Tombstone is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, founded in 1879 by Ed Schieffelin in what was then Pima County. It was one of the last wide-open frontier boomtowns in the American Old West. From about 1877 to 1890, the town's mines produced USD $40 to $85 million in silver bullion, the largest productive silver district in Arizona. Its population grew from 100 to around 14,000 in less than 7 years. In 1881, it became the county seat of the new Cochise County.
Several legendary figures such as Wyatt Earp and his brothers (including Virgil Earp), and their associate John Henry "Doc" Holliday, resided in Tombstone for a time. On October 26, 1881, a gunfight between the Earps, who were then lawmen, and a group of cowboy outlaws, took place in a vacant lot near the O.K. Corral. The incident has become the most famous gunfight of the Old American West.
Throughout the 20th Century and into the 21st Century, Tombstone has relied on tourism, rather than silver.
Tombstone in Southern Victory[]
Tombstone on the eve of battle.
Tombstone, New Mexico, was a small boom town that made its living around the silver mines. The settlers were a mixed bunch of proprietors, gamblers and outlaws. A volunteer militia force was created from the men who lived there and they mainly fought against the Apache Indians who frequently raided them.
In 1881, during the Second Mexican War, Apache chief Geronimo convinced Confederate General Jeb Stuart to attack the town. Stuart was more interested in bringing the war to the Yankees and the silver mines than the Apache's motivation for revenge but he agreed. However, the townspeople, led by Brevet Colonel Virgil Earp, refused to give up without a fight, resulting in the Battle of Tombstone. Although they fought bravely, the battle ended in victory for the Confederates and the whole town was destroyed during the fighting.
When the fighting was done, Geronimo was furious with Stuart for sparing the settlers and not allowing the Apache to slaughter them in revenge for all they had done to his people.
-1-.jpg){kind=link}