TOMBSTONE

city, Cochise county, southeastern Arizona, U.S. The site was ironically named by Ed Schieffelin, who discovered silver there in 1877 after being told that all he would find would be his tombstone. By 1881 a silver rush had set in with an estimated 7,000 persons in the area. Along with the prospectors came adventurers and outlaws, among whom were Doc Holliday and Johnny Ringo, whereupon Tombstone gained a reputation for lawlessness. Feuds were common, the most notable being the gun battle at the O.K. Corral in 1881 between the Earp and Clanton families. The boom days quickly ended with floodwaters in the mines, labour strikes, and low silver prices. Tombstone was the county seat from 1881 (when it was incorporated) until 1931. Now a tourist centre and health resort, it retains a pioneer atmosphere and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1962. Restored sites include Boot Hill Cemetery, Bird Cage Theater, the O.K. Corral, and the Tombstone Epitaph (newspaper, 1880) office. Pop. (1990) 1,220.