Tombstone Marshal (Cochise County)

"The Town too Tough to Die," Tombstone was
perhaps the most renowned of Arizona's old mining
camps. When Ed Schieffelin (SHEF·e·lin) came to
Camp Huachuca (hwah·CHEW·kuh) with a party of
soldiers and left the fort to prospect, his comrades
told him that he'd find his tombstone rather than
silver. Thus, in 1877 Schieffelin named his first
claim the Tombstone, and rumors of rich strikes
made a boomtown of the settlement that adopted
this name.

Days of lawlessness and violence, which nearly
had then-President Chester A. Arthur declaring
martial law in Tombstone and sending in military
troops to restore order, climaxed with the infamous
Earp-Clanton battle, fought near the rear entrance
of the O.K. Corral, on October 26, 1881. Over
the course of 7 years the mines produced millions
of dollars in silver and gold before rising
underground waters forced suspension of operations.

After cashing in on the Arizona bonanza, Ed Schieffelin
went back to the mining life he knew so well. He
prospected in Alaska in 1882, and later in the Pacific Northwest.

Schieffelin died in Grant County, Oregon, on May 14,
1897, at the age of 49. At his request, he was returned
to Tombstone for burial, nine days after his death.
He was afforded a grand funeral at Schieffelin Hall.
He was laid to rest on a hillside about a mile from
town (beneath a marker in the shape of a miner's claim).

During World War I, Tombstone was a major producer
of manganese for the government. In World War II,
Tombstone was extracting lead for the cause. After
both conflicts, Tombstone faded into obscurity,
just to be resurrected at a later time. The citizenry
of Tombstone decided rather than depending on a
vanishing mining industry, they would focus their
time and energy on tourism and restoration. Good call!

Many of Tombstone's historic buildings are within an
area bounded by Fremont, 6th, Toughnut and 3rd streets.
Among them are St. Paul's Episcopal Church, built in
1882; the Crystal Palace Saloon, one of the most luxurious
saloons in the West; and the Tombstone Epitaph building,
where the oldest continuously published paper in Arizona
is still being printed. Western printing history exhibits
in the front office are free to the public.

Truly a Historical American Landmark, Tombstone is America's
best example of our 1880 western heritage, which is well
preserved with original 1880's buildings and artifacts
featured in numerous museums.