Tombstone is a historic city in Cochise County, Arizona, United
States, founded in 1877 by prospector Ed Schieffelin in what was then
Pima County, Arizona Territory. It became one of the last boomtowns in
the American frontier. The town grew significantly into the mid-1880s
as the local mines produced $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 seven years. It is best known
as the site of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and presently draws
most of its revenue from tourism.The town was established on a mesa
above the Goodenough Mine. Within two years of its founding, although
far distant from any other metropolitan area, Tombstone had a bowling
alley, four churches, an ice house, a school, two banks, three
newspapers, and an ice cream parlor, alongside 110 saloons, 14
gambling halls, and numerous dance halls and brothels. All of these
businesses were situated among and atop many silver mines. The
gentlemen and ladies of Tombstone attended operas presented by
visiting acting troupes at the Schieffelin Hall opera house, while the
miners and cowboys saw shows at the Bird Cage Theatre and
brothel.Under the surface were tensions that grew into deadly
conflict. The mining capitalists and the townspeople were largely
Republicans from the Northern states. Many of the ranchers (some of
whomâ€"like the Clantonsâ€"were also rustlers or other criminal
varieties) were Confederate sympathizers and Democrats. The booming
city was only 30 miles (48 km) from the U.S.â€"Mexico border and was
an open market for cattle stolen from ranches in Sonora, Mexico, by a
loosely organized band of outlaws known as The Cowboys. The Earp
brothersâ€"Wyatt, Virgil and Morganâ€"as well as Doc Holliday, arrived
in December 1879 and mid-1880. The Earps had ongoing conflicts with
Cowboys Ike and Billy Clanton, Frank and Tom McLaury, and Billy
Claiborne. The Cowboys repeatedly threatened the Earps over many
months until the conflict escalated into a shootout on October 26,
1881. The historic gunfight is often portrayed as occurring at the
O.K. Corral, though it actually occurred a short distance away in an
empty lot on Fremont Street. Tombstone, Arizona Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter