By Harold Merton
Scope Photos by Harold Merton
If you've watched any Western movies or read any books
about the Old West then the name Boothill will not be new to you.
Boothill Graveyard played a major part in the history of the Old West
and when the gunfight at the O.K. Corral took place on October 26, 1881
the three losers of that famous shootout were taken to Boothill for
their final resting place. The horse-drawn hearse that carried them
is in a museum in Tombstone.
Scope Photo by Elizabeth Merton
Boothill Cemetery still exists today, albeit the gift shop
and entrance
building was a much later addition to the landscape.
It's a lonely patch of desert on the north edge of town that became
the
final resting place for many of Tombstone's early citizens and some
who
ventured into town and didn't get the chance to venture out.
It is now operated by the City of Tombstone as a tourist attraction
and it
draws thousands of visitors each year.
Boothill had a name for humorous tombstones. It appeared that the residents
of the Old West had quite a sense of humor. As you look at the tombstone
inscriptions you get quite a chuckle out of what was written. Some authors
tried to be poets, some tried to be funny and
some just didn't have a good grasp of the English language. In any event
a visit to Boothill is high on the list of priorities of many visitors
to the area.
We stopped there on our way into Tombstone from the north.
The parking lot was not large but we did find a spot for the motorhome.
As you enter the main building you come into the gift shop and here
you
will find a lot of things that make interesting souvenirs.
When you move over to the entrance to the graveyard they ask you for
a
donation to help with maintenance. We felt they were a little too pushy
in
this respect. The people ahead of me indicated they would pass on the
donation until later but the young clerk continued asking. Personally
I
would rather make my donation after I have seen what was there. I am
sure a lot of other people would too and a system of collecting on one's
exit might net them higher donations. I am sure the amount those people
contributed was much smaller because of the high pressure sales pitch.
In any event, we walked through the graveyard and explored the tombstones
with a number of other visitors including a school group that somehow
forgot that they were in a cemetery. Good thing it wasn't the old days
or one or two of them might have joined the permanent residents.
It is obvious that many of the tombstones have been replaced but the
inscriptions are the same and more easily read. One has to remember
that many of the tombstones were actually made of wood and would not
have lasted over a hundred years.
You need about a half hour in Boothill Graveyard if you want to immerse
yourself in a little of the history of the Old West. We found it very
interesting.