Tombstone, the county seat of Cochise county, is one of those mining towns which has sprung into existence, as if by magic, from the discovery of the wonderfully rich ore bodies which surround it on all sides. A little more than two years ago, the site of the present town was a desolate waste; to-day an active, energetic population of over 6,000 souls gives life and animation to its crowded streets. The town is built on a mesa at the southern end of the Dragoon mountains, nine miles east of the San Pedro river, about seventy miles south-east of Tucson and twenty-eight miles south of Benson, on the Southern Pacific railroad. It is situated near latitude 31° 30' north, and in longitude 110° west of Greenwich. The first house was erected in April, 1879, and since then its growth has been remarkable. Surrounded on all sides by immense bodies of rich ore, Tombstone presents the appearance of a typical mining camp in the full tide of prosperity. The town is built of wood and adobes. It contains many fine business houses, a large and commodious theater and public hall, four large hotels, two banks, and numerous private residences, displaying both taste and comfort. It contains four churches: Methodist, a handsome edifice, Catholic, Presbyterian and Episcopal. It has one public school, which is largely attended, and also a private academy, which receives generous patronage.
At the present time tombstone is the greatest mining center in Arizona. It is built on a mesa which slopes from the line- where the foothills of the Mule Mountains merge into the plain towards the distant Dragoon Range. The site is an ideal one, so far as beauty of situation and facilities for perfect sanitation are concerned, while the surrounding scenery of rolling hills and grassy plains, enclosed by jagged and picturesque mountain ranges, is a striking combination of the beautiful, set except towards the east in a framework of the sublime. Perhaps the only blur on the picture is found in the low hills which lie behind the city and which are cut, scarred and defaced by the tunnels and dumps and hoisting works of the mines ; but, in the eye of the utilitarian, these will, no doubt, appear rather to enhance than to mar the prospect.
The way in which the city came to have such a gruesome name is interesting. A prospector of the name of Scheffelin who, by the way, is now a resident of Alameda, California being convinced that there were good indications of abundant mineral wealth in Cochise's country, and not having the fear of that savage chieftain before his eyes at least to the same extent as had his companions expressed his determination to go over and "spy out the land." "All that you will find there will be your tombstone, '' mockingly said his fellow prospedtors; but Scheffelin was made of sterner stuff than to be turned from his purpose by a gibe. He passed over into Cochise's country, and having " struck it rich" with rich cerargyrite silver ore near where the city of Tombstone now stands, turned the laugh against his jeering comrades by calling the town, which speedily sprung up when the news of his "find" got abroad, by the name it still bears.
The first house on the townsite was built in April, 1879, and, to-day, the population is variously estimated at from 4,000 to 6,000 inhabitants. Two years after it was founded, however, it was swept by a disastrous fire which laid well nigh half the city in ashes, and the following year (1882) a still more terrible and destructive conflagration almost wiped the whole city out of existence. It was, however, speedily rebuilt, and, as a precaution against the recurrence of a similar calamity the people built their, houses almost entirely of adobe. Even to-day, except the suburban residences, all the buildings are of that material, and one story in height. There are, of course, some public buildings, such as the Courthouse, the City Hall and the churches and schools which are either built of brick entirely, or brick faced with stone ; but by far the majority are of the primitive, but comfortable and safe, adobe. Fortunately, Tombstone is in little or no danger from future fires, for her water supply is one of the best in quality and most copious in quantity in the world. It is brought from a vast reservoir (formed in one of the caflons in the Huachuca mountains) by iron pipes for 21 miles to another reservoir, situated 150 feet above the city. The quality of the water is unsurpassed, the supply unlimited, and the pressure is so great that one authority asserts that "a stream through an ordinary nozzle will bore a hole through a two-foot thick adobe wall in five minutes." With an abundant supply of hydrants distributed through the streets, and an efficient fire department, it is not easy to see what chance a fire would have of spreading very far in Tombstone to-day. The vast mineral fields around Tombstone have, of recent years, not been worked to anything like the advantage they ought to be, owing to an unfortunate strike, arising from difficulties between the miners and their employers, and, it is said, from an unwillingness on the part of the latter to go to the expense of putting in certain costly machinery which new conditions in the mines demand, so long as the difficulties with their employes have not been settled on a basis promising something like permanent peace. Those troubles, however,are bound to be settled bye-and-bye, probably in the near future and then, Tombstone will astonish the world by the extent of her wealth, no less than by the rapidity of her growth.
Tombstone is the center of an immense area of rich mineral territory. It has a large and growing trade with the adjacent mining camps, and with Sonora. Its mercantile houses carry heavy stocks, and do a thriving business. Tombstone has two newspapers, the Nugget and the Epitaph, published daily and weekly. The former is the pioneer journal of the camp, and in its general make-up and the ability displayed in its columns, is worthy of the generous support it is receiving. It is conducted by H. M. Woods. The Epitaph is a live, newsy journal, devoted to the vast resources of the Tombstone region, and has worked incessantly to bring those resources to the attention of the outside world. Clum & Keppy are its proprietors. Water is brought to the town in iron pipes from the Dragoon mountains, sixteen miles away. A project is on foot to tap the cool springs in the Huachacas, twenty-one miles distant, which would supply the town with pure mountain water for all time to come. Tombstone is at present one of the most active towns on the Pacific coast. New buildings are going up constantly, while rich discoveries are being brought to light in the vast mineral belt which extends in all directions. Its future growth and prosperity is assured, and it promises yet to rival the metropolis of the Comstock in its most prosperous days.
The Bank Of Tombstone:
The financial history of a city is so intimately connected with its trade
and commerce that a review of the mercantile and manufacturing industries of
Tombstone must necessarily make special reference to her banking
institution. The Bank of Tombstone was organized in 1887 with an authorized
capital of $100,000, $50,000 of which is paid up. The undivided profits are
$9.000, showing plainly that the business has been a success from the very
beginning. The building (which is owned by the bank) is 90x125 feet in
dimensions and one story high, the part of it not used by the bank being
used for mercantile purposes. The Bank does a general business all over the
United States and Europe. Their principal correspondence is in San Francisco
and New York City. The officers are: George Berrott, President; G. H.
Carrel, Vice-President; and R. W. Wood, Cashier all well known in this
community as prompt and correct business men. Few similar institutions in
the West can show a more rapid growth in the confidence of the community in
which they are located, or better evidence of solidity and absolute security
to depositors. The reputation of those connected with its management, for
honor, reliability and integrity, is as perfect as it is general.
The Palace Hotel
An important item of information for the visitor to Tombstone, whether he
come from adjoining parts of the County and Territory, or from still
farther afield, is where he can find comfortable accommodation during his
sojourn in the city where, in short, he will be made to feel most at home.
Tombstone has no lack of comfortable hostelries, where he will find
excellent quarters, but the Palace Hotel undoubtedly occupies the first
place among them. It is conducted on the European plan, and is situated
right in the center of the business portion of the city, near all the
leading restaurants, making it the most convenient hotel in the city for
transient guests. The building is a large two-story frame structure 40x80
ft. in dimensions, and contains 18 sleeping rooms, all elegantly furnished
in the latest style, with every convenience necessary for the comfort of its
guests. The Palace was opened in 1885 by the present proprietress, Mrs.
Henrietta Bastian, a most estimable lady, and one who has had many years'
experience in the business. Every effort is made by her to please her guests
and make them feel at home. Her charges are as reasonable as those of any
first-class house, and those who have occasion to visit Tombstone should
stop with her. and they will have no cause to regret their having done so.
They will find the landlady polite, agreeable, and always watchful that her
guests are well attended to in every way, and that the servants omit nothing
that will add to their comfort. Taken all in all, it is one of the best
hotels in Arizona, and the beet kept house
in the West.
In the fall of 1877, Mr. A. E. Sheiffelin, an active and industrious prospector, was stopping at Camp Huachuca. He made frequent trips into the hills now embraced within the limits of Tombstone, searching assiduously for "float" and "croppings." Bands of renegade Indians roamed in the country east of the San Pedro at that time, and the whole region, which had once been the chosen ground of the famous Cachise and his band, was marked with the graves of white victims, who had been murdered within its " dark and bloody ground." Sheiffelin was admonished that he would find a " tombstone," instead of a " bonanza," beyond the San Pedro, and would add another to the many who found bloody graves among its lonely hills. The indomitable prospector paid no heed to these warnings, and his pluck and energy met with their just reward. In February, 1878, he discovered the Lucky Cuss, Tough Nut, and other mines which have since attained a national reputation. In remembrance of the solemn joke, he named the district " Tombstone." The great richness and extent of the new discoveries soon spread far and wide, and thousands rushed to the Silverado of the south-west. An army of prospectors swarmed over the hills, many other valuable discoveries were made, a city sprung up as if by magic, mills and hoisting-works were erected, bullion began to find its way out of the camp, and to-day, a little more than three years after its discovery, Tombstone can show a population of 7,000 souls, and is one of the most prosperous mining camps in the western country.
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