations.Please help toimprovethis article byintroducingmore precise citations.(November 2010)(Learn how and when to remove this template message)The Tombstone EpitaphTypeMonthly JournalFormatNewspaperOwner(s)Tombstone Epitaph, Inc.EditorMark BoardmanFoundedMay 1, 1880LanguageEnglishHeadquartersThe Tombstone Epitaph, P.O. Box 1880, Tombstone, AZ removed by ]

The Tombstone Epitaphis aTombstone,Arizona, monthly publication that covers the history and culture of the Old West. Founded in January 1880 (with its first issue published on Saturday May 1, 1880), it is the oldest continually published newspaper in Arizona.

History[edit]

The Epitaphlong has been noted for its coverage of the infamousGunfight at the O.K. Corralon October 26, 1881, and its continuing research interest inWyatt Earp,Doc Hollidayand their outlaw adversaries theCochise County Cowboys. In 2005, it presented for the first time a sketch of the O.K. Corral gunfight hand-drawn by Wyatt Earp shortly before his death.[1]

Clum and hisEpitaph[edit]

John Clumwas no stranger to southern Arizona when he decided to relocate from Tucson to Tombstone in 1880. In Tucson, Clum had published theTucson Citizen, another landmark Arizona newspaper. Prior to taking over theCitizen, Clum had been the U. S. government appointee in charge of theSan Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. While there, Clum had the distinction of being the only U.S. authority to captureGeronimo, the renegade Apache, although he was later released. He did not finally surrender to the U.S. Army until 1886, bringing theApache Warsperiod to an end.

Chided by associates who said he would write an epitaph and not a newspaper, Clum was inspired to call his new publicationThe Tombstone Epitaph. Setting a tone followed by several subsequent owners and editors, Clum sang Tombstone's praises when he launched what he initially saw as a mining journal. As mayor of Tombstone and publisher of its Republican paper (the rivalItalic Nuggetprovided theDemocratic counterpoint), Clum was among the group of townspeople who supported the Earp brothers as they attempted to enforce law and order in Tombstone in the early 1880s. Tensions between the factions—the Earps and the "cowboys"—escalated to a violent showdown near theO.K. Corralin 1881. In an explosion of gunfire, the Earps and their eclectic friend, Doc Holliday, killed three young cowboys—Frank and Tom McClaury and Billy Clanton. Personal, professional and political disagreements found their outlet on that cold October afternoon, producing an event that continues to inspire historical research and debate.

Although an inquest into the shootout determined the shootings were justified, public opinion in Tombstone was with theoutlaw Cowboys. The Earps soon left Tombstone, as did Clum, who traveled to Washington, D.C., to accept employment with the U.S. Post Office. Ownership ofThe Epitaphfell to former political adversaries.

After Clum left,The Epitaphremained a going concern, though it could never regain the standing it had prior to 1886, the year Tombstone's silver boom began to crumble as silver prices fell and the mines filled with water. Subsequent editors predicted a return to the heady days of the 1880s, but such a turnaround in the town's financial fortunes never occurred.

Tombstone's future seemed tied to its relatively mild desert climate, the emergence of automobile tourism in the 1920s, and its sometimes violent history. Such were the elements that underlay Tombstone's first Helldorado celebration in 1929—an event orchestrated by one of Tombstone's greatest boosters, editor William Kelly. But soon Kelly was gone andThe Epitaphpassed into new hands as it continued to cover local news and take on job printing from area clients.

Television Westerns[edit]

The Epitaphand its editor (referred to as "Harris Claibourne") were prominently featured in many episodes of thetelevision WesternseriesTombstone Territory, which aired from 1957 through 1960. (The actual editor at that time, Clayton A. Smith, was credited for his "full cooperation" at the end of many episodes).[2]In addition, the rivalry betweenThe EpitaphandThe Nuggetwas featured in a 1959 episode of the TV Western seriesThe Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, which also devoted an episode to "Fighting Editor" John Clum the following year.

A new era in the Old West[edit]

By the early 1960s, popular interest in Old West history and western vacations put Tombstone, Arizona, on the map once again. Led by Harold O. Love, of Detroit, Mich., investors purchasedThe Epitaph, the O. K. Corral, the Crystal Palace, and Schieffelin Hall, and set about to showcase them to Tombstone visitors. As more and moreEpitaphvisitors expressed interest in learning more about Tombstone and Old West history, the newspaper owners decided to split the paper into 2 separate editions—a national historical monthly and a local weekly newspaper. In doing so, the owners felt they could serve the interests of visitors and residents at the same time.

In 1975,The Tombstone EpitaphNational Edition was launched as "the historical monthly journal of the Old West." Since that time, it has showcased the research of western writers and historians with stories devoted to western exploration, mining and ranching history, outlaw and lawman history, Native American history, the U. S. Army and warfare in the West, western women, frontier photography, and western personalities, among other topics. Named a national journalistic landmark by Sigma Delta Chi, the Society of Professional Journalists, the monthly journal reaches an international audience.

Publication[edit]Cover of the December 31, 1922 edition.

The national historical monthly is published by Tombstone Epitaph, Inc., an Arizona corporation. In addition to publishing the historical monthly,The Epitaphoffice in Tombstone's historical district welcomes visitors from 9:30a.m. and 5 p.m. daily. Inside of Tombstone's oldest continually operated business, visitors can watch a free video presentation on printing in the 1880s, view a Washington flat bed press on which early issues ofThe Epitaphwere printed, explore a large museum devoted to the era of "hot metal" printing, see rare photographs and other early Tombstone newspapers, and learn much about the life ofJohn Philip Clum, the frontiersman who startedThe Epitaphafter Tombstone burst on the western mining scene after silver was discovered by Ed Schieffelin in 1877.

Subscriptions – $25 in the U.S. and $50 elsewhere—can be started by visitingThe Epitaph'swebsite[3]or by writing toThe Tombstone Epitaph, P.O. Box 1880, Tombstone, AZ 85638.

In 1975, Tombstone Epitaph, Inc. reached an agreement with theUniversity of ArizonaJournalism Department to continue publication of the local edition, which circulates in Tombstone. The local edition was produced by journalism students on a biweekly basis during the academic year until 2018.[4]

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• Tombstoneis a city inCochise County,Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 byprospectorEd Schieffelinin what was thenPima County,Arizona Territory. It became one of the lastboomtownsin theAmerican frontier. The town grew significantly into the mid-1880s as the localminesproduced $40 to $85 million in silverbullion, the largest productive silver district in Arizona. Its population grew from 100 to around 14,000 in less than seven years. It is best known as the site of theGunfight at the O.K. Corraland presently draws most of its revenue from tourism.

  The town was established on Goose Flats, amesaabove the Goodenough Mine. Within two years of its founding, although far distant from any othermetropolitan area, Tombstone had a bowling alley, four churches, anice house, a school, two banks, three newspapers, and an ice-cream parlor, alongside 110 saloons, 14 gambling halls, and numerousdance hallsandbrothels. All of these businesses were situated among and atop many silver mines. The gentlemen and ladies of Tombstone attended operas presented by visiting acting troupes at theSchieffelin Hallopera house, while theminersandcowboyssaw shows at theBird Cage Theatreand brothel.

  Under the surface were tensions that grew into deadly conflict. The mining capitalists and the townspeople were largelyRepublicansfrom theNorthern states. Many of the ranchers (some of whom—like theClantons—were alsorustlersor other criminal varieties) wereConfederatesympathizers andDemocrats. The booming city was only 30 miles (48km) from the U.S.–Mexico border and was an open market forcattle stolenfrom ranches inSonora, Mexico, by a loosely organized band ofoutlawsknown asThe Cowboys. The Earp brothers—Wyatt,VirgilandMorgan—as well asDoc Holliday, arrived in December 1879 and mid-1880. The Earps had ongoing conflicts with CowboysIkeandBilly Clanton,FrankandTom McLaury, andBilly Claiborne. The Cowboys repeatedly threatened the Earps over many months until the conflict escalated into a shootout on October 26, 1881. The historic gunfight is often portrayed as occurring at theO.K. Corral, though it actually occurred a short distance away in an empty lot on Fremont Street.

  In the mid-1880s, the silver mines penetrated the water table and the mining companies made significant investments in specialized pumps. A fire in 1886 destroyed the Grand Centralhoistand thepumping plant, and it was deemed unprofitable to rebuild the costly pumps. The city nearly became aghost town, saved only because it was the Cochise Countyseatuntil 1929. The city's population dwindled to a low of 646 in 1910, but grew to 1,380 by 2010.[3]Tombstone has frequently been noted on lists ofunusual place names.[4]

  History[edit]Tombstone in 1881 byC. S. FlyEd Schieffelin in Tombstone in 1880Founding[edit]

  Ed Schieffelin was briefly a scout for the U. S. Army headquartered atCamp Huachuca. Schieffelin frequently searched the wilderness looking for valuable ore samples. At the Santa Rita mines in nearby Santa Cruz Valley, three superintendents had been killed by Native Americans. When friend and fellow Army ScoutAl Sieberlearned what Schieffelin was up to, he is quoted as telling him, "The only rock you will find out there will be your owntombstone",[5]or, according to another version of the story, "Better take your coffin with you, Ed; you will only find your tombstone there, and nothing else."[6][7]

  In 1877, Schieffelin usedBrunckow's Cabinas a base of operations to survey the country. After many months, while working the hills east of theSan Pedro River, he found pieces ofsilver orein a dry wash[8]on a high plateau called Goose Flats.[9]It took him several more months to find the source. When he located the vein, he estimated it to be fifty feet long and twelve inches wide.[10]Schieffelin took on a partner named William Griffith who financed the filing of the claim in return for a later claim for himself. Griffith filed Schieffelin's first claim, which was named Tombstone, on September 3, 1877.[8][11]Another account says the first claim was called Graveyard "because it proved worthless and for no other reason."[12]

  When the first claims were filed, the initial settlement of tents and wooden shacks was located at Watervale, near the Lucky Cuss mine, with a population of about 100.[13]The Goodenough Mine strike occurred shortly after. Former Territorial GovernorAnson P. K. Saffordoffered financial backing for a share of the mining claims, and Schieffelin, his brother Al, and their partner Richard Gird formed the Tombstone Mining and Milling Company and built astamp millnear the San Pedro River, about 8 miles (13km) away. As the mill was being built, U.S. Deputy Mineral Surveyor Solon M. Allis finished surveying the new town's site in March 1879.[14]The tents and shacks near the Lucky Cuss were moved to the new town site on Goose Flats, amesaabove the Goodenough Mine at 4,539 feet (1,383m) above sea level and large enough to hold a growing town. Lots were immediately sold on Allen Street for $5.00 each. The town soon had some 40 cabins and about 100 residents. At the town's founding in March 1879, it took its name from Schieffelin's initial mining claim. By fall 1879, a few thousand hardy souls were living in a canvas and matchstick camp perched amidst the richest silver strike in the Arizona Territory.[13]

  WhenCochise Countywas formed from the eastern portion of Pima County on February 1, 1881, Tombstone became the newcounty seat.Telegraphservice to the town was established that same month. In early March 1880, the Schieffelins' Tombstone Mining and Milling Company which owned the original Goodenough Mine and the nearby Tough Nut Mine (among others), was sold to investors fromPhiladelphia.[15]Two months later, it was reported that the Tough Nut Mine was working a vein of silver ore 90 feet (27m) across that assayed at $170 per ton, with some ore assaying at $22,000 a ton.[15]

  On September 9, 1880, the richly appointed Grand Hotel was opened, adorned with fine oil paintings, thick Brussels carpets, toilet stands, elegant chandeliers, silk-covered furniture, walnut furniture, and a kitchen with hot and cold running water.[16]At the height of the silver mining boom, when the population was about 10,000, the city was host to Kelly's Wine House, featuring 26 varieties of wine imported from Europe, a beer imported fromColoradonamed "Coors", cigars, a bowling alley, and many other amenities common to large cities.

  Panorama of Tombstone in 1909 from the upper floor of the Cochise County courthouse on 3rd and Tough Nut St. At the center, Third St. is to the left and Tough Nut St. is to the right.Early conflicts[edit]Further information:Cochise County in the Old WestandCochise County CowboysTombstone sheriff and constituents, an illustration from the March 1884 edition ofHarper's New Monthly Magazine[6]: 497 Map of southeastern Cochise County, including Tucson and Tombstone, in 1880

  Under the surface were other tensions aggravating the simmering distrust. Most of the Cowboys wereConfederatesympathizers andDemocratsfrom Southern states, especially Texas. The mine and business owners, miners, townspeople and city lawmen including the Earps were largelyRepublicansfrom theNorthern states. There was also the fundamental conflict over resources and land, with traditional, Southern-style "small government"agrarianismof the rural Cowboys contrasted to Northern-style “big-government” development.[17]

  In the early 1880s, smuggling andtheft of cattle, alcohol, and tobacco across the U.S./Mexico border about 30 miles (48km) from Tombstone were common. The Mexican government taxed these items heavily and smugglers earned a handsome profit by sneaking these products across the border. The illegal cross-border smuggling contributed to the lawlessness of the region. Many of these crimes were carried out by outlaw elements labeled "Cow-boys", a loosely organized band of friends and acquaintances who teamed up for various crimes and came to each other's aid. TheSan Francisco Examinerwrote in an editorial, "Cowboys [are] the most reckless class of outlaws in that wild country...infinitely worse than the ordinary robber."[18]At that time during the 1880s in Cochise County it was an insult to call a legitimate cattleman a "Cowboy". Legitimate cowmen were referred to as cattle herders or ranchers.[19]The Cowboys were nonetheless welcome in town because of their free-spending habits, but shootings were common.

  Gunfight at the O.K. Corral[edit]Main article:Gunfight at the O.K. Corral

  On the evening of March 15, 1881, threeCochise County Cowboysattempted to rob a Kinnear & Companystagecoachcarrying $26,000 insilver bullion(about $788,000 in today's dollars), en route from Tombstone toBenson, Arizona, the nearest railroad freight terminal.[20]Near Drew's Station, just outsideContention City, the popular and well-known driver Eli "Budd" Philpot, and a passenger named Peter Roerig riding in the reardickey seat, were both shot and killed. Deputy U.S. MarshalVirgil Earp, with his temporary deputies and brothersWyatt EarpandMorgan Earp, pursued the Cowboys suspected of the murders. That set off a chain of events that culminated, on October 26, 1881, in a gunfight in a vacant lot owned by photographerC. S. Flynear, but not in or at, the O.K. Corral, during which the lawmen andDoc HollidaykilledTom McLaury,Frank McLaury, andBilly Clanton.

  Newspaper coverage of the fight at theO.K. Corral

  The gunfight was the result of a personal, family, and political feud. Two months later, on the evening of December 28, 1881,Virgil Earpwas ambushed and seriously wounded on the streets of Tombstone by hidden assailants shooting from the second story of an unfinished building. Although identified, the suspects provided witnesses who supplied alibis, and the men were not prosecuted. On March 18, 1882, whileMorgan Earpwas playing billiards at 10 p.m. at Campbell & Hatch in Allen Street — in the heart of Tombstone's still-current downtown — he was killed by a shot that struck his spine, as Wyatt looked on. Once again, the assailants were named but escaped arrest due to legal technicalities. Wyatt Earp, concluding that official justice was out of reach, but with warrants obtained via the U. S. Marshal's Office, led aposseon what became known as theEarp Vendetta Ride, pursuing and killing four of the men they held responsible.[21]

  Much of the Cowboy-related crime subsided after the Earp family left Arizona in early 1882, following the attempted murder of Tombstone Marshal Virgil Earp on 28 December 1881, and the murder of Deputy Marshal Morgan Earp on 18 March 1882.John Slaughterwas elected Cochise County Sheriff in 1886 and served two terms. He hiredBurt Alvord, who as a 15-year-old boy had witnessed the shootout between the Earps and Cowboys. Alford served very effectively for three years until he began to drink heavily and associate with outlaws, as had Earp-era County Sheriff Johnny Behan, a close friend and constant protector of the law-breaking Clanton family and their friends.[22]

  Boothill Graveyard[edit]Main article:Boothill Graveyard (Tombstone, Arizona)

  Tom McLaury, Frank McLaury, and Billy Clanton, killed in the O.K. Corral shootout, are among those buried in the town's Boothill Graveyard. Of the number of pioneerBoot Hillcemeteries in theOld West, so named because most of those buried in them had "died with their boots on", Boothill in Tombstone is one of the best-known.[23]

  Silver mining[edit]Main article:Silver mining in ArizonaEd Schieffelin monument

  Tombstone boomed, but founderEd Schieffelinwas more interested inprospectingthan owning a mine. Ed was one-third partners with his brother Al Schieffelin and Richard Gird. There were several hundred mining claims near Tombstone, although the most productive were immediately south of town. These included the Goodenough, Toughnut, Contention, Grand Central, Lucky Cuss, Emerald, and Silver Thread. Due to the lack of readily available water near town, mills were built along the San Pedro River about 9 miles (14km) away, leading to the establishment of several small mill towns, including Charleston, Contention City, and Fairbank.[24]

  Schieffelin left Tombstone to find more ore and when he returned four months later,[25]Gird had lined up buyers for their interest in the Contention claim, which they sold for $10,000. It would later yield millions in silver. They sold a half-interest in the Lucky Cuss, and the other half turned into a steady stream of money. Al and Ed Schieffelin later sold their two-thirds interest in the Tough Nut for $1 million, and sometime later Gird sold his one-third interest for the same amount.[26]: 20 

  Entrance to the Tough Nut Mine

  There are widely varying estimates of the value of gold and silver mined during the course of Tombstone's history. The Tombstone mines produced 32 million troy ounces (1,000 metric tons) of silver, more than any other mining district in Arizona.[27]In 1883, writer Patrick Hamilton estimated that during the first four years of activity the mines produced about US$25,000,000 (approximately $785million today). Other estimates include US$40[9]to US$85 million[28](about $1.3billion to $2.77billion today). Renewed mining is planned for the area.[29]

  One of the byproducts of the vast riches being produced, lawsuits became very prevalent. Between 1880 and 1885 the courts were clogged with many cases, often about land claims and properties. As a result,lawyersbegan to settle in Tombstone and became even wealthier than the miners and those who financed the mining. In addition, because many of the lawsuits required expert analysis of the underground, many geologists and engineers found employment in Tombstone and settled there. In the end, a thorough mapping of the area was completed by experts which resulted in maps documenting Tombstone's mining claims better than any other mining district of the West.[30]

  Mining was an easy task at Tombstone in the early days, ore being rich and close to the surface. One man could pull out ore equal to what three men produced elsewhere.[31]Some residents of Tombstone became quite wealthy and spent considerable money during its boom years. Tombstone's first newspaper, theNugget, was established in the fall of 1879.The Tombstone Epitaphwas founded on May 1, 1880. As the fastest growingboomtownin the American Southwest, the silver industry and attendant wealth attracted many professionals and merchants who brought their wives and families. With them came churches and ministers. They brought aVictoriansensibility and became the town's elite. Many citizens of Tombstone dressed well, and up-to-date fashion could be seen in this growing mining town.[32]Visitors expressed their amazement at the quality and diversity of products that were readily available in the area. The men who worked the mines were largely European immigrants. The Chinese did the town's laundry and provided other services. TheCowboysran the countryside andstole cattlefrom haciendas across the international border inSonora, Mexico.

  When the railroad was not built into Tombstone as had been planned, the increasingly sophisticated city of Tombstone remained relatively isolated, deep in a Federal territory that was largely an unpopulated desert and wilderness. Tombstone and its surrounding countryside also became known as one of the deadliest regions in the West. Water was hauled in until the Huachuca Water Company, funded in part by investors like Dr.George E. Goodfellow, built a 23-mile-long (37km) pipeline from theHuachuca Mountainsin 1881. No sooner was a pipeline completed than Tombstone's silver mines struck water.[13]

  City growth and decline[edit]

  By mid-1881, there were fancy restaurants, Vogan's Bowling Alley,[33]4 churches—Catholic, Episcopal, Presbyterian, and Methodist[13]—an ice house, a school, theSchieffelin Hall opera house, 2 banks, 3 newspapers, and an ice cream parlor, alongside 110 saloons, 14 gambling halls,[34][35]several Chinese restaurants, French, two Italian, numerous Mexican, several upscale "Continental" establishments, and many "home cooking" hot spots including Nellie Cashman's famous Rush House and numerous brothels all situated among and on top of a number of dirty, hardscrabble mines.[36]The Arizona Telephone Company began installing poles and lines for the city's first telephone service on March 15, 1881.[37]

  Investorsfrom the northeastern United States bought many of the leading mining operations. The mining itself was carried out by immigrants from Europe, and Mexican labor provided services including laundry, construction, restaurants and hotels, but immigrant labor provoked backlash; an "Anti-Chinese League" was formed in the 1880s to boycott Chinese businesses and workers.[39][40]

  The mines and stamping mills ran three shifts.[13]Miners were paid union wages of $4.00 per day working six 10-hour shifts per week. The approximately 6,000 men working in Tombstone generated more than $168,000 a week (approximately $5,276,400 today) in income.[41]The mostly young, single, male population spent their hard-earned cash on Allen Street, the major commercial center, open 24 hours a day.

  The respectable folks saw traveling theater shows atSchieffelin Hall, opened on June 8, 1881. On December 25, 1881, theBird Cage Theatreopened on Allen Street, offering the miners and Cowboys their kind of bawdy entertainment. One of the prime entertainments at the Bird Cage theatre wasCornish wrestlingcompetitions, with the results being regularly published in the UK.[42]

  In 1882,The New York Timesreported that "the Bird Cage Theatre is the wildest, wickedest night spot betweenBasin Streetand theBarbary Coast."[43]The Bird Cage remained open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year until it closed its doors in 1889.[44]Respectable women stayed on the north side of Allen Street. The prostitutes worked the saloons on the south side and in the southeast quarter of the town, as far as possible from the proper residential section north of Fremont Street.[13]

  By late 1881 Tombstone had more than 7,000 citizens, excluding all Chinese, Mexicans, women and children residents. At the height of the town's boom, the official population reached about 10,000, with several thousand more uncounted.[13]In 1882, the Cochise County Courthouse was built at a cost of around $45,000.[44]

  Fires[edit]After the May 25, 1882, fire, the only remnant of theO.K. Corralwas its sign. The blaze destroyed most of the western half of the business district.Re-construction of Fly's Studio and entrance to OK Corral

  Due to poor building practices and poor fire protection common to boomtown construction, Tombstone was hit by two major fires. On June 22, 1881, the first fire destroyed 66 businesses making up the eastern half of the business district. The fire began when a lit cigar ignited a barrel of whiskey in the Arcade Saloon.[45][46]

  On May 25, 1882, another, more destructive fire started in a Chinese laundry on Fifth Street between Toughnut and Allen streets. It destroyed the Grand Hotel and the Tivoli Saloon before it jumped Fremont Street, destroying more than 100 businesses and most of the business district. Lacking enough water to put out the flames, buildings in the fire's path were dynamited to deny the fire fuel. Total damages were estimated to be $700,000, far more than the estimated $250,000 insurance coverage. But rebuilding started right away nonetheless.[46][47]

  In March 1883, along one short stretch of Allen Street, there were drinking establishments in two principal hotels, the Eagle Brewery, Cancan Chop-House, French Rotisserie, Alhambra, Maison Dore, City of Paris, Brown's Saloon, Fashion Saloon, Miners' Home, Kelly's Wine-House, the Grotto, the Tivoli, and two more unnamed saloons.[48]

  Mines strike water[edit]

  The Tough Nut Mine first experienced seepage in 1880. In March 1881, the Sulphuret Mine struck water at 520 feet (160m). A year later, in March 1882, miners in a new shaft of the Grand Central Mine hit water at 620 feet (190m). The flow wasn't at first large enough to stop work, but experienced miners thought the water flow would increase, and it did. Soon constant pumping with a 4 inches (100mm) pump was insufficient. The silver ore deposits they sought were soon underwater.[47]

  Several mine managers traveled toSan Franciscoand met with the principal owners of the Contention Mine. They talked about options for draining the mines, and found the only system available for pumping water out of mines below 400 feet (120m) was theCornish enginewhich had been used at theComstock Lodein the 1870s.[47]They bought and installed the huge Cornish engines in the Contention and Grand Central mines. By mid-February 1884, the engines were removing 576,000 US gallons (2,180,000L; 480,000impgal) of water every twenty-four hours. The city merchants celebrated the continued success of mining and the transfer of funds to their businesses.[47]The Contention and the Grand Central found that their pumps were draining the mining district, benefiting other mines as well, but the other companies refused to pay a proportion of the expense.[49]

  On May 26, 1886, the Grand Central hoist and pumping plant burned. The fire was so intense that the metal components of the Cornish engine melted and warped. The headworks of the main mine shaft were also destroyed. Shortly afterward, the price of silver slid to 90 cents an ounce. The mines that remained operational laid off workers. Individuals who had thought about leaving Tombstone when themine floodingstarted now took action. The price of silver briefly recovered for a while and a few mines began producing again, but never at the level reached in the early 1880s.[47]

  Tourism[edit]Saloon ladies on Allen Street in 2006

  The U.S. census recorded fewer than 1,900 residents in 1890 and fewer than 700 residents in 1900. Tombstone was saved from becoming aghost townpartly because it remained the Cochise County seat until 1929, when county residents voted to move county offices to nearbyBisbee. The classic Cochise County Courthouse and adjacent gallows yard in Tombstone are preserved as a museum.

  Covered board sidewalk on 5th Street, just north of Allen Street, in May 1940. Jack Crabtree's Livery Stable and the San Jose Lodging House can be seen on the left.

  Town life was rather quiet in the 1930s and 40s, but, the town received renewed interest in the 1950s and 60s due to portrayals in comics, movies, television and film.[50]Currently,tourismand western memorabilia are the main commercial enterprises; a July 2005CNNarticle notes that Tombstone receives approximately 450,000 tourist visitors each year. This is about 300 tourists/year for each permanent resident. In contrast to its heyday, when it featured saloons open 24 hours and numerous houses of prostitution, Tombstone is now a staid community with few businesses open late. Tombstone and surrounding areas have a variety of lodging options, restaurants, and attractions. The town is located near other historic sites of interest, includingBisbeeand theSan Pedro Riparian area.[citation needed]Tombstone is a short drive away fromSierra Vista, which is considered the shopping hub of Cochise County.[51]

  East Allen Street is the center of Tombstone's tourist attractions, featuring three blocks of shaded boardwalks lined with gift shops, saloons, and eateries. Allen Street's historic district is closed to motor traffic from 3rd Street, the location of the city park andOK Corral, to 6th Street, where theBird Cage Theatreis located. Additional sites of interest can be found throughout the city, even out onHighway 80, whereBoothill Cemeteryis found.[52]

  Performance events[edit]Reenactment of theGunfight at the O.K. Corral

  Performance events help preserve the town's Wild West image and expose it to new visitors. The historic O.K. Corral has been preserved but is now surrounded by a wall. Fremont Street (modern Arizona Highway 80), where portions of the gunfight took place, is open to the public.Mannequinsare used to depict the location of the participants as recorded by Wyatt Earp. Visitors may pay to see a reenactment of the gunfight.Helldorado Daysis Tombstone's oldest festival[53]and celebrates the community's wild days of the 1880s.

  World's largest rose bush[edit]The trunk of the world's largest rosebush

  According toGuinness, the world's largest rosebush was planted in Tombstone in 1885 and still flourishes in the city's sunny climate. TheLady Banksia roseoriginated in Scotland. Mary Gee was the wife of mining engineer Henry Gee, who worked for the Vizina Mining Co. Mary's family sent the homesick bride a box of rooted cuttings from her home country. She planted one of the roses by the patio of the Vizina Mining Company's boarding house, the first adobe building in town, located at 4th and Toughnut Street across from the later site of the railroad depot. She and Henry lived in the boarding house when they first arrived in Tombstone.[54][55]

  The building was later renamed the Cochise House Hotel, and from 1909 to 1936 it was known as the Arcade Hotel. By the 1930s, the rose bush had grown to shade the entire patio and became a popular site for tourists. The hotel was later renamed the Rose Tree Inn and then the Rose Tree Inn Museum. The museum curator tells visitors that all Banks roses growing in the U.S. today are descendants of the Tombstone rose.[54]

  In 1940, the Lady Banksia rose covered about 4,000sqft (370m2).[56]As of 2014, the rose bush covered more than 8,000sqft (740m2) of the roof and garden trellis of the inn, and has a 12ft (3.7m) circumference trunk. The rose bush is walled off, and the inn charges admission to view it.[55]

  A pair of huge rose "trees" of more than 5 feet (1.5m) in circumference, also planted in the 1880s, shade a 2,500 square feet (230m2) courtyard at Tombstone's historicSacred Heart Church.

  Historic district[edit]Allen Street

  TheTombstone Historic Districtis aNational Historic Landmark District. The town's focus on tourism has threatened the town's designation as a National Historic Landmark District, a designation it earned in 1961 as "one of the best preserved specimens of the ruggedfrontiertown of the 1870s and '80s". In 2004, theNational Park Servicedeclared that Tombstone's historic designation was threatened, and asked the community to develop an appropriatestewardshipprogram.[citation needed]

  Cochise County Courthouse in Tombstone, Arizona, before it was restored. It remained vacant from 1931 through 1955, when it was redeveloped as a museum.

  The National Park Service noted inappropriate alterations to the district included:

  • Placing "historic" dates on new buildings
  • Failing to distinguish new construction from historic structures
  • Covering authentic historic elevations with inappropriate materials
  • Replacing historic features instead of repairing them
  • Replacing missing historic features with conjectural and unsubstantiated materials
  • Building incompatible additions to existing historic structures and new incompatible buildings within the historic district
  • Using illuminated signage, including blinking lights surrounding historic signs
  • Installing hitching rails and Spanish tile-covered store porches when such architectural features never existed within Tombstone

  Historical buildings includeSchieffelin Hall, the opera house built by Al Schieffelin in 1881, and the Cochise County Courthouse. The courthouse was largely unused and then vacant after the county seat was moved to Bisbee. An attempt was made to turn it into hotel in the 1940s, and when that failed it stood empty until 1955. The Tombstone Restoration Commission acquired the courthouse and developed it as a historical museum that opened in 1959. It features exhibits and thousands of artifacts documenting Tombstone's past.[57]

  The Crystal Palace Saloon, including its 45 feet (14m) long mahogany bar, was rebuilt based on photographs of the original saloon was restored in May 1964 to its 1881 condition. This included large Victorian ceiling lamps and the inlaid‐patterned wood floor.[58]

  Geography and geology[edit]Tombstone Mining Map (USGS, 1907)

  The Tombstone District located −110.064827)[59]sits atop amesa(elevation 4,539 feet [1,383m]) in the San Pedro River valley between theHuachuca MountainsandWhetstone Mountainsto the west, and theMulesand theDragoon Mountainsto the east. According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.3 square miles (11.2km2), all land.[3]

  The silver-bearing Tombstone Hills around the city are caused by a local intrusion ofporphyrythrough a limestone capping.[13]

  When actively mined, the silver vein of argentiferousgalena(silver-bearing lead ore) was large and well defined. The silver and lead was easily milled and smelted. The lead content sometimes was as much as 50 per cent of the ore, andassaysproved the silver content ran as high as $105.00 per ton in 1881 dollars.[60]

  The underlyingbasement rocksare fine-grainedPinal Schistwhich is intruded bygneissicgranite. The outcrop is in a small area south of the principal mines. The lies on anunconformitywith a total thickness ranging from 4,000 to 5,000 feet (1,200 to 1,500m), and contains 2,500 to 3,500 feet (760 to 1,070m) ofMississippianEscabrosa Limestoneand theNaco Formationlimestone ofPennsylvanianage in the upper formations.[61]

  Overlying the Naco Limestone is an unconformableMesozoicseries ofconglomerate, thick-bedded quartzites, andshales, with two or threelensesof soft, bluish-gray limestone. Into these formations intruded large bodies ofquartz monzoniteand bydikesof quartz monzonite-porphyryanddiorite-porphyry. Structuralfaultingoccurs throughout the district especially immediately south of Tombstone, where thestrataare closely folded.[62]

  Tombstone District ores have been produced geologically in three or more ways.

  They may have been formed in argentiferous (silver-bearing)lead sulfidecontaining spotty amounts of copper and zinc. These deposits are usually deeply oxidized and enriched by irregular replacement bodies along mineralizedfissure zonesandanticlinalrolls cut Ore bodies are often closely associated with newer cross-cutting intrusive dikes ofLaramide.

  Ore deposits were formed bybase metalmineralization occurring with oxidation found in fault and fracture zones in Laramide volcanics and quartzlatiteporphyry intrusives.

  Silver ore was also occurred inmanganese oxideswith some argentiferous deposits in lenticular or pipe-like replacement bodies along fracture and fault zones, usually inPennsylvanian-PermianageNaco style="margin: 0.5em 0px;">Tombstone has a typical Arizonasemi-arid climate(KöppenBSk/BSh) with three basic seasons. Winter, from October to March, features mild to warm days and chilly nights, with minima falling to under 32°F (0°C) on 28.4 nights, although snowfall is almost unknown, with the median being zero and the heaviest monthly fall being 14.0 inches (35.56cm) in January 1916, of which 12.0 inches (30.48cm) fell on January 16. The coldest temperature record in Tombstone has been 3°F (−16.1°C) on December 8, 1978.[citation needed]

  The summer season from April to June is extremely dry and gradually heats up – the hottest temperature on record being 112°F (44.4°C) on July 4, 1989 – beforethe monsoonseason from July to September brings the heaviest rainfall, averaging 7.71 inches (195.8mm) out of an annual total of 13.22 inches (335.8mm). The wettest month has been July 2008 when 11.53 inches (292.9mm) fell[63]and fifteen days saw at least 0.04 inches (1.0mm) of rainfall – though the record for the most such days in a month stands at eighteen, in July 1930. Since 1893, the wettest calendar year has been 1905, with 27.84 inches (707.1mm) and the driest was 1924, with 7.36 inches (186.9mm).[63]

  hideClimate data for Tombstone, Arizona, 1991–2020 normals, extremes high °F maximum °F high °F mean °F low °F minimum °F low °F snowfall inches precipitation days(≥ 0.01 snowy days(≥ 0.1 1: NOAA[64]Source 2: National Weather Service[65]Demographics[edit]Historical Decennial Census[66]

  As of the census[67]of 2000, there were 1,504 people, 694 households, and 419 families residing in the city. The population density was 349.8 inhabitants per square mile (135.1/km2). There were 839 housing units at an average density of 195.1 per square mile (75.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 87.4%White, 0.6%BlackorAfrican American, 1.0%Native American, 0.3%Asian, 8.2% fromother races, and 2.5% from two or more races. 24.1% of the population wereHispanicorLatinoof any race.

  There were 694 households, out of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% weremarried couplesliving together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.5% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.73.

  In the city, the age distribution of the population shows 19.3% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 19.9% from 25 to 44, 32.5% from 45 to 64, and 23.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.0 males.

  The median income for a household in the city was $26,571, and the median income for a family was $33,750. Males had a median income of $26,923 versus $18,846 for females. Theper capita incomefor the city was $15,447. About 13.0% of families and 17.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.[68]In 2010, the total population was 1,380.

  Education[edit]

  Tombstone Unified School Districtserves Tombstone. The district schools in Tombstone are Walter J. Meyer Elementary School and Tombstone High School.[69][70]Tombstone is within theCochise Technology Districtwhich assists in the development of career and technical education programs for high school students.[71]

  Historic properties[edit]See also:List of historic properties in Tombstone, Arizona

  Several properties in Tombstone have been included in theNational Register of Historic Places.[72]The following are images of some of these properties:

  • O.K. Corral frontage on Allen Street

  • Schiefflin's Mine

  • Schiefflin Hall

  • Longhorn Restaurant

  • Cochise County Courthouse

  • City Hall

  • Big Nose Kate's Saloon

  • Crystal Palace

  • Bird Cage Theatre

  • Entrance to Boothill Graveyard

  • Graves of Billy Clanton, and Frank and Tom McLaury