History

Thanks to Hollywood, Tombstone is famous for a 30-second shoot out, called The Gunfight at the OK Corral. Unfortunately, the singular focus on that one event has relegated the best of Tombstone's 140 year history to the dust bin. Our town had schools, the finest restaurants in Arizona, a semi-pro baseball team, numerous civic clubs, and other genteel activities. These essays explore how the common folks lived and worked in Tombstone.

Albert Bloomquist. Mining was a dangerous occupation and Mr. Bloomquist was a victim.
The Assayer's Art. Before a Tombstone mine could raise capital, someone had to answer one question: what is this ore worth? That answer came from the assayer, working with fire, lead, and a furnace hot enough to melt rock.
Charleston. Today, Charleston is only a spot on a map near the San Pedro River, but at one time it was one of the most important mill towns supporting the Tombstone mines.
Earp Mining Claim. Everyone knows about the Earps' gunfights, but few know about the mine they owned.
From Ore to Silver Bar. How did raw silver ore become a finished doré bar? The process involved stamp mills, mercury, fire, and serious hazards for the men who worked the furnaces.
Mines Near Tombstone. This post describes the more important of the mines in and around Tombstone.
The Tombstone Mining District. The Tombstone Mining District was nearly 100 square miles and included about 100 producing mines. This post introduces all of the mining districts in Cochise County and includes a map outlining the Tombstone District.
Why Did the Mines Close? People often think that water killed mining here, but the truth is far different.

Albert Blair and Samuel Barrow. The deaths of Albert Blair and Samuel Barrow, two children killed in a fire, was one of the saddest chapters in Tombstone's history.
Gunfights. Despite the Hollywood mythos, there were very few gunfights in Tombstone. This is a listing of those who died by gunshot between 1878 and 1890.
James Burnett. Jim Burnett was killed in cold blood in front of the OK Corral. This post tells why.
James Burnett: Another View. Jim Burnett's killer was exonerated, but this post provides a different view of that tragic event.
Morgan Earp's Death. Morgan was killed on March 18, 1882. This is what the Epitaph printed about his death.
Morgan Earp's Inquest. This is the report printed in the Epitaph about the Coroner's Inquest concerning Morgan Earp's death.
Nicholas McCormick. Nicholas was believed to be murdered during a robbery.
The Tombstone Land Fraud. Tombstone's earliest years were marred with governmental corruption that fueled a land fraud that haunted our town for decades.

City Hall. The original City Hall housed our city government for more than a century and is still home to the city Marshal's Office.
Historical Courthouse. The Courthouse is a wonderful museum and peaceful place to visit.
Huachuca Water Company. Drinking water was a significant problem in early Tombstone. Here is the story of the solution.
Railroad. We had rail service from 1903 until 1960 and this post describes the plans and eventual right-of-way.
The Sonoran Earthquake of 1887. On May 3, 1887, a massive earthquake centered in Sonora shook southern Arizona, cracking walls along Allen Street and delivering the final blow to the already-fading town of Charleston.
Tombstone Businesses. This article lists a few of the many places Tombstone citizens could do business in 1885.
Tombstone's Public Schools. Within a year of Tombstone's founding, children were attending school in a mining camp famous for gunfights. The story of those schools is one the movies never bothered to tell.

Baseball In Tombstone. Tombstone formed a semi-pro baseball team in 1882—and it seems like the team was pretty good.
Doling Driving Park. Tombstone had a racetrack on the edge of town and I found a few newspaper articles about events there.
Faro. This article introduces faro, the most popular game in the saloons of Tombstone.
The Fourth of July in Tombstone. Tombstone's Fourth of July celebrations grew from a 3 a.m. Giant powder salute in 1880 to a full civic program with a 42-gun salute, baseball, and a Grand Ball by 1890.
Prospector's Loliloquy. Not everything printed in the Epitaph was bad news. Here is a bit of fun poked firmly at prospectors.
Roller-Skating In Tombstone. It surprises many of our guests, but Tombstone citizens in the early 1800's enjoyed roller skating.
Turnverein. The "Turners" opened the Turnverein Hall in Tombstone and it became important part of our social life.
What Was The Population of Tombstone? Tour guides report wildly different numbers about the population in early Tombstone and this article gets to the bottom of that question.

Ed Schieffelin: The Man Who Found Tombstone. Ed Schieffelin spent twelve years as a broke wandering prospector before discovering the silver deposits that gave Tombstone its name. He made a fortune, then kept right on prospecting.
Nellie Cashman: The Miner's Angel. One of Tombstone's most remarkable figures, Nellie Cashman was a philanthropist, businesswoman, and dedicated miner who followed gold and silver rushes across North America for more than fifty years.
Nino Cochise. Nino Cochise purported to be the grandson of Chief Cochise, but was he a fraud?
Parson Brown. The first "preechin'" at Charleston was memorable, but not for the reason that Parson Brown had hoped.

Boothill Graveyard. Boothill was the first graveyard in Tombstone and it contains the remains of 273 of our earliest pioneers. There are bad guys here, but also the innocent and even the unknown. Note: this page contains information about the historic Boothill graveyard. For information about Boothill's paranormal activity, see Boothill Ghosts.
Jewish Memorial. The Jewish Memorial commemorates the Jews who were part of our origin.
Mountains North of Tombstone. There are many mountain ranges visible from the Schieffelin Monument north of Tombstone.
Tombstone Cemetery. The Tombstone City Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 1800 of our citizens who have died since 1884.