Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-08-03
THE TOMBSTONE DISTRICT.
An Interesting Talk With its DiscOverel
How Town Was Named.

An Interesting Talk With its Discoverer
How a Town Was Named.
81 think that the day will come when
Arizona Will produce more bullion than
all the rest of our territory" said Edward
Schieffelin to San Francisco Chronicle
reporter the other day.
What makes you think sop
''There is mineral in every place you
go. There is no place that you can strike
without it having metal. The trouble is
that there is too much Eastern capital in
the territory. You know the Eastern peo-
pie 90 in heavy for science-they wish to
do everything by science. Now, this will
not do. The territory wants practical
men who will do things properly, and
when it gets this class it Will become
great mining country"
t'YOu discovered TOmbstOneW
sob, l was always prospecting, and in
one of these tours l came across Tomb
stone"
s'How did it get this nameT"
Il was up in the northern part of the
territory, in that section known as the
Wallapai country, and while there a COM
pany OF Indians was enlisted for an
Apache hunt in the southern part of the
territory, and l followed them down.
During my journey l was several times
asked if L had ever made anything in these
prospecting tours, and l used to say that
| had not discovered ANYTHING of very
great value yet, but l hoped later on to do
so. l was always alone when l made my
prospects in the Apache country. This,
no doubt, was dangerous, as the Apaches
were very active about that time. They
were killing men all over the country, and
had dispatched two or three trains that
summer. Well, the soldiers often used to
tell me to be careful and advise me not to
venture alone, telling me, among other
things: % yes, you'll find tombstone
one of these days; that is what you Will
fnd.' This remark was so often made that
it impressed itself on my memory, and
often when l was on these prospects it
would unpleasantly recur, and at length l
determined if succeeded in finding any
thing to give it this name. Well, in the
summer and fall of 1877 / entered the pre-
sent Tombstone district and made my dis
c0Veries, but the locations were not made
till the spring of 1878. The delay was
owing to the Indians. My finds lay only
nine miles from COchise's stronghold, and
at that time | never built fire in that
district for fear Of attracting the Indians.
l used to stay there about a couple of
days; go into other portions of the country
for week or so, and then come back
again. That fall left the country, went
to Tucson and tried to get the men there
to take an interest in my Tombstone
mines. But they would not listen to me.
So 1 went and hunted up my brother (by
this time Chochise was dead and the
Apaches had scattered), and he, Dick
Grid, and l started for the new mines,
where we arrived in February, 1878, and
then made camp out OF bear grass poles,
with a canvas stretched across them. We
staid there about six or eight months,
then got some lumber and built house,
in which we lived till the spring of 1880,
when 1 and my brother sold out our inter-
ests. Dick Grid retained his interests tor
another year."
''Do you intend to settle down nOwT'
"No; 1 detest city life. | am now ON
my way to Nevada, where shall prospect
again. If the country is what think it
is l shall stay few months; otherwise l
shall not"