Ed Schieffelin discovered a plot of land between Tucson and Sierra Vista, Arizona in the 1870s that would become one of the richest silver mines in American history. Within just a few years in the 1880s, the town of Tombstone grew from 100 residents to over 14,000 as people flocked to the town seeking riches from the silver. Tombstone boomed with over 100 saloons, gambling halls, and other entertainment, but it also had a lawless element that led to tensions and the infamous 1881 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Fires and flooding eventually caused the silver mines to close by the early 1900s, steadily decreasing the population, though tourism now helps the town

1. Tombstone Audio Doc Script
Intro – Arizona, 1877 somewhere between Tucson and Sierra
Vista is a small plot of land owned by Ed Schieffelin who had
no idea what this land would become in such a short amount
of time. Little did our eddy know this plot of land would
become one of the richest mines in American history of its
size, a town that would become known as “the town too
tough to die” this plot of land had so much potential
unknown to Ed at the time.
Para 1 - The town grew in numbers at an incrediblespeed
within the first 3 years of the 1880s the town grew from 100
in Ed Schieffelin’s originalgroup to 14,000 residents seeking
the riches that were promised with the visit to the town, with
it generating near$100m in Silver alone which equates to
around $2.5bn in todaysmoney the place was the dream for
many peoplethat entered its gates, the town itself was home
to a bowling alley, 4 churches, an ice house, a school, 2
banks, 3 newspapers, an ice cream parlour, 110 saloons, 14
gambling halls, and uncountablebrothelsand dancing halls,
this made Tombstone not only an attractive work prospect
but also an attractive living prospect as well.
Para 2 – The entertainment section of Tombstone was one of
the many areas where criminal behaviourwas rife as with
growing a town so quicklypolicing 100 peoplein comparison
to 14,000 becomes a more difficult task especiallywhen
there was criminal ties to the people that were in charge of
the town. These tensions eventuallydevelopedinto a less
than ideal compromise in 1881 with the now famous

2. Gunfight at the O.K Corral in which the self-dubbed
“Cowboys” made up of Ike, Billy Clanton,Frank and Tom
Mclaury and Billy Clairborne who had taunted and
threatened the Earp Brothers, and Doc Hollidayfor months
eventuallymet their match with the Mclaury Brothers and
Bill Clantonlosing their lives in the fight leadingto Billy
Claiborneescaping alongside Ike Clanton,Billy however met
his match on the eve of November 14th
1882 when he was
shot and killed by “Buckskin” Frank Leslie, Ike died 5 years
later due to a shot to the heart in Spring of 1887, almost
everyone involvedon the cowboys side met their end within
5 years of the incidentwith Ike being the longest survivor but
still not seeing out the century.
Para 3 – The many fires of Tombstone due to a not quite
refined buildingprocess being in use just yet led to its final
downfallas when certain areas fell the rebuildingwork was
simply not worth the money to put into t to get it back to a
working level this was the same case in the end when the
mines began to flood at around 133m deep the water pump
that cost the mine owners so much burned to the ground
they decided to not bother replacing them due to costs this
ofcourse led to the mines closing where the water was too
bad to deal with this is the first noticeablechange in lifestyle
at Tombstone which led to the populationdecreasing to
barely 600 in 1910 the Town has eventuallygrown back to
around 1300 people in early 2020s, the town now survives
very much so on the tourist influenceand the promise of the
mines one day being reopened and finished excavating, there
is estimated around $28m worth of valueunder them floors
however they still have not got assessments of the areas risk

3. and benefits yet however the excavation is definitely in the
works.
Para 4 – The originaltales of tombstone remain ingrainedin
the culture of the place itself and the town remains one of
the most famous gold rush sites in the history of the
“Boomtown” era. Tombstone however is stalked by the many
criminal events and cold bloodedacts that went down in the
town these events have led to tales being told over
generationsand spirits stalking the town dating back to its
infancy the variousspirits that stalk the streets of the old
town have made the place also one of the most haunted
locationsin the US according to spiritualiststhe area is so
overwhelmed in dark energy it is no surprise the spirit
activity is so high in the town even in the day, most of the
spirits have been identifiedas former residents and former
figures of the past as is the case with most hauntedplaces
there are many instances where the spirits have been
abandonedin limbo and now do as they please in the town
they call home in the ghostly form. Whilst these are also just
stories from residents and visitors the history of Tombstone
is haunting enough to believe they do still dwell on the
grounds of their once bustling hometown.
Ending – If you are ever visiting Arizona make it a personal
goal to visit the old town because you never know what
might be there after all it represented opportunityfor so
many years in the 1800s why cant it do the same for you,
remember that this is the town that never dies even in death
it survives.