Tombstone, Arizona: The Town Too Tough to die – Waddell

Tombstone, which had a reputation, as one of the West’s wildest mining towns, owes its beginning to Ed Schieffelin, who prospected the nearby hills. From nearby Fort Huachuca, Schieffelin told a soldier that the mountains’ rich colors looked very promising for mineral wealth. The soldier said “All you’ll find in those hills is your tombstone”. In February 1878 Schieffelin found a vein of rich silver ore and registered two claims as the Tombstone and the Graveyard. During this presentation Jane tells the history of Tombstone through vintage photographs and shows that the town is much more than its famous gunfight.

Besides teaching middle school Jane Eppinga is an author and member of Southern Arizona Authors, National Federation of Press Women, Society of Woman Geographers, Southwestern Watercolor Guild, Arizona Historical Society, Pimeria Alta Historical Society, Superstition Mountain Historical Society, and Westerners International. She has a B.A. and B.S. from University of Arizona. Her latest books are Arizona Unsolved and Tucson Images of Modern of America. Finally, Jane recently returned from China where she was invited to present a paper for the Pearl S. Buck Symposium.