The Boothill Graveyard on Tombstone's northern edge is a blend of history, humor, and tourist attraction.
It's not the nation's only cemetery with the name Boothill or Boot Hill. Others earned the name in the West and Midwest because of cowboys and gunslingers who "died with their boots on." But Tombstone's is easily the best known, thanks largely to the movies "Tombstone," "Wyatt Earp" and "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral."
The graveyard dates back to 1878, when it showed up on town plats as the Tombstone Cemetery. It was closed in 1884 and became the victim of neglect. Many of the wooden grave markers withered away, and nature had taken over the property.
The Boot Hill Graveyard was a revitalization project by townspeople starting in the 1920s and extending into the 1940s, including research into grave locations and the installation of the metal grave markers, though many graves remained unmarked. The town is planning to replace the metal grave markers with wooden ones.
In 1961, the National Park Service, citing a "lack of historic integrity" for the graveyard, did not include it in Tombstone's National Historic Landmark district.
Among those buried at the cemetery are the Clanton gang members killed in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral – Billy Clanton and brothers Frank and Tom McLaury. Their graves are well-marked to the right of the cemetery entrance. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday aren't buried here; Earp died in California and Holliday in Colorado.
Many of the tombstones carry humorous epitaphs. An example: "Here lies George Johnson, hanged by mistake, 1882. He was right, we was wrong, but we strung him up and now he's gone." Also, "Margarita. Stabbed by Gold Dollar. Two dance hall girls quarrelling over a man, and Gold Dollar won." And, "Here lies Lester Moore, Four slugs from a .44, No Les, no more."
The graveyard is maintained by the Tucson Chamber of Commerce and is free to the public, though a donation is requested.
Details Boothill Graveyard 408 N. Highway 80 Tombstone, AZ 85638 (520) 457-3300 http://www.boothillgiftshop.com/cgi-bin/store/commerce.cgi http://www.boothillgraves.com/
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