Tombstone Arizona
Presently, Tombstone is a city in southeast Arizona southeast of Tucson. It became one of the richest and most lawless frontiers of mining towns in Arizona after silver was discovered in the area back in 1877. Tombstones’ old mining camps were also most renowned as “The Town Too Tough to Die” in the entire Arizona area. The name Tombstone was adopted by Ed Shieffelin in the year 1877. It was said that after Shieffelin came to Camp Huachuca with a group of soldiers, his comrades told him that he’d find his tombstone rather than silver. Thus, the area was named Tombstone by Shieffelin, and reports of rich strikes made this a boomtown settlement.
Pres. Chester A. Arthur almost declared martial law in Tombstone after days of lawlessness. On October 26, 1881, military troops were sent to restore order and it climaxed to the infamous Earp-Clanton battle which was fought near the back entrance of the O.K. Corral. Millions of dollars of silver and gold were produced for the duration of seven years until the rising of underground waters forced the suspension of operations.
Shieffelin went back to the mining life he was accustomed to, after striking it hot on the Arizona prize. He searched again in Alaska in 1882 and later in the Pacific Northwest. He later died in Grant County, Oregon at the age of 49 on May 14, 1897. His last request was to be returned to Tombstone to lay to rest nine days after his death. A grand funeral was bestowed upon him at the Shieffelin Hall and buried him on a hillside about a mile from town.
Tombstone was a major producer of manganese during World War I and lead extracting during World War II. Tombstone faded to obscurity after the end of both wars only to be resurrected at a later time. The people of Tombstone later focused their attention on tourism and restoration rather than the old mining industry which is slowly diminishing.
A lot of Tombstones historic buildings and landmarks are within an area surrounded by Fremont, 6th, Toughnut and 3rd streets. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (built in 1882); the Crystal Palace Saloon which was one of the most luxurious saloons in the West; and the Tombstone Epitaph Building where the oldest continuously printed paper in Arizona is still being printed are among them.
Tombstone, with its well-preserved buildings and landmarks, is truly a Historic American Landmark and America’s best example of 1880’s western heritage with its artifacts housed in numerous museums in the area.
