In the fall of 1877, Mr. A. E. Sheiffelin, an active and industrious prospector, was stopping at Camp Huachuca. He made frequent trips into the hills now embraced within the limits of Tombstone, searching assiduously for "float" and "croppings." Bands of renegade Indians roamed in the country east of the San Pedro at that time, and the whole region, which had once been the chosen ground of the famous Cachise and his band, was marked with the graves of white victims, who had been murdered within its "dark and bloody ground." Sheiffelin was admonished that he would find a "tombstone," instead of a "bonanza," beyond the San Pedro, and would add another to the many who found bloody graves among its lonely hills. The indomitable prospector paid no heed to these warnings, and his pluck and energy met with their just reward. In February, 1878, he discovered the Lucky Cuss, Tough Nut, and other mines which have since attained a national reputation. In remembrance of the solemn joke, he named the district "Tombstone." The great richness and extent of the new discoveries soon spread far and wide, and thousands rushed to the Silverado of the south-west. An army of prospectors swarmed over the hills, many other valuable discoveries were made, a city sprung up as if by magic, mills and hoisting-works were erected, bullion began to find its way out of the camp, and to-day, a little more than three years after its discovery, Tombstone can show a population of 7,000 souls, and is one of the most prosperous mining camps in the western country.
As near as can be ascertained, the mineral belt of Tombstone extends nearly eight miles east and west, and about five miles north and south. On the western edge of the district, along the San Pedro river, silver had been discovered as far back as 1859, but the hostility of the Indians prevented any development. The country in which the mines of Tombstone are situated may be described as a series of rolling hills, which have a gradual ascent until they merge into the Mule mountains on the south, and stretch away in an undulating plain to the Dragoon range on the north. The geological formation of the district presents many features worthy of study. Porphyry appears to be the predominating rock, though a capping of lime overlies the leading mines of the camp. Quartzite is found everywhere, and a granite formation is met with on the western edge of the district. As depth is attained, the surface lime disappears and porphyry and quartzite constitute the country rock. A notable feature of the Tombstone mines is the size of the veins and the ease with which the ore is reduced. The silver occurs as a chloride with very little base combinations, and can be worked by pan process, to 90 per cent, and upwards. The cost of extraction is merely nominal, and the facilities for reduction are all that could be desired.
Copper.—Besides its veins of silver and gold, Cachise county has also some of the largest and most valuable copper mines to be found in the Territory. At Bisbee, some twenty miles south of Tombstone, are found some of the richest copper mines in the United States. The veins are large, the grade high, and the appliances at hand for reduction can not be excelled. The mines are about sixty miles from the railroad at Benson, and about twenty miles from the Sonora line. The Copper Queen, the leading mine of the camp, is an immense mountain of ore. It has been explored 160 feet in length by 150 in depth, and 120 feet in width, and as far as the explorations have extended, rich ore has been encountered everywhere. The claim is 1,500 feet long, and 600 feet wide. Two 30-ton smelters are kept running steadily, and the daily output is about 13 tons of pure copper. The ore is a carbonate and a black and red oxide, and averages about 22 per cent. The claim has been opened by 700 feet of shafts, drifts, and cross-cuts, and has already yielded over $600,000 worth of copper. The property is owned by an incorporated company, with headquarters in New York. The Neptune company own nine claims, the most prominent of which is the Neptune, which shows ore going 24 per cent. This company are making preparations to erect a smelter on the San Pedro river, fifteen miles distant. The Twilight shows a 6-foot vein of red oxides, carrying 25 per cent. pure copper, and is opened by a 70-foot shaft. The Holbrook has a 10-foot vein of red oxides, but has little work done on it. The Copperopolis shows a 5-foot vein and a 40-foot shaft. The Atlanta carries 25 per cent. ore, and is opened by a 45-foot shaft. The Copper King is the western extension of the Copper Queen. It is a large vein, showing good ore. The Golden Gate, Ohio, Copper Prince, Cave, New York, Galena, Garfield, Bounty, Black Jack, and Dreadnaught are all fine prospects, although but little work has been done upon any of them. Bisbee, besides its immense copper veins, has silver and gold also. It is one of the most eligibly situated camps in Southern Arizona, and has a bright future before it.
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