Phoenix weekly herald., 1897-08-26
THE RUSH TO TOMBSTONE.
Wild Days in the Early History of
 the DOlorous City.

the DOlorous City.
 and numerous other crazss are being
 propagsted; or perhaps more properly
 now that the population of the Uoited
 States is hungry for change and excite
 meut and in 8 proper frame of mind for
 following up any thing that will furnish
 what Is demanded the following bit of
 Arizona history, which is gathered from aslstterlin the New York Dispdtch'is ss follows:
 "With the possible exception of the
 rush to the Lssdvil.e mining district l In Colorado, there has been none any
 where in forty years attended with
 more excitement than followed the
 news of the finding of great deposits of
 gold and silver in Tombstone in 1879.
 Miners from every part of the Pacific
 coast caught the fever for gold, and ss
 week after week samples of the Tomb stone Fock were more widely circulss- ed, and rumors went forth concerning
 the fortunes this or that man or com- pany was getting out of the hills ard
 mountains about the new camp, thous- andF started for Tombstone Hun dreds of young men and youths in the older States were wild with zeal to hasten to the new El Dorado and start ed across the continent with little or 10 preparation. In less than four months after Gird and the Hawkipses began getting several thousand dollars day from their mines there were over 6,OO0 persons in the camp, and several months later Tom bstone had a popula- sion of over 10000 men and 200 women. There never was another camp in the south west like thst at Tombstone in 1879 and 1880. Indeed, there have been very few similar communities In She world. For over seven months the daily output of precious metals aver- aged about s50,O00. Over @ dozen men went there penniless aud came back worth ovsr $5O,0O0 in less than year, end six or seven men struck it rich and sold out for over 8 million each. Fully half the population walked hundreds of miles to get there. No railroad ran through Southern Arizona in those d avs, and the awful Colorado and Mo we deserts had to be crossed in wagons OF on foot by the multitudes of fortune seekers from California. Many man died on the hot, sandy plains.
 "Miners on their way to the new camp from the east and south tolled across the Arizona alkali plains, through im- mense cactus areas. and risked their lives in the then hostile land of the Apache Indians. For miles and miles the travellers were without water, for there were no wells, rivers or springs and many man, with 6fs family and horses, died of thirst. But hardship, pain, suffering and risk of life were secondary to an early arrival m Tomb 'tone and the location of 8 mining ,laim. When Tombstone was reached here were new pRivstions and more physical distress for the greater num- per, especially for those who had hast med from offioee, stores, shcpe, clerk hips and the pastors study. Over one- hird of the men in camp had very little honey, or none at all, and knew no way f earning it except by the hardest kind f manuel labor, to which they were un- sed. It cost S1 8 night to sleep in irty, rough pine bunk. Water sold at 0 cents a gallon. 8 small dish of beans t 90 cents, tallow candles at two bits p csnts), common overalls at S5 each, moked hams at SIP each, and cowhide oots were disposed of as fast as they ould be hauled to camp across ths esert from Los Angeles and Yums for 35 pair. Is was ground hog case 'ibh these commodities for the first ten Ionths of Tombstone-tske them et le prics asked or go without. Ia 1881 1e Tombstone mines that paid vel, ere h the hands of few persons, and 1e population of the place had gone own to 5000. Ia 1883 the mines, with 70 exceptions, began to peter out. and ,e population dropped to 5000 Since len is has gone down slowly to less nan 1000 souls."