In 1877, a man named Ed Schieffelin set out to make his
fortune in Apache country, east of Fort
Huachuca. When his friends at the Fort heard about his plans,
they laughed and said that all he'd find was his tombstone. Schieffelin's
reply was the discovery of one of the richest veins of silver and gold in
the Arizona Territory. He named this first claim "The Tombstone"
and died a rich man in Oregon 20 years later.
The town that grew up around the silver mines has become
famous for its early freewheeling, frontier days. Wyatt Earp and Doc
Holliday and their gunfight with the Clantons at the OK Corral epitomizes
the wild West. Apache battles, border outlaws, two huge fires and finally
underground flooding that closed the silver mines raged through the town.
But Tombstone doggedly persisted, earning it the slogan "The Town Too
Tough to Die." http://www.theriver.com/RanchoRio/tombstone/index.html
Last we heard, the town finally put dirt down on top of
the paved streets and make it look "authentic" again. Thank you
Tombstone, for gettin back to yur roots!
ANNUAL EVENTS:
Wyatt Earp Days - May
Tombstone Western Film Festival and Symposium - July
Vigilante Days - August
Rendezvous of Gunfighters - August
Helldorado Days - October
Cowboy Christmas - December
DIRECTIONS
to Tombstone, Arizona
